What’s stopping you from traveling and having the best trip possible? There’s a good chance it’s one of the myths about travel that so many of us tend to believe.
From lies about what it takes to travel, to unrealistic expectations of what travel should feel like, we’re often sold a ton of lies that can leave us feeling disappointed when we do travel- or afraid to travel at all.
If there’s a part of you that wants to travel but feels unsure, overwhelmed, or like you’re not ‘ready’ yet, this post is for you.
Here are 5 myths about travel that are probably stopping you from experiencing everything this beautiful world has to offer.
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Myth #1: Travel is always expensive
Let’s start by fully acknowledging that travel can be expensive. There are people who spend tens, sometimes even hundreds of thousands of dollars on every trip they go on, never stay in anything less than luxury lodging, and see a side of travel that is only accessible to the ultra rich.
And there are online influencers who make us believe that luxury travel like that is normal. But let me assure you- that’s not normal. And it’s NOT the only way to travel.
One of the things we’ve nearly lost as a society is the idea that travel can and should be accessible to everyone, no matter your budget.
But we still very much know that if you want to travel, you can find a way, no matter how little your budget is. We’ve experienced it ourselves.
The thing about travel is that it can be customizable to your budget.
Can’t afford plane tickets? Road trips will save you a ton of money.
Can’t afford to go out to eat? Grab some groceries and cook at your Airbnb.
Can’t afford to go far? No matter where you live, there is so much to explore locally (we’ll get more into that in a bit).
We have written out some of our favorite ways to save money on road trips, which you can read here.
Myth #2: You need to have fancy gear & equipment
We’ve all done it- you’re planning a trip or an activity and you feel like you need the best of the best in order to do it the ‘right’ way.
The best hiking gear, the best luggage, the best outfits, the best camera gear, the best everything.
We’ve been caught in this trap so many times, and often times we’ve given in and bought the ‘best’.
And ya know what? We almost always realize that we could have done fine with what we already had.
If you’re waiting until you have the best of everything to take the trip- you’ll probably never end up taking it. Because there will always be a better version of something that makes you feel left behind.
You don’t need the $3,000 camera to take good pictures. Your smartphone will probably do a good job on its own. You don’t need to spend $400 on hiking clothes just to get outside and experience nature. The workout clothes you have in your closet will be fine.
No matter what you’re thinking you NEED the best of for a trip- you’ll probably be fine without it.
What actually matters when traveling? In our opinion, a good pair of shoes that you can wear comfortably for long periods of time, and a comfortable bag that you can stand to hold onto if you’ll be using it throughout your whole trip, and even those things don’t have to cost a fortune.
For everything else, what you already have will serve you just fine until you can more easily make upgrades.
Myth #3: You need to be ‘fit’ to enjoy travel
I (Kailey) have always struggled a bit with travel because I’ve felt like I was never skinny enough to travel well. I’ve been plus-size practically my whole life, and it’s the kind of thing that has stopped me from going for happiness in the form of things like travel.
While there may be annoyances and inconveniences that plus-size people deal with while traveling (looking at you, airplane seatbelts), that doesn’t mean travel itself is all bad.
Often we stop ourselves from experiencing things to the fullest because we feel like we aren’t good enough or pretty enough or whatever enough to deserve the happiness that comes with it.
But if no one has told you lately, let me remind you- you are deserving of every beautiful experience that travel, and life, throw your way.
Go for a hike even if you’re a bit out of shape (it’s okay if it takes you longer).
Rent a bike and ride it around town, even if your legs chafe.
Wear your bikini and jump in the lake you’ve been dreaming about, even if you don’t look or feel like everyone else on the beach.
Have your photo taken and smile from ear to ear and post it online, even if you don’t look ‘skinny’.
Travel is joy, it is healing, and it is something only a small sliver of the population gets to experience. Don’t let your size stop you from experiencing it fully.
Myth #4: You need to have a lot of time
Here in America, travel can feel unattainable for a lot of people because PTO isn’t guaranteed. And even when we DO have PTO, we’re often limited to a couple of weeks.
This on its own stops a good amount of people from traveling. Because travel, that’s that 1 week long vacation thing, right?
But what if travel could be more than that? What if you learned to make the most of the little pockets of time in your life so that you can embrace travel more often?
We’ve been really trying to do this lately and it’s been life-changing. Instead of waiting all year for a one-week vacation that inevitably ends too fast, we’ve been taking micro-adventures and mini-trips whenever we get the chance.
These are often to places within our state or nearby states, where we can get to within a few hours, spend a couple of days exploring, then coming home easily.
We’ve really started to enjoy traveling this way because we get to break our life routines a bit but we aren’t away for so long that we get to the exhaustion stage of travel.
So if you crave travel but can’t carve out enough time for a full-on vacation, try taking a mini-trip! Pick somewhere in your region and spend a night or the weekend exploring!
This leads us to our next one….
Myth #5: You need to live somewhere cool to travel locally
We currently live in Indiana, and I have lived here my entire life. I’ve always viewed it as the most boring place in the US, with absolutely nothing to do. I’ve been itching to leave for as long as I can remember.
But over the past few years I realized that while I am here, there’s probably at least something to explore, right?
And boy have I been surprised! Even here in the middle of a bunch of Midwest cornfields, I have found loads of places worth the visit.
We’ve really been trying to explore our area lately (meaning anywhere within a few hours’ drive) and we have been shocked with the amount of things we’ve always overlooked.
We’re proof that no matter how ‘boring’ of an area you live in, there is still probably plenty to do. A city to explore, a museum to visit, a bit of scenery to admire, an experience to have.
It can be hard to be a tourist in your own area, but once you get over the idea that where you live must inevitably be boring, you’ll realize how much fun there is to be had.
No one feels perfect (just a reminder)
We’re learning that no one- not even you favorite travel influencers- feel perfect. They don’t feel happy all of the time, they’re always comparing themselves to others, and that often feel like frauds. Like they’re not ‘ready’ enough to travel.
The people that get to really experience the joys of travel aren’t doing so because they’re somehow better than us- they just feel the fear and they do it anyway. They go for it, even with the myths above screaming in their ears.
So, what’s stopping you?
There are million beliefs we have in our heads that can stop us from experiencing the beautiful parts of life- travel included. We hope that reading this post has helped you see that travel can be attainable for you, even if your conditions don’t feel perfect.
We’d love to know what else might be stopping you from travel, or from having the best travel experiences possible.
We want all of our content here and on our other channels to help you as much as possible and address real issues that you’re actually facing.
So tell us in the comments (or shoot us an email at hello@kaileyandwill.com) and let us know what your travel stressors/fears/concerns/icks may be!
And if you love travel and want to learn how to make it more attainable for you, join our weekly newsletter!
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