Sometimes our lives get too busy and too stressful and we just need to get away.  I’ve definitely had moments in my life like that, when a break from reality is just what you need.  Travel can offer so much and one of the best things that travel can do is to break up the monotony of daily life and offer an escape, a way to change your scenery, see something different and remove yourself from whatever is stressing you out at home.  And while your problems probably won’t go away upon returning, you’ll at least be fresh minded from your escape and more able to deal with whatever you need to.  Here’s where I would recommend to escape when reality becomes too much and you desperately need a break from reality. 

Iceland

Perhaps my top suggestion, Iceland is a perfect place to escape to for whatever the reason.  Upon landing in Iceland, you’ll immediately feel removed from the rest of the planet; a destination that will immediately offer you a necessary respite from how the rest of the world works and runs.  My trips to Iceland have some of the most incredible of my life and I promise, when you’re standing on the edge of a massive waterfall in the middle of no where with no one else for miles, you’ll feel like you have no worries in the world.

Scotland

The wilds of Scotland are also an incredible place to feel like you’ve left everything behind.  Whether it’s the Highlands or little St. Andrews, standing on the Scottish coast as the sun sets around you and the wind howls, Scotland is a country full of breathtaking landscapes that will offer you a much needed break from reality.

Provence

Want to escape to a tiny hillside town and spend your days wandering to a little boulangerie down the street to clear your mind of all anxiety?  Provence might be more your cup of tea.  For days where you don’t have to think about much except how much time in between your croissant for breakfast and your pain au chocolat for lunch, the tiny towns of Provence can offer a magical escape so different than most of our daily lives.

Hawaii

Want to stay closer to home in the US but need a much needed break?  Hawaii might be a good choice.  While expensive, Hawaii can offer a tropical escape from whatever you need a break from.  Whether you want more of a removed typical experience or want to be right in a city, there are a ton of choices in Hawaii for an escape from reality for a few days.  And only 5 hours from the West Coast, you can also escape to Hawaii just for the weekend if you really wanted to!

New England

I often fantasize about moving to a small New England town and living simply, walking to the market when needed and enjoying village life.  For a quieter way of life and a simpler destination, there are so many little New England towns that can offer a total break from our normal lives.  Think white steepled churches, jewel-toned Autumn trees and plaid scarves – New England might be just the escape you need to clear your head.

Since buying our house in August, I’ve had a number of people say to me “Oh I bet you’ll stop traveling so much now.”  And that comment always catches me a little off guard and I’m never sure what to respond with.  The truth is, no, actually I want to travel just as much or more as we have been the past few years.  Just because we have a house now doesn’t mean the travel is going away.  And I think what most people don’t understand is that travel for us is part of the lifestyle that we want to lead, just like some people want to be going out to restaurants or having a nice bottle of wine.  The time and money we spend on travel is a part of our overall lifestyle and budget and we make a really huge effort to create a life we love.  With that said, there are definitely things we do to make travel a priority and it’s definitely possible to live well at home…and travel as well, and here’s how we do it.

Invest wisely and start early.

One of the most important things we’ve done in our late twenties and early thirties is getting a really solid footing in investments.  Nick and I both have strong 401k’s through our employers as well as some personal stocks.  We also have made some profits in real estate over the last several years and as a form of investment, we’ve been buying places that we know we can fix up and sell for a higher price down the road which is what we’ve done with our 2 previous properties and will do with our house now in the next several years.  In doing this, we’ve given ourselves a financial comfort for down the road, but it’s really important to start investing (whatever that means to you) early so you’re better set up for retirement and all the things you want to do down the road.

Now does this mean go out and spend a ton of money on the stock market?  No.  Invest wisely and do what works for you.  There are a lot of ways to invest in your future without having to play the stock market.

Live within your means.

This is one of the things that Nick and I have steadily done over the 10 years since we’ve been out of college.  We live within our means and anything we buy or do, we have the money for it.  A lot of people get into trouble with living well beyond the money coming in and that can cause a lot of issues over time.  Figure out a way to prioritize your life to spend money on the things that are within the amount of money you’re bringing in.  If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.

Save, Save, Save.

