Backpacking Basics Part 4: Where To Start Backpacking

This is the fourth part of 5 in a series of backpacking basics. You can catch up with Part 1 (What Is Backpacking?), Part 2 (Picking The Right Backpack), and Part 3 (What Is A Hostel?) if you missed them.

Where To Start?

For those of you who’ve never been backpacking, it can seem an intimidating task figuring out where to go. You’ll have a limited amount of gear with you and you might be afraid of being mugged, getting lost, or not having enough underwear. Traveling in conventional ways, with a suitcase staying at hotels and booking tours makes you feel safer and insulated – because generally you are.

Look at backpacking as an experience like a ‘home’ experience somewhere else. You aren’t as insulated, might cook your meals, forget to wash your socks, and live on a conservative budget. Much of the backpacker experience is “normal” and not a vacation where everything is taken care for you.

That’s what makes backpacking fun. Going to a new place is always a bit scary and good and bad things will happen. Most likely you’ll only have to rely on you – but you’ve been doing that up until this point, and it’s not turned out too bad has it?

Cultural Relativity

Some of the easiest places to backpack are the locations where the culture and infrastructure is similar to your own. If you live in the United States, Western Europe, Australia/New Zealand, and Canada will make the easiest transitions. If you’re Chinese, South East Asia might be more familiar and easier for you to adapt to.

• Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. As different as other places seem, people and life around the world share far more similarities than anything else.
  
• There are some compelling reasons Americans shouldn’t make their first international trip to Europe.

The more you travel though, particularly as a backpacker, the easier it will be for you to notice and adjust to cultural differences no matter where you begin.

Popular Backpacking Destinations

There are some places and regions around the world very popular with backpackers have good infrastructure for travelers in general.

• Western Europe
• Australia and New Zealand
• Thailand
• Costa Rica
• Argentina
• Canada

This is a very small list and there are backpackers everywhere. You’ll almost certainly run into others if you stay in hostels.

The Best Place Is Where You Want To Go

As Mark H (Travel Wonders) so eloquently put it,

Personally, I think people (subject to budget) should go to the place they have always dreamed of going for their first international trip. Whether it be because of your heritage, a fascination with that country, a relative/friend who lives there, a smattering of that language or whatever, you are more likely to enjoy a place that you have a true enthusiasm for and some background knowledge.

The best places to backpack are ultimately the ones you really want to explore or meet your methods and goals. If you’ve got time limitations go closer…sticking to a budget – figure out the best places to travel on a weak dollar. Backpacking isn’t as hard as it may seem and you’ve got more wits than you give yourself credit for.

For those of you who have been backpacking, where are some of the first places you went?

Tomorrow in the final part of the series I’ll give you some backpacking lingo and define some common acronyms that you’re likely to come across.

[photos by: woodleywonderworks, Jon_Marshall, Zhang Erning, cash-if]

7 Reasons Why You Can And Should Visit Iceland In The Winter

The name Iceland is very deceptive and makes the geologically active island sound completely intolerable, especially in the middle of winter. There are plenty of good reasons to visit Iceland at anytime of the year since it’s a newer member on the list of best places to travel on a weak dollar but it also has plenty of other advantages in December, January, and February.

1. It’s Not That Cold

Iceland was named by Norwegian Floki Vilgeroarson after he encountered quite a bit of ice when he originally landed in the north. Yet due to the warm Gulf Stream current, the average temperatures in December stay around 0C (32F) and don’t hover more than about 2-3 degrees warmer or colder. In compassion, that’s close to low temperatures in New York or Amsterdam at the same time of year.

2. Fewer Crowds

The number of tourists visiting Iceland drops in half during the winter months. Famous sites like the Blue Lagoon only have a handful of visitors, hostels are quieter, and you can easily book almost any bus or tour at the very last minute since they don’t fill up this time of year. Reykjavik though is still full of locals (who are very friendly) and you’ll have enough hostel mates to not feel lonely.

