7 Reasons the World will not* Wait for Your Travel Schedule
by Fratri Edson Silva
A schedule can be a handy little tool to guide you through everything you have planned, be it just for the day, or for the rest of your life. The thing is, that’s all a schedule is: a guide, a sequential list for an ideal turn of events, a suggestion; not a requirement.
Schedules fall through all the time, so why should your travel schedule be any different? The best things in life usually happen spontaneously. No preplanned itineraries, no months of planning beforehand, no schedules; just incredible spur-of-the-moment adventures.
The world doesn’t have to follow your schedule and neither do you.
Below are the 7 reasons the world will not wait for your travel schedule:
- The World doesn’t care about your excuses
How many times have you postponed or flat out cancelled your plans because you’re “too busy with work” or “don’t have enough time” or “don’t have the energy.” Granted, some excuses carry more weight than others, but whatever the excuse, there’s one thing they all share: the world doesn’t care about them. The world wants you to get out there and explore and it isn’t concerned with how much unpaid overtime you need to complete. Are you really that busy? Or are you standing in your own way? - The World simply doesn’t have the time to wait for you
The concept of travel has evolved quite a bit over the last few decades; tons of scientific advancements in transportation, more people can afford plane tickets now, and weather patterns have been changing. The last thing you want to do is get lost in the shuffle. You need to dive into the world and see what all the fuss is about before you get left behind. - The World doesn’t want you to be afraid
Everybody should travel alone at least once. It’s terrifying as it is exhilarating when you do it for the first time. But nothing beats the sense of accomplishment you feel afterwards. Some of the best experiences happen when you’re alone. This doesn’t mean you should go ahead and book a solo trip across Europe. Take baby steps. Find your pace. The point is to step out of your comfort zone. Don’t let fear stop you from experiencing what the world has to offer. - You won’t be young forever
They say you should gain in your 20’s, build in your 30’s, and chill in your 40’s, but never forget that you can travel all throughout that time too. Learn to balance your career with your interests and your leisure time. You’re as young as you will ever be at this very moment and the rest of your life is never guaranteed. So run while you still have legs that can carry you. Why spend the best and most energy-filled years of your life achieving goals someone else set for you? - Travel is one of the best teachers you can ever have
A friend, who’s an avid traveler, told me that some of the best things that she’s taken from her travels that have made an impact on her were how she learned to adopt a wider perspective and be more empathetic. And she attributes this to keeping an open mind wherever she goes, and travelling while she’s still in her early 20’s; young enough to pick up something new, but old enough to understand why you need to. - The World needs you to bring everyone together
The political climate worldwide has been tense, to say the least. It is unfortunate that even in 2017, people continue to be judged by the color of their skin or the people they choose to love. Our job, as human beings, is to rise above the politics, before things get worse, and prove that we are all one and the same. And every time you travel and you meet new people, you make the world smaller and bring us closer together. We don’t know what next big issue will divide us, or when it’ll come, but we can learn to rise above. - The World has so much it wants to show you
There are just too many things to see, feel, and do. So you better get started.
*The debate of whether you should travel now rather than later has easily been a divisive topic between the average young working professionals, who believe travel is an unnecessary luxury, and the travel enthusiasts, who believe travel is an absolute necessity, alike. Both sides have their respective points, and both sides believe the other side is crazy. I, myself, often find myself traversing the fine line between both. But while writing this article, I’ve come up with my own two cents:
Travel may be, can be, and is often considered, a luxury, but it is also absolutely a necessity.
The need to roam is embedded into our DNA, how do you think we as a species ended up taking over the world? Why should we stop now?
“To travel is to live.”
