In many ways, travel is an extension of who you are. Where you plan to go, how you plan to get there, and what you want to do all illustrate fundamental aspects of your personality. These components change over time, as our knowledge grows and we narrow down what we want most out of an experience.
Throwing a wrench into this practice is the influence which pressure and expectations can have. Too often we are told there is only one way to enjoy a trip, and too often we internalize this information in ways which can prove detrimental to our enjoyment.
Travel pressure is real, and today we want to talk about the importance of carving out your individualized trip.
Getting There
When people think of getting to a far off location, the most immediate consideration is often that of air travel. First-class tickets are generally considered the best option of all available, but such categorization is far removed from reality.
Sure, first-class might let you spend a dozen hours in luxury, but economy can save you thousands. These thousands saved can be used on much more engaging activities that last for days. In this case, most savvy wanderers fully understand why the latter option is usually preferable. But what if we go even further?
Removing flight from the equation as much as we can give us an entirely new form of appreciation. As Lottoland’s article about the benefits of slow travel explains, the journey itself can be an experience or a destination. Rather than zipping between tourist hotspots, slow travel such as that popular on the Inca Trail in Peru gives a far more appreciable time in a culture. Do you want to really get engrossed in a society? If so, then this can be a great way to do it.
Inca Trail (Second Day), Peru” (CC BY 2.0) by Emmanuel Dyan
Finding an Experience
“Oh, you’re going to X? You have to go to Y!”
How many times have you heard these lines when discussing travel plans? Sure, sometimes this can be great advice on things you would otherwise miss, but it can just as often be advice based on the very different wants of very different people.
Finding the best holiday for you means finding your path, whatever form that might take. A common example of this is the pressure which is pushed on us to spend our holiday time completely planned, ticking off as many boxes as we can in our rush to treat tourism as a race.
Again, this might work well for some people, but you should never feel that this is the only option. Some of our best experiences while overseas have simply come from spending days wandering city streets. These might get derided by ‘professional’ travelers, but so what? Your time is yours, and their opinions don’t get to dictate how you spend it.
“IMG_9164” (CC BY 2.0) by fanglan
It might seem silly on the surface, but adult peer pressure is a very real thing. For many in the adult world, travel is a way to reflect who you are, and many see this as an opportunity to paint themselves as brightly as they can.
Remember: Your plans are your own, no matter what anybody else thinks. Take advice, but don’t be a slave to it, and your time will be all the better for it.