3. Prices Drop

Many of the tour operators drop their prices in December, January, and February to try and earn the business of the fewer travelers who do happen to be in town. With the economy of Iceland recovering from their recent economic collapse and prices returning to levels not seen in a decade, you can still find good deals in the winter months.

4. Longer Nights Means More Nightlife

Icelanders like to party and having about 18 hours of darkness gives them plenty of opportunity do it. The nightlife is active at all times of the year, with peaks in late December as schools and university lets out for the semester. Walk down Laugavegur street in the capital city at 530am and you’ll see people littered in the streets when the bars begin to close. If that’s your sort of thing you’ll have lots of fun in Reykjavik.

5. The Northern Lights

You can easily take night trips from Reykjavik up north to catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis, one of the best ways to catch extraterrestrial activity on Earth. It’s hit or miss so but you can increase your chances of seeing a spectacular night display by going on a completely clear evening. No matter what though, you’ll see one of the best starry skies imaginable.

6. Long Sunrises and Sunsets

The sun doesn’t really rise to far above the horizon in Iceland during this time of year but since it hovers in the sky it makes for great twilight lighting that lasts much longer than in lower latitudes. It makes for some excellent photo opportunities and is an ideal light to improve on your decent travel photos.

7. You Can Still Do Most Everything

People often imagine that Iceland grinds to a halt in the winter but for travelers most of the summer travel options are still available. You can’t go whale watching (on most days) for example, but you can climb glaciers, visit a volcano, go skiing, check out the holograms at Reykjavik City Museum (thanks for the tip J Travel Authority), and countless other things.

Iceland is quite a varied landscape and there is plenty to do as well as pick and chose from while you’re there. The winter doesn’t prevent you from missing much and even if the winter reduced your options in half, you’d have your hands full trying to decide what to do next. As for the longer nights, you’re likely to adapt more quickly than you think and can try shifting your body clock with peanuts to make it a smooth adjustment.

[photos by: Diego Cupolo, Stuck In Customs, James Cridland, passetti, Tom Olliver, Deivis, visiticeland@hotmail.com]

Handling The Ready-To-Go Gap

There are a well known gaps in travel – the gap year, the career break, and the ever popular 1 year round-the-world trip. Getting to these gaps is the hard part but once you’re there it’s easy (travel time!) There’s a harder and much more annoying gap that happens more frequently and is tougher to deal with; the ready-to-go gap.

The ready-to-go gap can be called anything really (I just made it up) but it’s the name I give that period of time before you travel and after you’re done planning and preparing. I tend to procrastinate and do things at the last minute so my ready-to-go gap is about 5 minutes before my next flight but most people are organized and have a few days or even longer.

Generally spare time is a great thing to have but good planners tend to try and fill this gap with even more plans which lead to stress. The key to handling the ready-to-go gap is to shift your focus temporarily and do less, not more.

Are You There Yet?

No matter how well you plan or prepare, there are some things that can’t be done too far in advance. Packing your bags or securing your house weeks in advance doesn’t make sense and there is such a thing as too much research about a tourist destination. You’re there now, in the gap. Fight the urge to plan more things in addition to all of the other plans you’ve already made. All you’ll accomplish is to stress yourself out by adding more things to do in the same amount of time.

Shift Your Focus

There are a few ways to go about this but the important constant is to forget about your upcoming trip temporarily.

• Start traveling. There is an entire countryside, town, city, etc. right around you. Take your travel planning skills and arrange a few small trips around town. Not enough time for that? Go out for a drink at a place you’ve never been to or change your focus and give your surroundings a new angle with your camera.
• Plan for your next, next trip. If you can’t get enough planning, set your sights on future travels. Don’t get bogged down in details and have some fun with it. You’ll be overcoming one of the obstacles to traveling the world too by figuring out where else you’d like to go.
• Take a mental break. Don’t drive yourself nuts by thinking about your next trip constantly, squeezing in “one last thing”, or get depressed because “this sucks, I’m ready to be gone.” We all get like that at times but the thing that takes the least amount of work can be the hardest. Let go and appreciate the moments you’ve got so you’ll enjoy here as much as there.
• Delegate. Instead of tracking your plans like a hawk ask someone else you trust to help you out. Put your fears that you’ve forgotten something aside by running your plans by a friend. If you’re traveling with someone share the responsibilities so you can both have an enjoyable ready-to-go gap.
• Write about it. It’s always fun to write down your expectations of a particular place before you go and see the differences once you return. If you have a travel blog use the ready-to-go gap to prepare and imaginary trip post.

Don’t Fight It, Enjoy It

Traveling takes work for most people. You’ve got to save money and make sacrifices (financial and otherwise) to do it. Don’t mope too much before your next trip and enjoy the fact that you were diligent and planned ahead. Reward yourself for being a good planner and take the time to relax, catch up on some other things you’ve been putting off, or go out to that local museum you never knew about. You may even find yourself enjoying and planning for the ready-to-go gap one day.

[photos by: Marcin Wichary, erix!]

4 Words Combinations You Shouldn’t Neglect To Translate Before Your Next Trip

Many people neglect to learn any of the local language before jetting off to a new destination. It’s usually when you’re stuck without the universal language, English, that you regret not knowing even the most basic of words. Rather than try to learn an entire language or dialect you can focus your efforts on 4 word combinations that will help you be understood especially when you need it most.

The list is short enough to where you can pick them up on the plane ride and jot them down on a piece of paper in your pocket for quick reference.

1. Hello and Goodbye

I can see you saying ‘duh’ now but I can’t tell you how many people hop off a plane in a new country without memorizing this simple greeting along with its counterpart. Sure you know ‘hola’ but what about “merhaba”, “hej”, or “nǐ hǎo”? It’s not always as simple as you think or a direct translation. In Turkish goodbye (when you’re the one leaving) is “allahaısmarladık” and when you’re sending some one off “güle güle”.

2. Please (Used Correctly) and Thank You

In many languages adding please at the end of a request just doesn’t fit or sound right as it does in English (“Can I have some more coffee please“?) or is not always appropriate. Do a little Google searching and find out the context of when to use please. It helps to know some words in a language but you’ll understand more about the culture by using the words correctly in context.

3. Left and Right

Ever hop into a cab with a shady taxi driver who you know isn’t taking the most direct route? What about asking for directions when you get lost? It’s not so fun to play a game of charades when you’re lost in Tokyo trying to find your way to the next monument or back to your hotel. Use “left”, “right”, and some other quiet ways in the cab and any driver will think twice about taking you for more of a ride than you were expecting.

4. Here and There

Sherry Ott also brought up some other great direction phrases, in addition to these basics. I always like to watch people try and explain “stay here” and “I’ll be right back” only to walk away and have a hotel clerk run after them. Pointing doesn’t always work either, it’s rude in many cultures and even though you’ll probably be forgiven as a tourist you’ll miss out on these subtle cultural cues.

Not Good With Languages?

There are plenty of free ways to learn a bit more of a language while you’re waiting around the airport or a few days before your trip that don’t require a physical book of translations.

• Use free online courses from Mango
• Practice with other language students using LiveMocha
• Some of the best ways to learn a new language

These are good resources if you’re looking to learn more than a few words and English-speakers can calculate how hard any other language is to learn. The 4 mentioned word combos are good ones to have in your head just in case. Don’t stop with simple translations though, research how those terms are used and if there are any common gestures associated with them.

Whether or not English is the universal language was a heated debate here a few months back and while many people agreed, they also stated learning a least a few words is important for travelers. It’s sort of the thing many frequent travelers keep quiet about – something good to do but many don’t – so I’ll ask you.

[photos by: easyflow, MSH*, jeanieforever, bitterlysweet, Squonk11]

Can You Stop Aging Out Of Travel?

