Is Travel Really Worth it?

Guest Blogger for the month of August is Aditi Gupta, a full-time finance professional living in Mumbai.

• Do you feel pressured to travel because your friends are doing it and you too must display your ‘cool’ and ‘happy’ life on social media?
• Do you think travel is only for the escapists who wish to run away from their problems?
• Do you consider travelling to be just the rich’s hobby and a way to brag?
• Do you feel people spending a considerable time and money on travel are making wrong choices?
• If your answers are mostly YES, then you may also wonder sometimes-

Is Travel Really Worth It?

I can sense the speculation going on in your mind about what I’m trying to arrive at, esp. on a TRAVEL blog. Am I going to shoot down all these notions usually formed around travelling? Maybe not.

In all honesty, I too have been in such a mindset, I too have analysed if every dime and second I spent away from my home during my travels was really ‘worth’ it.

And by all means, one SHOULD analyse where these precious resources of time and money are being invested. We all want to make the most of whatever we have. In case the above questions haven’t ever crossed your mind, I urge you to spend a bit of time in introspection. In case you’re juggling with the dichotomy of ‘need to’ and ‘want to’ start answering the below:

1. What would you do if there are no societal pressures:

There is a certain set of behaviours that conformists display- a wife won’t travel alone (without her husband), a mother won’t leave her baby and husband behind for a solo trip, parents won’t leave their baby behind for a couple trip, etc. But what if there’s a world with no boundaries? Where people can make choices independent of any external forces, seek experiences that TRULY make them happy and peaceful.

If your choices have any bit of traveling in it, probe deeper into the ‘hows’ and ‘wheres’. Would you take that extended-family trip or overseas trip with your baby that’s stressing you out, or that Goa trip with your college friends?

Find answers basis few of YOUR past experiences, in similar scenarios. Don’t trust any article telling you- ‘why you must travel solo’ without having your first-hand experience in similar situation.

In case, there is no such scenario available in your past history, I’d recommend to just go for it. Experience it, then hate it or love it. Succumbing to the societal pressures (including social media) means travelling the way OTHERS want, which is a major reason of discontent, when one feels mentally or financially drained even after a vacation.

2. What do you expect to achieve from travelling:

Remember those bad days at work, when all you wanted was just a nice Frappuccino or a weekend trip to the hills. It may be a temporary shutdown of your regular mundane activities, an escape from the ordinary or a strong urge to explore a certain kind of place.

You feel cheated by traveling when the initial motivation to travel doesn’t coincide with the actual outcome.

If you are traveling out of pure peer pressure, you know, for the ‘gram’, I’d say you’re chasing a moving goalpost. There will always be people who look like they have better lives than you, but I’d say, the reality may be far from what it looks like.

Travel because YOU want to; you want to achieve that temporary escape or to satiate your wanderlust. And even if you’re called an escapist, so be it. We all need to escape our daily grind to unwind, every now and then. That’s okay to accept. Don’t spend your hard earned time and money on travel because you need to prove something to the world. Else, disappointment will never leave you.

3. Are you ready to give up something:

To minimise dissonance in travelling, understand there’s always an opportunity cost. Should you travel now or put the money in a long-term investment? Should you save your leaves for a bigger trip or take smaller trips now?

Acknowledge what you are giving up, and be okay with that. If not, it’ll only create frustration and a feeling of betrayal.

You may feel envious of other travel influencers travelling the world and even making money out of it. But know that they too gave up stability, the comfort of a fixed pay check etc. to reach where they are.

Sure, that’s an extreme example, but every time you decide to travel, think what would you rather do with that money or time. Maybe it is saving up for a house, or higher education. It means giving up the present joys of travel, for future gains. It may work for some people, not for all. Nothing is black and white, right or wrong.

The only thing which is wrong here is the fear of making the ‘wrong’ choice. A seemingly bad choice can lead us to a path filled with learnings and new experiences, a seemingly good choice may further push us into our comfort zones.

While calculating the opportunity cost of your vacation, note down the things you’ll be ‘doing’ on the trip, like parasailing, cookery class, segway tour etc. If you think these activities will recharge you and there can’t be a better time to take this vacation, you have your answer.

4. Are you willing to accept reality:

We all are so accustomed to romanticise travel that we don’t even stand to bear an occasional boring day on our vacation. Have you heard of the law of diminishing returns? It applies very well when it comes to travel too.

There is a saturation point, different for each individual, when travel becomes way too much to handle. Some can endure a 2 week long vacation with almost equal fervour towards the end too, some need short but frequent weekend trips to recharge.

During your travels, listen to your body and observe your mood to find that tipping point. Design your future vacations basis that observation.

It’s funny how we tell others to design ‘custom made’ vacations for us, when we ourselves don’t know what we want. The more self-aware we become, we subconsciously will make decisions aligned to our liking.

After taking couple of solo trips, I analyzed how I felt during those trips. Since then I knew for I wish to travel solo at least once every year in my life.

Verdict!

The crux of all the above four points is introspection and self-discovery. Ironically, we seek and expect the latter to occur during our travel, and not before that! The question- ‘Is travel really worth your time & money?’ can only be answered by you.

In case, you do find travel really worth it, here’s an article on the Must Have International Travel Accessories that you will need to make your journey hassle-free.