Getting ready for travel, mentally

The first part of traveling is deciding to go, which is why it will be my first blog post. Sometimes you will take a leap of faith, and other times you will have to plan for your trip far in advance. The second always being the cheaper option. Typically, people will have hesitations about travel, especially extended travel, Will I be able to come back to my job? Will I be able to keep my place? What if I run out of money? I never will be able to afford it.  These are all fair concerns, but my recommendation to you is that you remember that all of concerns also apply to regular, day to day life. So, what do we do? We find a solution. There is usually a good solution and if you really want to travel, you will find it.

Will I be able to come back to my job?

Maybe, it depends. If you really love where you work, you should talk to your supervisor about using your vacation days. If its not enough, you may be able to secure an unpaid leave. New moms do this all the time, so you may be able to do this as well. It doesn't hurt to ask. If you are not too crazy about your job, maybe this is just the push you need so you find your new career. It certainly was for me. 

Will I be able to keep my place?

If you save enough you will! I will give you some tips later on this. There are ways to rent out your house or apartment given your landlord allows. Have you tried Airbnb? Maybe you should! Sign up here and get $25 off your first stay as a traveler, more tips on how to get referral credits later. You can use Airbnb to rent out your place for other travelers and it helps save money for your trip, or while you are gone if you have a friend or roommate that can help you greet your guests, you can still be renting it out. Word of caution, check with your landlord or HOA and check with your city regarding special tourism taxes you may owe on the income you make. If you have multiple rooms, consider renting out a room to tenant (with a lease) that way your house is not vacant and you will have some income to help cover expenses while you are away and you wont have to worry about tourism tax and fees. 

What if I run out of money?

Well, you probably should not just get up and leave with only $10 in your pocket, that would not give you peace of mind. You should save enough so you have some time to reacclimatize and find a new job, if need be. Never feel like it's enough? Think about all the places you may have emergency funds. This may be a useful exercise for other reasons as well. Do you have life insurance? Call your agent to see if it has a cash value account. Do you have a retirement fund? Check to see if you have funds there. Again, THIS IS FOR PEACE OF MIND, you probably should not use these accounts to fund your trip. You usually will not run out of money. 

I will never be able to afford it.

If you have that mentality you will not! You must change your way of thinking about your funds. Most people are spending more than they care to admit on material goods. Just say no to that TV, to that dress, to that latest devise and voila! You just found $1000 you would not have saved before! I will give you advise on working the credit card incentive system in a later post. That can also help greatly reduce your need for initial spending, but you have to do it right! Please do not go out and apply for any rewards card after reading this. Wait until I post helpful tips. 

If you know you are capable and have a little faith in yourself, you can make it happen. Sometimes, you just need to book the ticket (far in advance) and gather your funds as you go. You don't need to have it all ready to make the decision, you just need to make the decision!

I hope that I have helped you resolve some of your doubts about taking the first step and deciding where you might like to go.