Getting older doesn’t mean you will inevitably stop traveling but aging out of travel is easy to succumb to. You won’t notice it until it’s already been years in the making, much like that gray hair or wrinkle. We all inevitably get older you’ll find your friends and own travels become far and few between.

Here are some of the signs to look for when you’re in your 20s and what have some 60 years old figured out to traveling for a lifetime.

You Keep Going Back To The Same Place

We all have favorite cities or close relatives somewhere else in the world. As your time and money become limited you’ll find yourself going back to those places more often than not, sacrificing everywhere else in the world.

Cure: There are two good ways to take your anti-aging potion for this one. Depending on the time you have and your situation plan to go somewhere you’ve never been at least once a year. Another good thing is to make a mini-trip out of any ‘regular one’ you take.

• Going to Europe from the US? Spend a night or two in Iceland on your way over.

You Have A Little More Stuff Each Year

The more time passes the more stuff we accumulate. Your car and house are major possessions but really the equivalent of giant containers that you’ll eventually fill up with more things. Not only do lots of possessions take up space and money but they weight down your thoughts.

Cure: Reduce your debt and keep only things around that you need – not want. Overcoming the obstacle of money starts with good planning and a simple travel budget for your life.

You Fall In With The Crowd

When your friends stop traveling you’re more likely to as well. Marriage, kids, and a new job don’t mean that you can’t travel. It only means that your travels will change although many of your buddies won’t see it that way.

Cure: Take a solo trip with your family and show your friends what they’re missing out on. Even if it doesn’t convince them you’ll keep traveling if you don’t let these misconceptions get you.

Challenge Yourself

Simply going somewhere new will get old too unless you keep trying and doing new things. Go outside of your comfort zone – something that gets harder the older you get. Push yourself to see and try new things no matter how insignificant they may seem.

• Try one of these top 10 bizarre foods.
• Give back. Don’t think you can? Check out Teresa Wilson’s first time volunteer experience in Nicaragua.
• Embrace the digital nomadic tendencies and don’t be afraid to travel with a laptop.
• Watch for other warning signs and keep the trip going.

Continuing to travel as you get older is probably one of the biggest challenges you’ll have to get over time and time again. The warning signs are there and show up early on and unless you address them early on it’ll be easy to fall into the routine of so many others who reminisce about “the good old days”. Traveling may age you biologically but that doesn’t mean it has to slow you down.

[photos by: schnaars, Skrewtape, Alana Holmberg]

Overcoming 7 Major Obstacles To Traveling The World – #7 You Will Travel The World…Later

A number of you are planning to travel the world one day, which won’t happen unless you can overcome these 7 obstacles. Here are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6 of this series.

The single biggest obstacle to traveling the world you’ll face is yourself. It’s also the most difficult of the 7 obstacles to overcome and the hardest to recognize. Saying you’re going to travel the world, just not now, but in a few years is a big sign you may never go. Even if you go through and overcome all of the other 6 external obstacles like leaving your day job (Part 1) and preparing financially (Part 2) you’ve got to contend with all of the elements of each obstacle at once.

Fear, anxiety, comfort in your routine, all combine and instead of dealing with the cause of all of the obstacles you’ll do the easiest thing – procrastinate and make excuses.

It’s easy to say you’re going to do something or that you really want to or that other people traveling the world are just very lucky. Don’t get stuck years later by saying “I wish I were them” or “I wish I had traveled the world” because you may never get the chance to reflect. Life is unpredictable so take the opportunity and quash this obstacle that sits inside of you – by discovering it, uncovering it, and overcoming your excuses.

Fear Is Like A Ninja

We mostly think of fear as something out of a horror movie – panic, yelling, and lots of running down dark corridors (well maybe not the last one). Fear about traveling, which encompasses worrying about what your family will think and if you can afford it, hides itself in your subconscious, subtly manipulating your actions.

How Can You Recognize Fear?

