Why Travel Abroad Can Be a Waste of Time

Travel can be a waste of time if you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Traveling to runaway from your reality to escape for instance, is not the best way to deal with your problems. Similarly, traveling to keep up with the Jones’s, or just because you have the spare cash and don’t know what else to do with it, is not the best use of your time or money either.

So Travel abroad can be a waste of time if…

You’re traveling to escape your problems
You have not discovered what’s on your doorstep
You’re traveling to see things you don’t care about
You’re traveling to keep up with the Jones’s
You’re traveling because you’ve got nothing better to do
You’re trying to find yourself

Traveling can be a great chance to get some perspective and clarity, but it’s not going to fix problems that you leave behind. Traveling to keep your Instagram looking good, is a bit of a waste of your time if that’s all you are going for. As far as keeping up with the Jones’s goes, don’t get sucked into traveling just because other people are doing it. If you do that, you are literally earning money just to be told what to spend it on. A bit pointless right? Anyway let’s look into these items in a bit more detail.

You’re traveling to escape your problems

Whatever your issues are, it’s better to deal with them as much as you can before you go on a holiday. The problem with just jetting off, is that you tend to keep thinking about your issues whatever they are, and inevitably you end up mentally stressing yourself out.

If you’re traveling to escape your boring mundane routine, ask yourself why it’s boring and mundane – do you hate your job? Obviously, quick fixes are not always possible but at least outline a plan in motion to improve things BEFORE you go on holiday.

So often, people travel abroad, make a resolution to change things and then…do…nothing.

Travel is awesome and great way to relax, and a great way to take a break. Be at peace with yourself as much as you can before your holiday, otherwise, frankly it won’t be the holiday you wanted it to be.

You have not discovered what’s on your doorstep

Before you jet off to see a place or do an activity, have you checked out what places and attractions are near you? It’s so common and convienent nowadays to get on a plane and go anywhere without considering what’s already within driving distance.

Now, for obvious reasons, it’s safer to take advantage of what’s actually near you. If you live in the UK and are wondering what things you can do check out our article on great ways to spend the summer in the UK here.

Here at BingeTravelling, we promote the idea of travel being anywhere and at anytime. It really is not just about jumping on a plane. The best times we have had are with our families and friends, usually at each others houses.

We focus on our relationships as a priority, because travel simply, for us, would not be as good without them.

Following this lockdown, it really is a great opportunity to prioritize the people around you. Make the most of it!

You’re traveling to see things you don’t care about

Historical sites, epic landscapes and golden beaches are only great if you actually like them. This may sound like an obvious thing to say but only go to places and do things that you actually like doing, it’s your money and it’s your choice.

Too many times, and we are included in this, do you pack your day with the must see and do things in the holiday destination of your choice. We used to run around to get everything done, only to regret the things that we really did not enjoy that much.

Our advice here is to balance out what you want it to look like. If you want to see a bit of history, do a couple of attractions but then chill out, that’s fine! Make peace with yourself that you are not going to see everything. The thing is, what you do end up seeing and doing you’ll tend to enjoy more anyway.

The problem with packing too much into your day is that your holiday can become a chore. Nobody wants that.

You’re traveling to keep up with the Jones’s

Do not just take a trip to an exotic destination just because everybody else is doing it. By all means take people’s suggestions, but research the place and decide if you actually want to go.

In today’s society, the number of holidays that you go on can almost be seen as a symbol of wealth or status to some people. As a result people try and out-do each other on the countries they visit and the hotels they stay at. Does this sound familiar?

Seriously guys, we need stop doing this. The only winners here are the tour operators and the hotels. Rushing from one luxury holiday to another to effectively show off has a such a detrimental effect on your wallet, priorities and goals.

You’re traveling because you’ve got nothing better to do

I asked a really good friend of mine, who suddenly started traveling a lot after he became financially independent, “Why are you traveling so much?”. He replied, “What else is there to do?”

What do you guys make of that? For us, it’s crazy to just roam around different countries because there is nothing to do. You might as well walk around your local streets, and you would not need to pay for that privilege either.

Our point is here if you’re going to travel abroad you might as well go with a purpose, even if that is just to lay on the beach, and you should look forward to it too.

You’re trying to find yourself

Self discovery is where you try and get a real insight into your own character. It’s true that other countries can be a great opportunity to experience a new culture away from family and friends but it’s not the only way.

To put it simply, you do not need to go and meditate in Nepal to find yourself. Sometimes it is actually easier to find yourself in the company that you keep and the family that you have. It’s about asking yourself the tough questions and being bold enough to do and try things out of your comfort zone. You can do this anywhere really. Books are great too to get a different point of view on behavior or culture.

We totally see the benefits of traveling with a friend or solo, but it is over-emphasised as the best way to find yourself by bloggers, writers and YouTubers in our opinion.

To Conclude…

Travel abroad is an awesome opportunity that unfortunately is not available to everybody. Don’t take it for granted guys!

Make sure wherever you travel to, you are really enjoying it. You owe it to yourself. It’s more about your time than your money, because you’re never going to get your time back.

We obviously do not think travel is a waste of time, I mean, we’re travel bloggers – sounds a bit silly right?

Traveling to really take in the country you are visiting, is one of the most worthwhile experiences you can have. You only start wasting your money and time when you forget why you’re even stepping on to the plane.

Do you agree? we would love to hear what you think in the comments below.

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