Why I travel and how do I manage to

Whenever I meet people I know who might have seen my posts on Instagram, they ask about my travels and how I am capable of doing so. Sometimes they would ask me indirectly of how much money I make. I don't blame them for correlating traveling with money because it does require money. But the thing here is: It wouldn't have to require much if you're not a lavish or a picky traveler. As what other's say, the key is in saving and planning.

I am an average earner. I don't have a car and I don't have my own house yet. But I have little savings and I also frequently give money to my family. Some of those who asked me might be even earning more than I do. The only difference is the level of our desire to make our travels happen. How motivated are you to travel to your dream destination? or How willing are you to finishing all the places on your travel list? 

Because if your desire is bigger than your fears or hesitations, you will do anything to make them happen. Just make sure you'll do it in a rightful way though because borrowing money just so you can travel is definitely not a wise idea.

Most of my travels are booked a year before. This gives me ample time to save money for my allowance and replenish my resources to book for my accommodation. I don't really go for expensive ones as I don't spend much time in them anyway since I'm always outdoor. As long as the place has free breakfast and comfortable room where I can safely leave my bags, that's okay for me. Sometimes I go as far as knowing the prices of food in the restaurant where I'm planning to eat so I can include that in my budget. I also bring instant food with me so I don't have to buy. 

As soon as I have a place in my mind, I ask people who have been there already to get an idea of how much allowance I need to prepare. And it does help if you already have a picture of the places you want to go to including their location - because it will affect the sequence of items in your itinerary. I am kind of particular of that especially if I'm traveling solo. Sometimes I already pinned all these places that I want to see in a map. So whenever I type the place it'll quickly show me the location. The reason why I do that is because I don't like to spend much on transporation. I'm a heavy stroller, as long as the place where I'am at is a walking distance, I'll just walk to it. 

I can be that person who hate deviating from the plan except for unexpected cases - like if some attractions are closed for the day because it is being renovated. When I travelled to Hongkong with a friend in 2016, we didn't know that The Avenue of Stars was closed for renovation so we had to spend more time in another place to compensate.

I also do not shop for stuff I don't really need. The most important thing for me is I get to buy pasalubong for my family and friends. 

And no, I don't travel for the 'Gram. Sure I post some photos in social media but those are photos that tell stories about a place or the people I saw in my travels. Every country is unique and it would be such a waste not to capture the little details that make them what they are. I am always at awe in everything I see in foreign places: the culture, the food, the technology, the people, and the history. There are just so much to take in - and knowing and squeezing them in a specific time frame can be frustrating. What I'm left with are photos to immortalize my experience. Thus, my photos are dear to me as they tell of the hardship, the preparation process, the patience, and the money I spent just to get into that place.  Working hard for something adds more value and meaning to it, so it doesn't really matter if I do it again and again.

I think traveling is innate in me

When I was young, I was used to living from one place to another. We've literally lived in different places and traveled a lot up until I was seven years old. All the bus rides and ship cruises were all part of my childhood. So at a young age I got past the whole travel sickness thing and refused to drink Bonamine (the medicine kids usually take to avoid vomiting). I've gotten used to bus rides and loved it every time our family would travel to Laguna, Bicol, Bohol, and Cavite to visit some relatives. But the world of traveling stopped when we transferred to Bohol because basically it would no longer require traveling to visit relatives - all of them are just in the neighborhood. Actually, the whole community is comprised of my relatives. LOL

But since then, it has been ingrained in me that I would travel to places I've never been before. When I was in high school, I made a check list of local places I want travel to. So, when I graduated and landed on a job in Luzon - my dream was close to being a reality. The places I have listed were near to where I am at and that made it easy for me to make them happen. 

Originally, I wrote in my list that I want to travel abroad, particularly, in my dream countries. But I know it's going to take a while for me to go to these places so I opted for somewhere that is cheaper to go to and good for a first time traveler. And I did not regret it. And now I find myself visiting one country from another. It is addictive, I tell you. But I don't want to lose myself into the whole idea of "travel bug", because I would end up just doing it for a stamp on my passport.  I want every place to be meaningful to me - I want to take my time, no rush. Whenever I get the feeling that people are dragging me into a rat race, I stop and reflect on the main reason why travel. And, definitely, it is not to compete with anyone. I travel to help me grow as person and to broaden my perspective by seeing other worlds besides mine. Most especially, I travel to seek for a peaceful refuge to declutter my mind from unwanted thoughts. Because the world is messed up already and as much as possible, I don't want to be a part of that by detaching myself from it in moments when I can.