Here are some of the warning signs:

• Procrastination. It’s important to have a good plan, discuss it with your loved ones, and start to break the routines that hold you back. Spending too much time in any of those stages though is bound to put your trip in jeopardy. Don’t over-complicate things. Set up the basic framework for what you want to do and move on to checking items off your list.
• Only partially overcoming some of the obstacles. A trap that many fall into. You sell a few of your CDs, casually bring up your dream to travel the world with friends (although you don’t have any sort of plan), and mentally leave your job. Overcoming the obstacles to traveling the world half-assed can make your current situation more difficult while not getting you any closer to actually traveling the world.
• The phrase “I would now but…” Except for extreme circumstances this is just fear talking. I’d ask you, “so what?” and you should ask yourself the same thing. Run your excuses by a friend or one of the travel many people traveling the world for a reality check.

Fighting Cognitive Dissonance

In psychology, cognitive dissonance is what happens when you hold two conflicting beliefs or ideas. Take wanting to travel the world and having the comfort of your regular life. Your heart wants to travel the world but fear of many things has you holding on to the norm.

Cognitive dissonance is resolved in one of two ways. Either by dropping one of the beliefs or rationalizing both of them. Putting off your trip and all the excuses that come with it is the result of rationalization. You can resolve you own cognitive dissonance by narrowing down the fears you have and replacing each one in your travel plans.

• For example I’m a creature of habit. I need my routines to function and feel at ease. So no matter where I go I make sure that I have a few routines in place to keep me balanced. They’re simple things – a big breakfast or coffee in the morning, a run and workout, and maybe a mini-goal like a beer at a pub that looks interesting later in the day.

At all costs don’t rationalize. You have to solve your cognitive dissonance by dropping one belief or the other. There’s no way around it so ask yourself, “what are you really afraid of?”

It’s All About You

Realize that in the end the only thing stopping you is…you. Ultimately that’s what is a scary thought for everyone – that the success (or failure) of a trip or traveling around the world is your responsibility. It can also be your triumph, it all depends on what you end up doing. As Benjamin Button say at the end of the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,

For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

What ever you end up doing, don’t have any regrets. Can you say you won’t have regrets if you don’t travel the world?

Next Thursday I’ll have a follow up on the entire series of overcoming obstacles to traveling the world. I hope that you’ll share some of your thoughts and experiences overcoming them in the comments below.

[photos by: auburnxc, R'eyes, matthewwashcroft]

Overcoming 7 Major Obstacles To Traveling The World – #6 You Don’t Know What Your Significant Other Will Say

A number of you are planning to travel the world one day, which won’t happen unless you can overcome these 7 obstacles. Here are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 of this series.

Dealing with the obstacles to traveling the world starts by overcoming the external and practical elements of such a journey and working your way inward. Coming to terms with leaving your job (Part 1) and being prepared financially (Part 2) are easy to overcome because ultimately you are shedding things and leaving them behind.

After coming to terms with your family (Part 4) and your future (Part 5) you might have to face the one person you can’t go without, your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife. How you approach your significant other is probably the most important part of the process.

Have A Plan

It’s easy after breaking your plan to travel the world down and making it realistic to get excited and simply plop down a “I’m going to travel the world” or “we’re leaving” on your loved one. The thought of traveling the world seems crazy at first to all of us who’ve contemplated it – once it’s not so crazy we’re ready to go and often neglect to consider that the people we love need to hear the plan too.

Assuming you’ve done a good job formulating a plan and putting it on paper you can share how you’d like to travel the world with your sweetie. It’s important though to get them in on the planning process as early as possible and not to be scared your idea will be rejected.

“We” Not “I”

When you’re involved with someone are going to travel the world there are no solo plans. There are solo ideas that you can share with each other to help refine all of the things you need to take care of in preparation to your trip. There will be stress during the process. Move along in the process together and don’t get ahead of each other or opposed to one another.

Your plans and relationship can be easily derailed if the topic of traveling the world becomes a huge argument or creates a big rift.

• Accept that there will be stress at times and various reactions to your ideas. Move past each issue together.

