T for Travel – #AToZChallenge

I have been following travel blogs on social media for a little over three years now, all nice, smart people who blog and does odd job.  I know someone who moved away from city for all reasonable accounts and I know she’s doing great in whatever she’s doing.  She used to talk about it as “an opportunity to learn and expand her mind,” more than any sort of preparation for a future career. Which is fine, but the truth of the matter is that she is enjoying such freedom — to be a wanderer of sorts who enjoys travel and long conversations over good dinners — because she comes from a good bit of wealth and never has to worry about her safety net.

It’s a way for the upper classes to pat themselves on the back for being able to do something that, quite literally, anyone with money can buy. Travelling for the sake of travel is not an achievement, nor is it guaranteed to make anyone a more cultured, nuanced person. I am from a middle-class family who I did not need to support or help financially, even though I have been financially independent for quite some time, but I can always slink back to their couch if things didn’t work out. I was still studying when I decided to backpack through South India and I fully recognize that this is not feasible nor is it desirable for everyone.

There are millions of people who have none of these things, and even if they wanted to pay for travel on their own, would simply not be able to because of the responsibility or poverty they lived with. For even my modest ability to see the world, I am eternally grateful.

I’ll be the first to say that I was stressed about finances during the trip and after I came home, I even thought of moving out and start working somewhere else and that’s exactly what I did because everyone needs to forge their own path to financial independence and freedom. But what I did gain was invaluable insight and experience from that period of travel, and I have worked extremely hard and have sacrificed other comforts to make that path work for me.

Yes, there are loads of people who travel because it is chic and because they can afford it, but for some people, myself included, I save my money for travel because it is a priority for me – over having a new smartphone, a TV, and various other comforts. I view travel as a different form of education – one that is hard to gather from books. Someone else might prefer to save that extra money to buy a new outfit that they’ve been eyeing or to go to a nice dinner.

Many people travel and experience nothing because they stay confined in their own bubble the whole time, and many other people have a worldly outlook simply because they force themselves out of their bubble and engage with their surroundings every day in their hometown or city.

I personally feel that travelling to place makes me realize how beautiful the world is. The wonderful scenery have a magic to wash away your worries in life. And the most important and interesting thing about travelling is the idea of making new friends and appreciating every little gesture of kindness from strangers.

Okay, I should stop here. Do you think you shouldn’t worry about your finances and travel or the opposite? Do leave comments !