After 10 years of traveling, we’ve heard all the excuses people use not to travel! In this post, we will list the most common excuses people use not to travel and offer advice on how to overcome those excuses. As I always say, if you want it badly enough you will find a way, if not you will find an excuse!
What Are the Excuses People Use Not to Travel?
Excuses, excuses, excuses. Every day, we stop ourselves from doing something that deep down we want to do with some lame excuse. ‘I’m tired,’ ‘I haven’t got much money,’ ‘I’ve got nothing to wear.’ But what’s the excuse you give yourself for not traveling?
I bet you’ve told yourself a million little excuses not to go traveling. Believe me, we’ve heard them all! Do you know how many times people have told us “I’d love to be doing what you’re doing BUT…” and they’ll give us one of a few ‘trusty’ excuses.
This is why I wrote this article: to shoot these excuses down. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, as they say. Now, for the top 5 excuses not to go traveling (and directly as a result of these excuses – the reasons to travel)
Excuse 1: I don’t have a penny to my name
That is the most common response, for sure. I’m certain you have some savings put away for a rainy day. It could be $500 USD, it could be $5,000 USD – at least it’s a start. Say you only have $1,000 USD in your savings account, that’s all you need for a month in Vietnam (or even Eastern Europe or Central America). Honestly, that’s including food, buses, hostels and even some cheap day trips.
If you’re tight on cash for a trip, don’t let it deter you; as I said, $1,000 USD will get you far in certain parts of the world. My advice is – before you leave, write out a detailed budget of what you’re willing to spend every day on essential items like food and accommodation. Then, do lots and lots of research into the most achievable way of sticking to this budget. Having limited funds means you’re going to have to be okay with hostel dorms and street food. But look at it this way: the less you spend on food and shelter, the more spare change you have to do fun activities like bungee jump or snorkeling.
Is a certain city looking too expensive? Maybe avoid it and come back another time. Or, if you really want to visit, why not try couch surfing – it’s free. Also, try to avoid traveling at peak times like school holidays or over Christmas/ New Year, as accommodation prices will increase massively during these times.
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Top tip for saving for travel: Work on a saving plan that will work for you
Okay, so $1,000 USD will cover your daily expenses for a month, but what about your flights – they’ll set you back another $500 USD. Now, for this extra dosh, it’s time to knuckle down and do some serious saving.
About 3 months before you leave, cut out the daily barista coffees, stop ‘popping into Penney’s’ on your lunch break, bring your lunch to work, dye your own hair, and do your own eyebrows. You get my drift. If you can, move back home or sleep on a friend’s couch for a couple of weeks so that you can sublet your apartment out – that would be a serious amount of extra cash that will go a long way on your travels.
Et voila, you’ve easily saved an extra $1,000 USD over 3 months.
Excuse 2: I’d miss my parents/ best friend/ dog too much
The other night, I watched the movie ‘Brooklyn’ with Saoirse Ronan, and it made me realize how goddam easy we have it as travelers now. Back in the 1950s, it was hard to get away from home. There were no flights, only a very long boat journey home, and the only way to keep in touch was a letter in the mail.
Now, in 2024, we have Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp, and Snapchat; the list is endless, so you can keep in contact with your mom every hour of the day if you like. Plus, flights nowadays are so inexpensive and frequent that you could literally fly home at the drop of a hat if you needed to. Some airlines and hotels are also a bit flexible if you decide to bring a pet along. Just make sure they are suitable companions for travel.
Excuse 3: I’m running out of time – I want to start a family/ buy a house
You’re not running out of time, there’s plenty of time to do the responsible things that you may feel like you HAVE to do. If you don’t travel now, I guarantee you never will, the longer you put it off the further you push it away. Until, eventually it’s nothing but a distant dream. Travel, then have the baby. Travel, then buy the house.
Once you have a kid, travel becomes a lot harder, I know some people make it look easy. But I bet if you actually sat down and had an honest chat with them, they’d tell you that it was a hundred times easier without the baby.
Maybe you really want to buy a house, and that’s great – what a grown-up decision. But don’t jump the gun, travel for a few months first, and explore other cities and cultures. If you’ve only ever lived in one place how can you be absolutely certain that’s the place for you? There are lots of houses out there, the right one will come along at the right time.
Excuse 4: I already have a kid(s)
Yup, it will definitely be harder to travel with kids. You will have to be even more careful about where you travel to. If you’ve never traveled as a mammy or daddy before, then, I recommend sticking to safer more westernized places like Alicante in Spain, Italy, Bali, Vietnam, Mexico, Brighton in England, and Belize. We’ve been to all these places and they are more than ideal for family travel.
Also, you will need to travel a lot ‘slower’, kids can’t deal with being uprooted every two days for a new city. Take it easy. Or travel for shorter periods of time. Be more careful about what transport options you choose, and maybe hire a car instead of using local buses.
Use Airbnb and get a spacious apartment for the kids to run around in instead of a hotel room. Eat earlier, kids like that, they get tired quickly, which is great for your wallet because you’ll avail of all the early-bird specials at the local restaurants. And at the end of the day, what better gift to give your child than the opportunity to see the world?
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Excuse 5: I’ve got nobody to go traveling with
Solo travel is a thing. Do you know that? It’s a big thing. There’s the article upon article about traveling solo, especially for all you single ladies.
