Should young people travel more while they're still young?

[Anna00002]

Or save money?

Honestly I tell my kids to live for now. Their lives are so constricted compared to my. My twenties were a wonderful time of living in four different countries travel to about eight different countries. I was absolutely brassic and often lived hand to mouth literally having to sell things to be able to afford dinner. But it was a wonderful time of adventures. Now I have chronic health problems that kicked in in my early 30s, I have a brilliant career that if I left to go traveling would get scuppered and lots of responsibilities with kids and dogs and the house. It would be very hard just to up and go and even in retirement it won't be so much fun as I'm not convinced I'll be able to sleep in the hammock on the beach or in a tiny tent for a month without feeling my bones hurting!
I very much doubt mine will ever be able to afford a house at any rate. So may as well enjoy life a bit before the drudgery kicks in!

Saving is really important and I would also like to see less of an expectation of travel as normal. We need to make massive changes to reduce irreversible climate change and habitat damage. Reducing non essential travel is a hugely important thing to do, especially by young people who are going to be on this planet for another 6 or 7 decades.

Save money and aim for building security.

I don't think the next 50 years will look like the last 50 years. The social contract will buckle under the weight of caring needs of an increasingly aged and sick population and so flitting about travelling rather than establishing a career will come with a far bigger penalty than it did for us.

If the opportunity is avaliable, it's better to do a longer trip to point A and travel to point B by public transport than visit multiple places in seperate holidays.

I did a few multi-country traveling holidays and a multi-month trip in my 20s. I managed to travel from Germany to Beijing by train, and at least only had the one long haul flight back which was better than a return long haul flight.

There's nothing quite like spending a few months living out of a rucksack to curtail consumerism either. I'd have consumed a lot more resources in the few months at home and my car was off the road during that time.

I'm glad I did that in my 20s, the experiences were incredible. It's not been viable in my 30s-40s due to raising a family and while I hope to see more of the world again, the 50s+ are more risky in terms of health and opportunities. It's also less likely that you'll have the stamina for staying in basic hostels and managing with public transport (I hope I do though, although my back is less forgiving about crap beds than 20 years ago!)

I think taking a year out to travel is a wonderful thing to do. I've always had the bug and go away several times a year and intend to continue doing so into my 50's and 60's.
DS has been to a lot of places with me as my holidays never stick to one place, but now as a young adult isn't bothered at all. He's a complete home body and excited to buy his own place as soon as he can. So it depends on the person really.

The 20 somethings in my family definitely seem to travel if their Insta pages are anything to go by! They have also bought property by saving deposits too.

In my late teens/early 20's I definitely enjoyed multiple holidays abroad with friends.

I have often had a second job throughout my life for this reason, you can do both, the second job funds the frivolities. Travel when you are young is much cheaper than as an adult with DC with specific family requirements. Some of my best holidays involved youth hostels or very basic hotels/b&bs. I still saved to buy my own flat (no bank of mum and dad, inheritance etc, quite poor working class background)

Travel doesn't have to be expensive or bad for the environment. Interrailing around Europe and staying in hostels for example. Or one can work abroad - spend a summer as a courier for Canvas or Eurocamp. A couple of Australians I knew worked a couple of summers at a British theme park and spent the winters travelling.

I've actively encouraged my youngsters to travel first. I have no money to help them get a house deposit together so it will just be a tedious slog for them to get on the housing ladder - buying or renting - in the current climate.

My 24 yo spent a few years working full time trying to save but still was nowhere close to having enough for a deposit and still couldn't afford the sky high rental costs on one wage. Then my mum died and we have all reconsidered what is important in life. Travel and experiences before getting tied down with a barely affordable property and perhaps children seemed the sensible way around.

I don't want to hijack, but are the people talking about travelling in their 40s and 50s etc going solo?

It has just dawned on me that the years are flying by, I am 50 next year and I want to see more of the world, but have no one to go with. My boyfriend is uninterested in travel with me, even a week long holiday (he goes with mates on biking holidays - we don't live together. It's just how it is).

If I want to see the world I will have to do it on my own, but I really lack confidence.

Travel.

Life is more rich and exciting when you adopt an abundance mindset - you can always make more money when you're older.

I took a year out in my 20s to go travelling and it was the best decision ever.

It meant I didn't get on the property ladder until I was 31 (a couple of years older than when my siblings got on the property ladder) but it was 100% worth it.

