Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // Make Travel Dreams a Reality

With the New Year a few days behind us and 2017 a beautiful, blank sheet of paper in front of us, the optimistic resolutions people make sometimes seem overwhelming in the beginning. Especially if they've been longterm goals that have seemed unattainable in past years, it's hard to decide where to start. Travel more always seem to be on people's lists and Hannah gave me the great idea to make my first post of the new year about a few key tips in how to make travel a reality. I've come up with 3 simple things you can do today that can help you achieve your resolution and make your dreams of travel a reality.

1. Talk About It

So simple, right?! But I'm serious. Talk about your travel goals. Choose where you want to go, make it attainable to your life and monetary situation, and start saying out loud you're going to do it. "I'm planning to go to Ireland in the fall." Friends, family, work acquaintances, anyone who asks what your plans are for the new year or what's new with you. Say it. "I'm gonna try and go to San Diego this winter." Make yourself accountable to your own goals and dreams. The more you say it out loud to people, the more it becomes your reality. Believe it, talk about it, get excited, make it happen. You ARE going to such and such place this year. You can do it!

2. Make a Separate Travel Fund 

Don't just tell yourself you're going to save x amount of dollars per paycheck, actually do it. Go to a bank, open up a second checking account, and have your job directly deposit x amount into that account per paycheck. Out of sight, out of mind. I have done this for years and I forget about it half the time until I'm planning a trip. Then it's basically like free money to me because it's like BAM, money I forgot I had to spend on travel that isn't coming out of my main bank account. Win, win. 

3. Surround Yourself With Positivity

I LOVE travel related trinkets, journals, prints, maps, globes, necklaces, you name it I probably have it! These things are every day reminders of my goal to see as much of the world as possible. It's these small everyday reminders that keep my positivity and ambition going. It's an everyday reminder of where I want to go and constantly fuels my drive to save money, take as much time off work as I possibly can, and book the next plane ticket.   

Easy, right?! I won't sugarcoat it. It takes dedication. I work really hard to make my travel dreams a reality. As you can read in my Q&A about travel, I'm very conservative with my money and that makes all the difference in my opinion. While these three things ARE simple to do, the rest is up to you. The annoyance I get when people tell me, "it must be really nice to be able to do that" with a condescending tone I want to scream. Nobody hands me a plane ticket. Nobody gives me money to travel. Every single one of my trips is self-funded and I work hard to make it happen. So stop talking about "wishing" you could travel and make it happen. Anyone can do it. If you want something badly enough, you'll make it happen. You can do it! May the Force be with you!