Travel for Twentysomethings: Why Now?

There is little dispute that people in their twenties are some of the busiest people on Earth.

Most of us, no matter where whe live or what we do, are immersed in higher education or careers, friends, relationships. We are consumed by bills, roommates, crazy bosses, deadlines, even starting our own businesses. Some would contend that our lifestyles leave little time for exploring the world. Exactly the opposite is true.

A lot of twentysomethings complain, "Yeah, I'd love to take a trip, but I just don't have time." Some lament of lack of money or balk at the idea of going somewhere new without a travel companion. Still others simply don't see how travel figures into their lives right now.

My answer to the naysayers is this: We do have time. We do have money (if only a little). We can go solo. And now IS the best time to explore the world, our world.

I'll explain.

TIME: GenerationX-ers, however hardworking, do get some weekends and vacation time to spend away from our jobs. What better way to spend this time than seeing a new place? And with few major responsibilities, save for personal matters, getting up and going is much easier for us then our 30- and 40-something counterparts with their children, mortgages and minivans. Don't wait to see Tazmania until you REALLY don't have time to travel. The key to finding time is planning ahead. Just decide when your going to go, stick to the date, then go.

MONEY: The key here, like time, is planning. Even someone with a tiny first-job income can plan to sock away money for a trip. For example, say that you want to visit London in six months. Investigate cheap airfares for your travel dates (check out www.previewtravel.com or www.bestfares.com for bargain fares) and start saving. Make sure you compute how much accomodation and spending money you'll need per day. Guidebooks at the library are good sources for this kind of information. Next, figure out how much you'll need to save each month to "earn" the trip. If you simply can't save enough in six months, push back the trip to eight months from now. Or, choose a cheaper destination that interests you that you CAN save up for.

GOING SOLO: It's not as hard as you'd think. While travel with a friend is fun, don't put off that dream trip because they're bogged down with their firm's biggest project on record. Going somewhere new on your own could be one of the best experiences of your life. Browse the travel section in bookstores for accounts of those who went it alone, survived, and thrived. For young people traveling alone, staying at youth hostels is one of the best ways to meet fellow travellers and transform a solo trip into a journey with new friends. Check out www.hostels.com to get started thinking about hostelling as a fun and cheap way to travel solo.

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