See the world, One city at a Time!

Do you desire to have a stamp on your passport? Do you even have a passport? Different people, different cultures, and unique places exist out-there. But what exactly is out-there? We all want to see more of the world, but our daily lives prevent us from making those plans.

Sometimes, the people we would need to travel with also hinge our plans. When I was single I used to travel with my mom and brother. I enjoyed it except a few days before leaving, my brother would start getting stressed out and worrying about everything that needs to happen or could go wrong. Once there, he was fine.

Now, I travel with my son and my husband. Guess what? My husband is the same as my brother. I just hope my son is more like me when it comes to travel.

Three things to consider when deciding where to travel:

a) What type of a travel personality are you?

b) Seeing the world one city at a time

c) Fitting travel per budget and commitments

Many people travel for different reasons. You would need to understand why you travel or want to travel. Some points to consider:

• Visit family – family lives all around the country or world
• Go to beaches and resorts – you want to take in the sun and do nothing else
• Visit touristic places – see different cities and towns
• Volunteer vacations – give back to the community
• Staycations – see the city you live in or places close by

Throughout the year, you may have a minimum of 2-3 trips. We all want to try doing something different every week or 2 weeks; so we see more of the city we live in. On special occasions, you would visit family. When you need time away from work, you would consider an actual vacation some place different. This is when you need to consider one city at a time.

With the internet today, you would have information overload in understanding what to see. Lists exist of places to visit before you die, best hotels to stay in, best beaches to visit most touristic places. It seems like someone has done research on pretty much everything. But that can actually be beneficial to you as well. Think of a place you want to see: now you don’t need to go to the library to learn about it.

• Find who has gone there and their thoughts
• Where they have stayed
• What they did there and what to see
• Reviews on best restaurants to eat etc

You will have a plan in no time.

Don’t even think that I will travel the world once I retire. Who knows what will happen 1 year from now let alone 20-30 years from now? At the age of 65+, would you even have the energy or desire that you have today? Very few people actually see the world once they retire.

I prefer to see one place per year. This way I am closer to seeing the world when I am at retiring age. The place is chosen based on many factors which brings us to our last point.

Depending on where you are in your life, you would consider the type of vacation you could afford. However, if you really want to go someplace, start a savings jar for that vacation and put some money away on a weekly basis. If you really desire a change now, one weekend rent a room in a hotel in your city and go sightseeing in your own 'backyard'. After all, how many of you have seen everything in the city you live in?

Some ideas to travel on budget are:

• Get a map of downtown and go walking around. Staycations don’t need to be just about grocery shopping or cleaning the house
• Drive to a nearby city
• Do a group vacation and divide the costs

Do you desire to see a place different from where you live? Do you want to have unique experiences? To do that, you need to understand the type of person you are, what you want to see or do, and to fit that desire per your budget and schedule.

Don’t let your daily lives become a hindrance, but work your plans around your daily lives.