Ongoing Process

If you’re worried about what your significant other’s initial reaction don’t be. A first reaction is not a final reaction and you’re bound to face some doubts. (You did too when this idea first came into your head!) Overcoming each of the 7 obstacles to traveling the world don’t happen overnight neither will convincing or planning a trip around the world with your partner.

The process is ongoing for you both. Hopefully you’ve begun discussing the idea to travel the world early on and can go through the doubts, triumphs, and obstacles together. We each have things that take longer to accept or work around so move at the same pace so one person isn’t playing catch-up and ends up feeling lost.

Make Or Break

Sometimes it’s not always possible to agree to travel the world. In strong relationships generally there is enough in common between two people where it’s not an issue but not always. There may be other factors involved, the relationship may be new, or you don’t know how you feel or “where it’s going”.

These are what I call “make or break” moments – what is more important to you  and what will your ultimate decision be?

Finding love on the road is different and as Nomadic Matt notes,

There’s a bittersweet nature to love on the road. There’s a short shelf life to them. Relationships tend to last as long as the people are traveling together. But they tend end better than relationships back in “the real world”.

but adds this,

So is it possible to have love on the road? Yes. Occasionally you meet that special someone who also happens to be going your way. You end up traveling on the road for awhile, spending months together, and having a great time doing it.

Couples Who Are Traveling The World

Is it possible to travel the world with the one you love? It is and there are so many travel blogs out written by people doing just that. Here are a select few but there are plenty of others on my links page.

• The Planet D (Canada’s Adventure Couple)
• The Road Forks
• Two Go RTW
• Married With Miles
• Guy & Girl Travels

Next week we’ll tackle the biggest obstacle to overcome and only person who can hold you back from your dreams – yourself.

[photos by: haileybugg, Brandon Milner, laurenmarek]

Overcoming 7 Major Obstacles To Traveling The World – #5 You Have Kids Or Will Soon

A number of you are planning to travel the world one day, which won’t happen unless you can overcome these 7 obstacles. Here are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this series.

Overcoming the obstacles to traveling the world begin with shedding your past, dealing with the present, and then preparing for the future. Hopefully by now you see yourself traveling the world in this future. Leaving your day job, saving up enough money, and planning out a trip can be quite liberating and open up your mind to new possibilities as well as give you a lot of time to worry about may come – like children.

This new future you see yourself in will be unfamiliar and unpredictable. Whether or not you have young children, want them, or don’t – the fear that you may be jeopardizing your future can set in. Children often represent what’s to come but share a lot in common with the traveler psyche that can ultimately inspire your desire to travel on new levels.

There Is No Blueprint

There is no magic time to travel the world or deadline set in cosmic stone that you are racing against. The future is unpredictable regardless if you never travel the world or not. Thoughts of future children or “waiting” until your young kids grow up is a way to externalize your fear. All travelers are not 20-somethings backpacking on their own.

There are plenty of family travel blogs out that will prove this point – below are just a few. (Feel free to add to this list in the comments below.)

• Away Together
• Delicious Baby
• Double the Adventure
• Family On Bikes
• Family Travel Guide
• The Q Family Adventures
• Soultravelers3

There are also plenty of helpful moms and dads out there to help answer your questions, like tips for a first time flight with an infant.

Children Are Natural Travelers

Almost everything is an adventure for a child. Their sense of wonder and curiosity motivate them to explore the world around them – much like adults who want to travel around the globe.

When we think of traveling with children we often see images of babies crying on airplanes and toddlers pouting. It’s true that children get bored easily during the actual act of traveling, but so do we; except that we can occupy ourselves with iPods, movies, books, alcohol, etc. to keep occupied. Put that image aside and realize that traveling the world doesn’t mean constant motion.

Having children with you doesn’t make traveling impossible, it just presents a few additional challenges at times. There is far more time for everything else.

Is It Them Or You?