The other thing is your 20s are the cheapest time to travel, because you can handle backpacking, night buses and hostels.

I'm in my mid-30s now and like a nice hotel and comfortable bed!

You can have fun and live life without going "travelling". Not everyone wants to go round backpacking and sleeping in hostels. My son and his wife( early 30s) started saving straight after university when they joined well paid grad schemes, because they knew they wanted to buy a home, they did that while renting and still had holidays, city breaks etc. My son told me at 18 that the thought of backpacking in Vietnam or Cambodia was one of his worst nightmares and he's never changed his mind. They bought a 4 bed detached in a lovely area at 30, have a great life with well paid interesting careers, great social life with friends etc and have never felt the need or want to spend months or years travelling.

My ds and his partner have travelled extensively from 16 to 25. Australia, North and South America, Vietnam and Cambodia, South Africa and all over Europe. They also owned a flat together from the age of 23. Sadly ds died recently but I'm glad he saw so much of the world.

I'm 53 and often ( not all the time) travel solo. It's not scary doing it alone. It's very freeing actually after having to arrange trips round kids for years. A friend of mine decided to up and go travelling long term a couple of years ago. She has a video blog on YouTube ( nan with a backpack)

As an adult living in the Western world, there is no age limit to travel. So long as you have the money, travel insurance, visas & health a person can go almost anywhere.

I have met people in other countries who would love the opportunity to travel, but they do not have the money & have children or other family members to look after.

However, I know some people who never travel & are content with their cosy life at home.

Everyone is different

I am a big fan of travelling.

I like to read & view about other people's travels.
I like the extreme day trips on Facebook.

I allowed myself to be talked out of travelling. I regret it as I have children with SEN and my own health issues which mean I probably won't get to do it now.

I was on a party beach in an Asian country a few years ago. A young woman came up to me & said "you are the oldest person that I have met here"
I was not amused, considering that I had worked & saved up to go there !
I was not that old either !

I wish I had asked how she had afforded to go there herself.

Not mine: they work really hard for a couple of years (in the capital city of a G7 country : a different one every time), living in a rented bedsit, saving a shedload of money than take six months to travel and live on their savings before looking for new jobs. We have never subbed them out (although to be fair they earn three times what we do).
Their grandmothers are all "when are they getting on the housing ladder / having a baby / getting a proper job?", but I say "go for it! Live life while you can!"

I did a lot of solo travel in my 40s and 50s as DH was not interested, but he recently had a health scare and now we do stuff together, which is nice.

If you can afford it, you could try a cruise: my mother (widowed) says it's great for her as you can get to know people on the ship at mealtimes and join organised tours: or go off and do your own thing if you feel confident in a particular port.

Go with groups. A friend who loves to travel but has a dh who hates it, does this all the time and has been to some amazing destinations.

I’m really glad I travelled so much in my twenties; such brilliant experiences and it really shaped who I am as a person. It was much cheaper back then though, such trips would cost a fortune now and there’s rising costs of living to consider as well as extortionate house prices. My younger friends tell me that they feel they need to choose between travelling or a house deposit.

Now I’ve got DCs and a mortgage/responsibilities I often daydream of my carefree travelling days! I absolutely plan on travelling more once DC are older, and definitely in retirement. But of course I don’t know what the future holds. It is also not the same as travelling when young; the whole world is at your feet and there’s such a sense of freedom.

I'm 50 now and have done a lot of solo travel, including Laos, Cambodia, Jordan, Malaysia, Canada.....I've often stayed in hostels - and felt like everyone's mother! met some great people though. I don't like the idea of being tied to a group holiday personally, firstly I want to be able to do what I like and secondly what if I don't like the other people?

My advice for feeling more confident is to sort as much as you can before you go. Book all your accommodation - hostels are great if you go to Asia particularly, plan how to get there from the airport, get your head around local transport, find where ATMs/supermarkets/restaurants are. Keep your first trip easier to build your confidence - go somewhere where English is spoken, or that is firmly on the tourist trail or that isn't too far from home ie in Europe.

Do it and have an amazing time!

Travel!🧳

Thanks to those who answered me. Some fab advice.

I'm looking at a singles ski holiday - bloody why not, I used to be pretty good - and then Portugal seems quite easy for a nervous person too. Perhaps the Azores - they look amazing.