It’s totally normally to want to travel more with less time and money on your hands. Millions of people are trying to figure this one out. What about you?

Did you look at the latest round of travel photos in your Instagram feed longingly daydreaming about how you can get a piece of that life? Are you having travel envy or have experienced travel envy in the past few months? (Wow, I sound like a travel doctor!)

Don’t worry. It happens to all of us…sometimes.

We see a picture of a friend in a place we’ve been wanting to visit. We add it to our long list of #TravelGoals. Wait, did we reach any of those goals lately or does that list keep growing? Man, I’m failing at life!

Time for me to be a big sister here: I’ma need you to get a grip.

Yes, it’s frustrating when you can’t immediately cross those goals off that list. Yes, you might be feeling like you can never get ahead, that you never get to go anywhere because you don’t have enough time or you don’t have enough money or you don’t have enough help with the kids. (—> this right here is why I started offering trips for moms who want to get their solo travel life on point.)

Maybe you just want to travel some place by yourself.

Let’s have a little chit chat about you and those feelings.

I want to have a little discussion with you today. It was sparked by a live stream that I did a few days ago in collaboration with other live streamers in the travel space. We each provided expert tips in a particular category.

I wanted to focus on ways people can travel more with limited time and money. But first I wanted to touch on travel envy. It was important for me to address this because I feel like moms deal with this the most. Because of all the things we have on our plates, we feel some sort of way after digesting a full course of pretty polished pictures in social media.

Don’t be impressed by a life that you think you’re not living.

You can check out the video below for my full conversation. You can also scan the highlighted points beneath the video to get the gist if you’re short on time. (Personally, I think the video is worth watching but ya know, I’m biased.)

Watch on #Periscope: #PeriRallyTalk Expert #TravelTips: Traveling More w/ Little Time & Money https://t.co/mYJk9FE16r

— Tawanna B Smith, MPP (@TawannaBSmith) August 21, 2016

 

There are a few realities you need to face.

1. Don’t compare yourself with others. Pictures are pretty but they’re not always accurate.
2. Remember that with traveling all the time there is a tradeoff. We all make decisions. We make different lifestyle choices. For instance, some people are more nomadic in nature. They choose not to be tied down by a traditional office job, a house and a car. They don’t mind sleeping in foreign beds week in and week out. I personally LOVE my bed. I like returning to it after 12 days max. I also enjoy a bit more stability for my kids. Actually, our circumstances demand it so the nomadic lifestyle doesn’t suit me. It would be silly of me to look at my counterparts and compare. It’d be silly for you too.
3. It takes a lot of research and planning to get to the place of those people you see traveling all the time. They’ve planned where they’ll spend weeks or months, how they’ll save money or make money, the best places to visit where their money will go the furthest, and more.

Maximize your time and money for travel by changing your mindset.

• Redefine your view of travel. Travel is not just about jet setting across the ocean.
• Explore places within driving distance. You can find plenty to do in your state or the next state over that looks just like what you might find abroad somewhere.
• Look at your calendar to sketch which holidays would make a long weekend. Plan your longer distance travel for that time.
• Travel during the off-season/shoulder season to get better rates and deals.
• Plan ahead. Plan ahead. Plan ahead.
• Commit to a points/rewards program so that you can redeem points for free flights, hotel rooms and rental cars.

Want to travel more? Get the story behind the pictures first.

What I want you to take away from this is that sometimes what you see isn’t always the full story. You have to look at your own personal circumstances and see how you can fit what you want into them.

Do not compare yourself to a travel writer, a travel blogger, a travel agent or anyone whose main job is to travel. They all work long hours at the desk writing, editing, polishing and packaging things up nicely so that it looks good. Don’t get me wrong, it ain’t a bad gig to have but it’s long work in front of screens and monitors. And it comes at a price. Sometimes for way less money than you might think.

Here’s some encouragement for the win

Travel isn’t just for the young, white, rich, single, or childless. Travel is a lifestyle choice. Once you choose it, it’s yours. You just need to do the research first and then make the choice.

I’m getting back in the saddle of promoting and selling my book filled with tips on traveling with limited time and money. Why don’t you grab a copy of the Mom’s Guide To Saving Money on Family Travel for more concrete ways on how you can save money on travel. The resources and tools in this book are applicable for travelers with or without kids.

Put it to the test so that if you want, you can travel more.