We worry about children because we ascribe adult characteristics and our own fears on them (or our future visions of children to come). Adults often think children will have a hard time coping with change, learning new languages, and making friends without the benefit of staying in the same place for years.

In general children are much more adaptable than adults and have an easier time acquiring multiple languages (in fact one of the best ways to learn a new language is to think like a child). Also, making friends will be easier for both you and any kids than you think.

New Perspectives

Children can add an entirely new perspective to anywhere in the world you visit. One of the most creative ways I’ve seen this demonstrated is when Jen from My Folie a Deux handed her camera to her daughter to show us how we see Marrakesh. Traveling with children can open your eyes to many things you may not have noticed before or add an extra dimension to your travels somewhere along the way.

Keep It Real

Worrying about intangible things, like the kids you will have, or saying you can’t do something because of the kids you do have can rehash all of the fears you have already over come – like leaving your routines, money, and uncertainty. Don’t turn a dream into a nightmare. Break down your life (if you have kids already) or the anxieties you have about the future so you can tackle them like any other issue you have faced.

Ask yourself, what do you want to tell your children you accomplished and regretted in life and what are the reasons you want to travel the world?

If the answers to those questions are good enough for you, why not your children?

Since I don’t have children myself I’ll let all of the traveling parents speak for themselves and invite you to share your experiences.

You’re now getting close – there are two final obstacles to overcome. Next week you’ll be dealing with the present, putting some things in the past, and jumping into the future.

[photos by: oenvoyage, muha...]

Overcoming 7 Major Obstacles To Traveling The World – #4 You’ll Miss Your Family and Friends

A number of you are planning to travel the world one day, which won’t happen unless you can overcome these 7 obstacles. Here are Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this series.

Dealing with the practical issues of how to travel the world are usually at the forefront of obstacles we focus on, but can be much easier to overcome than intangible emotional dilemmas. Once you’ve decided to leave your job, have started selling and saving, and mapped out where you want to go, the reality that you won’t be where you are right now will hit.

Fortunately technology is on your side and you’ll be more social than you think once you set off on your trip. Don’t try to fight it, you will miss people but accepting that makes it easier to overcome this obstacle to traveling the world.

Don’t Deny It

You won’t worry too much about not having a day job or the book shelf you sold but rather all of the people who won’t be coming with you. Whether your family is nearby or not there will be friends, coworkers, and people that it will be hard to say goodbye too. To overcome this obstacle the best thing you can do is accept this. Fighting it will increase the stress you face leading up to your trip making it an obstacle again.

• Remember that others around you will be feeling the same way and will let you know. Don’t get confrontational or blow off your friends and family when they tell you that you’re going to be missed. Again, denying or fighting it only makes it an even bigger obstacle to overcome. Besides, it’s much easier (and nicer) to say “I’ll miss you too.”

Embrace Technology

I consider a laptop to be an essential travel item. You should strongly consider bringing one with you as you travel the world since it gives you so many ways to see, hear, and stay in touch with everyone – not to mention it makes it easy for everyone else to get a hold of you too. Load up your laptop with these essential software for digital nomads and learn how to bum a wi-fi signal from the road.

• Consider a long range USB antenna to snag more wireless networks.
• A travel blog is a great way to feel like you’re not so far away and keep your friends and family up-to-date with your stories and decent travel photos. Just remember that even your mom will stop reading if you don’t keep your travel blog interesting.
• For connectivity, free video chat, and cheap calls to cell phones, embrace Skype.
• Aside from your family and friends, if you’re worried about missing your favorite TV shows you can still get access US websites while abroad with HotSpot Shield.

You Will Be More Social

Extroverted or introverted you will be more social after you start traveling. Traveling solo forces you out of your shell and exploring the world with a partner or some friends makes you much more approachable (and people will approach you!) Traveling by nature is a social activity and you’ll be surrounded by people most times you visit anywhere and certainly will bump other travelers that are doing just what you are.

