I have been thinking about possible reasons why people are hesitant to travel long-term. I believe, those reasons are connected to personal fears most of the time.
I mean, who of us likes to face their fears? Certainly not me! However, we are changing that today. As saying goes – you should leave your comfort zone once in a while. Time to face your fears during travelling!
Language Barriers
You don’t speak a second language fluently? No problem. You don’t need to speak another language perfectly. Basics will do!
Just get familiar and memorize verbs like “have”, “can”, “want”, “drink”, “go”, “eat”, “sleep” along with some pronouns and you are good to go. Your hands and feet will do the rest.
Try it out for yourself on a weekend trip and you will be surprised on how far you will get with little words. I even managed to survive in China with my basic Chinese language skills. So you can do it too!
Money Won’t Be Enough
Traveling, of course, costs money, but not as much as some people might think. Checkout my 6 tips on how everyone can finance their long term travels.
I totally get the fear of running out of money. However, nowadays it is so easy to find work online. All you need is a computer and an internet connection.
If you do not want to work online, then you can just work a few years / months, save money, and then travel – either long term or short term.
For example, I worked for 4 years, then quit and made a long trip around the world. However, in the 4 years I have gone on smaller or weekend trips as well, which were not very expensive, if you take the right measures. Here are 5 tips on how to travel on a low budget.
Too Dangerous & Insecure
How often was I told “Why are you going to XXX, it’s too dangerous”. Of course, traveling can be dangerous as well, but it depends on where you go and mostly on your behavior.
Just follow your instincts. Here are a few rules:
- Don’t show off. When traveling to less developed countries, don’t wear your newest, most shiny watch or jewelry.
- Just do what “normal“ people would do. Don’t walk alone in tiny streets late at night. I wouldn’t even do that at home, no matter if it is said to be a safe country.
- Don’t act out. If you don’t agree with something, keep it to yourself and don’t tell it out loud. Be tolerant, open and respectful.
Fears during travelling: Being Homesick
Depending on how long you decide to travel, you might be homesick after a while. You will start to miss your family, friends, routines, traditions and standards.
What helps in this case is to regularly talk to your loved ones, meet up with them somewhere in between your current destination and home country, get packages with goods from home or carry around something that reminds you of home.
The first time will be the hardest, but then it gets easier and easier. For me, the hardest time usually is around public holidays, such as Christmas.
Fears during traveling: Loneliness
Even though I travel alone sometimes, I also face the fear of loneliness. Generally speaking, I prefer to travel with someone, just because it makes me feel more comfortable and secure.
One of the main excuses I hear people say, is “I don’t find anyone joining me on my trip and I don’t want to go alone”. That is a good point and I can totally relate to it. However, in my opinion, you just need to try it out! It might not be as bad as expected.
Once on the road, you will meet many likeminded people, who often travel alone as well. You can join each others trip or just hang out for a few hours. Whatever you prefer.
The easiest way to meet people is in hostels. There are common areas and making social contact is very easy.
After all, traveling is great for self-development. Facing your fears during travelling is a step forward and out of your comfort zone.