In addition to our general expenses, we also have pretty hefty savings accounts that we don’t touch.  I personally like to have a number of different savings accounts for specific purposes: travel, home funds, personal savings, etc.  That way, I know what the money is ultimately for and I can watch it grow as I put money in without pulling from it until I have a specific thing to use it for.  The more you can save now, the more you can afford to do later!

Know what your priorities are – you can’t have everything.

A lot of people look at our travel budget and think, “I could never afford that.”  But here’s the thing, we’re not spending money on the other things that someone else might be spending money on.  Instead we’re prioritizing travel while someone else might be prioritizing other things.  It’s all about knowing what your priorities are and realizing that you can’t have everything – so figure out what’s important to you and put your money toward your priorities.

Have no debt.

This is a really hard one to get to but so worth it.  The only debt Nick and I have is our mortgage.  We paid off our school debts and car payments as soon as we possibly could so that when we got to our late twenties, we had no overhead except for our home.  This allowed us so much more money per month to do what we wanted, instead of paying out so much money in car and loan payments.  If I have one piece of financial advice – it’s pay off all the debt you possibly can as quickly as you possibly can.  You’ll be so much better off down the road without it hanging over your head.

When you feel yourself overextending, cut back.

Sometimes, and we all do this, we get to a point where we might overspend on something and we feel like we’re getting ourselves a little out of our budget on certain things.  At that point, it’s important to remember to cut back and get back to the point where you feel comfortable in how much you have to spend again.  Travel is amazing, but if you’re putting yourself into debt to do it, it’s not worth it.  Make sure you are staying within your limits and being financially smart and it will be way better in the long run.

Plan Ahead and Pay off Your Trip Before You Take It

Moving is expensive and after just moving into our house, I’m so glad we plan our travel ahead.  If we had just moved and I was trying to have the money for moving and for upcoming travel, I’d be struggling.  But we have out trips planned out and paid off so far in advance that at the moment, we have trips planned and paid for through March so I have some amazing travel ahead without having to feel crunched for cash.  It’s so worth it to plan ahead (you’ll usually get better deals too) and pay off your trip before you take it, that way when it does come up, you can really just enjoy it and not have to worry about how much it’s costing when you get home!

Nick and I were talking while we were in the mist of moving, after we had moved out of our townhouse and before moving into our new house a few weeks back about being able to survive through the limbo in between those big life changes.  And honestly, it was a lot less stressful than we thought, leaving behind our home and moving onto the next one and staying with family and in hotels for a few days in between the transition.  One thing we remarked was that because we travel a lot during the year, we’re a little more able to adapt to new surroundings, being able to work off our laptops and not worry too much about not having a ton of stuff with us.  I got to thinking about that and all the other things travel teaches you that impact your daily life, sometimes that you aren’t even aware of.  Travel teaches so many life lessons, but the things that make you a better person and make your daily life better, those I feel are sometimes that best things that travel teaches us and in general makes us better human beings and more easy going.

1. Travel makes you more flexible – sometimes without you even knowing.

I’m a pretty flexible person but I think travel makes you even more so.  It allows you to learn to work from different places, to adapt to your surroundings and sometimes, it forces you so much outside your comfort zone that it makes you more flexible without you even really knowing.  This can help in your daily life so much, being able to be flexible in different work areas or while moving.  The lesson are endless with this perk of lots of travel.

2. Travel teaches you understanding and allows you to see different perspectives.

When buying a home or working with clients, being able to see all angles and perspectives is a huge plus.  Travel teaches this lesson ten-fold.  While traveling, you often have to see something from someone else’s perspective or language or cultural tradition and it makes you stop and realize, my way of doing this isn’t the only way.  That idea and that lesson learned can change the way you life and do business for the better.

3. Travel makes you aware of the things you absolutely need to live and the things that aren’t as important.

One thing you find out real quick when traveling, especially when things go wrong, is what are the necessities and what are auxiliary items.  It’s super important to realize this is your daily life too, what are the items that I can’t live without?  And then what are the items I enjoy but aren’t necessary?  Having that perspective will help with so much in your daily life from budgeting to getting rid of clutter and more.

4. Travel teaches you to make quick decisions.

I’m pretty quick on my feet with decisions, but travel takes this to a whole new level.  Travel forces you to make decisions quickly in real time which can offer a great lesson learned in your daily life when issues arise or something is wrong.