Even if you’ve only got a thousand dollar limit on your credit card, you better put some of the loose change from your pockets aside in a piggy bank for a travel fund.
Travelling isn’t just about seeing the world, or adding another postcard to your collection; it’s about getting into the nitty-gritty-but-sometimes-luxurious experience that is discovering yourself. The number one make-or-break situation for couples? Travel. The best way to remind yourself you are just one of the billions of people in the world? Travel. A sure fire way to make memories (both good and bad)? Travel.
There are 196 countries on this wonderful, beautiful, and diverse planet (including Taiwan). You live in one of them! That means that there are 195 places that you have yet to visit, but hopefully some of those are already checked off of your list.
When you travel, you figure out what kind of individual you are. Do you like to sightsee, or do you like to find the hidden, hole-in-the-wall local hot spots? Do you stick to food you are used to eating, or do you try the native cuisine? What about accommodations and activities: do you splurge on a fancy hotel for comfort and sacrifice that dinner cruise in the Bahamas? Pictures? How many? Do you want to look back at where you have been, or live in the moment?
Even if you never thought of those questions before, they immediately become apparent when travelling. But that is the glory of seeing the world- it teaches you things you never knew about yourself! Maybe you always thought you would be too scared to try fried bugs, but after seeing a local casually munching on grasshoppers you gave it a whirl. Now think about how many more experiences you have opened yourself up to that you normally would have snubbed up your nose at! One thing you have to be certain of when traveling is you can’t be scared of yourself. Let yourself delve into new possibilities and experiences!
Maybe travel is the biggest test for couples due to the stress of red-eye flights, smelly public transit rides, sweat on a hot summer day, cramped hotel space- you get the idea. The great thing for couples that undergo that test, regardless of the relationship outcome, is that the knowledge they gained of themselves either helps them find a better match in the future, or strengthened their bond with their significant other. Likewise, both individuals walk away with fantastic memories of the places they saw, things they did, and interactions they encountered. Maybe it will be a frustrating-at-the-time-but-now-hilarious story about accidentally dropping the camera into the Grand Canyon, or maybe it’ll be amazing, rewarding walk on The Great Wall of China. It is all about the memories.
So the real question then becomes not can you afford to travel, but where will you travel? Life is short people, 196 countries, and roughly 10-30 vacation days a year leaves limited time to go see the world. Everything has a price tag, and there is always going to be something you won’t be able to afford, but travelling should not be one of them. Think of it this way, at least while you are hard working on a DIY project to save some bucks, you will be reflecting on how awesome that trip to Ireland was, and how you can’t wait for your upcoming vacation to the Galapagos Islands. We Said Go Travel- so get going already!
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