Everybody loves a little adventure in their lives. Some people take a weekend trip a few hours away, others take a week long holiday to a nice tropical destination. But I am different from most people as I like heading off the beaten path and creating my own adventure that no one else I know has done before.
I'm 23 years old and in the past 15 months I have backpacked my way through 13 different countries. I left my hometown two years ago and have been back for a total of nine weeks spread out over those two years. I can say with all honestly that I have the travel bug.
But what do you do when it has completely consumed you and you no longer want to go back to school to get your degree, but instead want to work towards acquiring as many stamps in your passport as you possibly can? The travel bug is a terrible disease and it can't be cured without hopping on a plane and immersing yourself in different cultures.
Here are some tips for those who want to travel the world:
1. Start young. This way you have plenty of time to go out and see the world. Get lost in countries you never dreamed of visiting.
2. Stop buying materialistic things. You have the rest of your life to own a nice car, or purchase an expensive bag or pair of shoes. Take all the money you earn and put it towards travel.
3. Don't get yourself into a serious relationship at a young age. You might not believe me now, but they are going to slow you down from doing the things you want to do—like travel the world.
4. Put school on hold for a little while. YOYO: You're only young once. That's the motto I live by. You don't need your degree by the time you're 22. Get it when you're 25 or older.
5. You have the rest of your life to work a nine-to-five job and have a settled life. For now, be young, live your 20's so that you'll look back when you're 40 and smile, knowing you did it right.
6. Don't worry so much about not living the way society tells you that you should; everything will work out in the long run.
There are plenty of people out there in the world like you and you won't meet them sitting in a classroom or at your desk at work, because they're in a hostel on the other side of the world. Go meet people and listen to their stories and before you know it, you'll want to head somewhere you didn't even know existed.
Travel and be young.