It’s hard to alleviate the anxiety of missing people by telling yourself “well I’ll meet other people” before you actually do – so immerse yourself with some perpetual nomads you should read.

• Not enough? Here are some more travel blogs you should read and even more links.

Some Other Ways To Keep In Touch

• Encourage your friends and family members to come and visit you on stops along your trip. It will be fun to see each other again and they’ll get to taste a part of your journey. They might be inspired to travel around the world too!
• There are plenty of travel bloggers around the world (you may be following some) and they/we’re generally a friendly bunch. See if any are along your route and would like to meet up for coffee or a meal.
• Of course Facebook and Twitter. (You can find me on both Facebook and Twitter.)

Let The Obstacle Overcome Itself

Missing your family and friends and worrying about it are part of the process – and overcomes itself – if you let it. The tools to stay in touch are at your fingertips and there’s no rule of the universe that says once you leave to travel you’ll never see anyone you knew ever again.

Of course you can always go back to visit, or in many cases, you will be back to visit. The less you push back the smaller this obstacle becomes until there isn’t too much to overcome. What gets tricky is not the people who are here today but the little ones who might be on the way or have just arrived. We’ll overcome that obstacle next Thursday in Part 5.

[photos by: helgasms!, lunae, positivelypurple]

Overcoming 7 Major Obstacles To Traveling The World – #3: You Don’t Know Where You’d Go

A number of you are planning to travel the world one day, which won’t happen unless you can overcome these 7 obstacles. Here are Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.

It may seem that money is the biggest hurdle to overcome to traveling the world but aside from anything external the biggest thing holding you back is yourself. You may be thinking “not knowing where to go” is a stupid thing for anyone to let get in their way but it’s a symptom of not wanting or being able to convert your dreams into realities.

From Your Head To Paper

It’s much easier to follow any plan that’s written down on paper, thought out, and discussed with those you care about. Many people say “I wish I could just travel” but few sit down and set some general plans for their journey.

• Traveling the world is not a fantasy so don’t treat it like one.

Beware that beginning to turn your dreams into realities make them a bit less glamorous and you’ll awaken to the fact that traveling the world takes work. Start off slowly and put a list of 3-5 places down that you’ve always wanted to go. Do this in conjunction with the travel budget you calculated (using an amateur’s guide to location independence part 3) and the haze will begin to get clearer.

Why Do You Want To Travel?

What are your motivations for wanting to travel around the world? Where you decide to go is a reflection of circumstances as much as it is of your personality. The entire world is open to you and that’s daunting when you’re about to leave your cubicle behind and seriously shake up your daily routine.

Ask Yourself

• Where do you see yourself – on a beach, in the mountains, a big city – perhaps a little of each?
• How long do you want to travel? Is it for a set time or indefinitely?
• Where would you not want to go?
• What are you searching for? What landmarks do you definitely want to see?

Effort In Effort Out

By now you should have an idea of which part of the world you want to go see or at least begin in and some idea of why (i.e. you’ve always been interested in Japanese culture). Grab a map and begin plotting out your journey. Don’t be concerned with how long you’ll stay at each place, or get from city to city just yet. Those are the details – have fun with this stage of planning and don’t leave anything off limits.

• Those lines crisscrossing the map will invigorate you and hurdle you easily over this obstacle.

From this point on the more effort you put toward traveling around the world, like cooking peasant foods to save money, the closer you’ll be to visiting the places you’ve decided to go.

It Starts With Dreams But Doesn’t End There

Dreams and hopes are the foundation of most great things that are accomplished around the world and in our personal lives. Planning on where to go is the obstacle to overcome that’s in between preparation and action. Saving money and letting go of your comfortable day job may not have you convinced that you can actually travel the world. Putting lines down on a map and watching them go around the globe just might.

Now that you have yourself convinced, it’s time to bring your family and friends on board. Next week in Part 4 you’ll break the news to them and find ways to keep them close even though you’ll be traveling the world.

[photos by: LuluP, dmachiavello, stevecadman]

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