Honestly, google ‘female solo travelers’ and you’ll find lots of excellent tips for staying safe and making friends on the road. My advice is to stay in hostels as much as possible, here you’ll quickly find lots of like-minded people to hang with and some may even continue on with you in your travels.
There are so many benefits to traveling solo!
It takes guts to travel solo, I salute you and we bet you’ll never ever regret taking this leap. Plus, you will only have to think about yourself for the whole trip.
Feel like eating Mexican food every night of your trip, well you can because you’ve got nobody to consult with. Want to lie on the beach for 3 days straight, guess what you can do that too because you’ve got nobody to compromise with. Want to buy that cute little dress at the local markets, you can do that too without a nagging voice in your ear telling you you shouldn’t be spending money so freely.
And when you just can’t travel!
Sadly, I completely understand that some people can’t go traveling due to more serious circumstances. A loved one may be sick, you may be sick yourself or your may be in significant amounts of debt. If that’s the case, I hope you get through this tough period and get to travel someday in the not-so-distant future. And when you do be sure to come back to this piece and read our reasons to travel!
To end – I say, embrace travel and take the chance!
I know there are times in life when you have to be sensible and buy that house or stay in your job for that long-awaited promotion. But you know what – if you really want to travel, then do it! If you want it, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find excuses not to travel. It’s as simple as that when it comes down to it, really.
Plus, any employer worth working for will appreciate your sense of adventure, you’ll be bringing back a heap of new skills and an unrivalled understanding of different cultures. That sounds like a ‘gold star’ employee to me. Go ask your boss if you can take leave for a few months, tell them you’d love if they would consider rehiring you on your return.
You’ll never be as young as you are at this moment, embrace culture-change, embrace new and exotic foods, embrace friends from faraway places, embrace travel.
Now, tell me again, what the hell is stopping you from traveling?!
Thanks for Reading!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the excuses people use not to travel
Tell me – what did you think of the 5 excuses people use not to travel? Please tell us in the comment section below!
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Last Updated on June 8, 2024 by snaphappytravel
17 thoughts on “Top 5 Excuses People Use Not to Travel (and How to Overcome Them)”
Love this! Think it’s so important for people to not keep putting off traveling. And if you can’t find anyone to go with, solo travel is a great experience! And there’s plenty of organized groups that do trips in different parts of the world!
Love the picture on Lincoln Steps. SF has such colorful staircases.
Excuses are easy to find, experiences are easy to make 🙂 I love this post and everything it stands for.
Nice post!! I always encourage people to get out and travel as well, but I also know that it’s a privilege as well. But it is possible for the majority of those who want it!!
I think travel, like anything, is about making it a priority (if it is one for you) and figuring out how to make it work!
I find that people always have excuses for not travelling. But I’ve found in their heart of hearts that they really don’t want to give up anything for it.
Excuses are such an energy killer! Of course we all have real lives, but not incorporating the things that you apparently really want to do, is just living a dishonest one. Either try and make it happen or you probably don’t really want to do it. I heard Elizabeth Gilbert say that when she was younger and complaining to an older writer that she never had time to write, but wanted oh so badly to be a writer, this woman said to her, What’s your favourite TV show?. At the time, it was the Sopranos. The woman said to her, well say goodbye to the Sopranos. If you really want to be a writer, you have the time if you just cut other stuff out. It’s exactly the same way with money (for most of us) – we could save a lot more each month if we really wanted to. Thanks for this!
What a fantastic comment! I’ve just subscribed to your mailing list – love your outlook and look forward to reading your posts 🙂
What about when the boss says no? It’s not like I can just quit my job and travel…I mean I could, but it wouldn’t be the best idea. For now I lust over trips I want to take, and save money, and I am working toward getting myself a more flexible work environment.
You will always find excuses if you look for them. I know many people like this, but maybe we can show them how to think and do things to reach their (traveling) goals 🙂
Nice post. I agree. If you want to travel badly enough, you can make it happen. For sure.
Really great points on most of it! We have to find opportunities and take them – there are many programs for volunteering, exchanges etc., and I try to grab them when they come my way. And everytime i have something saved to travel as much as i can.
I always feel a bit uncomfortable when it comes to advice on money and budget because we don’t all come from the same financial level – whether it is because of the country we live in, family or whatever. So if for someone is easier to save money, then for other it might be impossible.
Love this article! You are absolutely right – we all have things stopping us from travelling, but it is possible if we really want it, whatever the circumstances.
The money thing is a big one. For some reason people don’t question little splurges like expensive coffee or new clothes, but traveling, even when done on a budget, seems like a luxury item reserved for the wealthy. I was a victim of “I don’t have anyone to go with me” for too long. Once I just took the plunge and went out on my own it was very freeing, nerve wracking, but freeing.
Hi guys! Really great article. It all comes down to one thing: If you really wanna do it, there’s nothing that will stop you. P.S. It’s not called St. Peters Basilica but rather St. Mark’s Basilica. 😉
Cool article you make some great points in this piece. Travel can be accomplished by anyone if they put their mind too it. We travel with our children for upwards of 2 months every year to year and half. It is hard work but for me far more rewarding than traveling solo or with my wife. There is nothing more special than seeing the world with my kids and making memories that will last for ever
Inspiring post. People are always asking me how I can afford to travel so much, but the fact is if you want to do something you can make it happen for yourself. Great post!