Eight World Travel Tips Every 20-Something Should Know
Today I’m sharing tips and advice for 20-somethings who want to travel. There are a lot of blogs out there about traveling in your twenties, or why you should travel in your twenties. What I’ve found is that most of those blogs are written by 21 or 22-year-olds who have only touched the tip of the iceberg in traveling in their 20’s. They still have almost a full decade of their ahead of them to learn about travel. I spent my entire twenties traveling and living around the world, and survived to tell the stories! With that experience, I want to share my advice for 20-somethings about to embark on world travel.
World Travel Tip #1: Just Go Travel!
You will most like never have freedom and time like this again. Once you reach your 30’s, more things are competing for your time and money. Our family is proof that you don’t have to give up traveling when you get older and have kids, but your priorities certainly shift.
World Travel Tip #2: Travel on the Cheap
In order to travel so much in your 20’s, you’ll need to travel on the cheap. There are lots of great discounts out there for people under 30. Many places offer student discounts, and don’t forget the “Parents travel with you” discount! Spend a little extra time digging up those good airline deals. Take advantage of staying in hostels, which can cost a fraction of the price of a hotel room. Budget travel can also dictate your destinations. Seek out more affordable destinations with a good exchange rate. In Europe, countries like Portugal or Spain are much more budget friendly than countries like Sweden and Norway. SouthEast Asia and South America are generally much more affordable than Europe.
World Travel Tip #3: Do the Adventure Travel
Your 20’s is a great time to enjoy high-adrenaline adventure travel, like mountain climbing, spelunking, kayaking and canyoneering. As you get older, it takes longer to recover from these adventures, so take advantage of your youth!
World Travel Tip #4: Don’t Trust the Internet More Than People Who Have Actually Visited the Destination
If you can, talk to people who have traveled to the places you plan to visit. If you have friends who studied abroad, talk to them. If you know people from the country you’re going to, talk to them for first-hand experience. A first-hand account of a destination is so much more valuable than a website or a guidebook that tells you what to see. This is why I make our videos on location; to show that we actually do spend time in the places I write about. Online, there are blogs written by people who have never visited the city or country that they are writing about! Guidebooks are infamous for just rehashing what another guidebook says. This summer in Brazil, three different guidebooks told me of a 30-minute train ride, which in reality was one hour. Also, when you meet other travelers, ask them for their experience. They might steer you off the beaten path to something much more interesting than the typical tourist trap.
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World Travel Tip #5: Traveling With Your Friends is Not Always Fun
When traveling with friends, realize that you each have different objectives and interests when it comes to travel. Sometimes, this can lead to conflicts and arguments. Talk to your friends ahead of time to see who might have the same travel style as you. Communicate and be up front about what you want from your trip. Schedule some time apart during your trip. A lot of travel conflicts arise from money, when your friends don’t all have the same budget.
World Travel Tip #6: You Don’t Have to Travel With Your Friends
One of the best things I’ve ever done in my life is traveling in my 20’s all by myself. Traveling solo allowed me to make new friends that I stay in touch with years later. I’m here in Italy staying with one of the best friends I’ve ever made while traveling. We met floating down a river in Brazil. If I had been traveling with friends, I might not have talked to him and would have missed out on a great friendship.
World Travel Tip #7: Make Your Vacation Time Count
Often in your twenties, you don’t have a lot of vacation time at your job. In the U.S., we might start a new career with one week to ten days of paid vacation time. With limited vacation time, you’ve got to make it count. Decline all those destination wedding invitations and send a nice gift instead. They’ll get over it! Save up your vacation time to go someplace you want to go. Don’t let other people dictate how you spend your precious vacation time.
World Tip #8: Don’t Be Scared to Overdo the Traveling
If ever there is a time to see twenty countries in thirty days, now is the time! When you’re young, you can cram a lot into one day – from seeing all the sights, partying all night, then getting up and moving on to the next destination. I did that for ten years, and now I can slow down and return to the places I really enjoyed. You can learn a lot on a whirlwind trip about what you like and don’t like in certain cities or countries. Then later in life, when you have more time and money, you’ve already got destinations you like and want to share with your family.
Traveling at any age is fantastic, so if you haven’t started already, use these tips to get going! If you want some more travel videos, check out some of our best: