Do you ever notice that a huge majority of travel blogs out there are written by expats, living abroad and traveling all the time? And not to say they aren’t great, many of my favorite travel blogs are written by expats (and I even grew up as an expat kid) but I also think there is this misconception that you can’t travel extensively or often if you’re not an expat. I am an American living in America and I travel all the time, near and far, and I’ll tell you first hand, you don’t have to be an expat to travel. I should note also, that I think everyone should live overseas at some point in their life because it’s a very rewarding way of life, however, I also realize it’s not feasible for everyone so today, I’m here to tell you exactly how to travel, even if you aren’t an expat!
Distance is Relative.
The first thing most people say about travel is that it takes a lot of time. And perhaps if you’re an expat in Europe, it’s easy to take a weekend to explore a new location. Let’s say you arrive somewhere late Friday night and can head home Sunday evening. Well here’s the thing, distance and time is relative. So while it might take a little more time to get overseas from the US, it’s still totally doable for a weekend adventure. For example, from Portland to Iceland is only about 6.5-7 hours (that’s just a tiny bit longer than it takes to get to Hawaii from the West Coast.) So say you fly Friday night and arrive Saturday morning, then leave Sunday evening, with the time difference you’ll still get back home Sunday night. So while yes, you may be a little jetlagged (but probably not since it’s so quick), weekend travel from the US to Europe is still totally doable.
You can still find cheap flights.
Another great thing about living overseas: access to cheap airfare, especially in Europe with carriers like Ryan Air and EasyJet. But here’s the thing, the US has been quietly adding lots of amazing overseas low cost carriers to it’s roster of airlines to escape on. Airlines like Condor, Norwegian Air and WOW Air offer insanely cheap fares from the US to Europe. I got an email from Condor the other day that they were offering $139 fares for a one way from Portland to Frankfurt! Seriously. I can’t even get to LA for that sometimes. WOW Air offers $99 flights to Iceland often and we just booked a roundtrip from LAX to Stockholm for only $370 on Norwegian Air. So cheap flights are still available, you just have to do the work to find them.
There are also amazing places closer than you think.
One of the amazing things about being an expat is having amazing destinations just hours from you. However, keep in mind, whatever country you live in, there are amazing and interesting places close to you. As Americans, we tend to discount our own country with this and want to head abroad, but oftentimes there are lots of amazing destinations within close proximity to where you live. Don’t forget about exploring nearby because many times those places are just as amazing as some far off destination.
Diana Maria says
These are all great tips that are so true! It is possible to find cheap flights, and you can always do small quick trips as well. Loved this post as I’m planning my next trip that’s quickly approaching and would love to save as much as possible!
My Lovelier Days
Casey says
Totally! So glad it was helpful 🙂
Taste of France says
When I moved to Europe, it was with the idea of staying for two years. (This was before blogging, before cell phones even.) I felt an urgency to see as much as possible while I could get to places with a simple car ride or short flight. I would go to the airport with a carryon and no ticket, and take whatever last-minute cheap flight was available. I traveled 50 weekends per year. On vacation, I went home to see family, of course, but also used some of it (the benefits of being in Europe–3 weeks of vacation!) to travel in Africa, because it was so much easier to get to than from the U.S. Since I settled in France, I no longer get out as far or as much. The urgency is gone. And friends and family here make demands on our time.
I think when you’re an American living in the U.S., you don’t get that same sense of time ticking, to push you to not waste your weekends cleaning house and going grocery shopping. You think, oh, I’ll travel another time. NO! The time is NOW!
Casey says
That’s true… it’s easy to let everything else take priority. But that’s the thing too, it’s up to each of us to make our own priorities. For me, I make travel a huge priority and I’m able to see a lot of the world every year. So yes, the time is now! 🙂 We all have the chance to travel and see the world, it’s up to us to make it happen!
Jordan Beck Wagner says
I really like this! I think as an expat, I’m always trying to find the “next coolest place to go” when in reality, I should spend more time exploring where I currently am!
Casey says
Totally! Sometimes we get caught up in wanting to explore foreign spots but in reality, there are so many amazing places close to where we are too!
Camila @ AdventitiousViolet says
I think as an expat it’s only that everything is new and shiny and beautiful and an adventure! I mean back home, visiting a few towns away etc didn’t feel like such an adventure, but it Scotland it does. It’s all so relative. Local travel is so important as well! However, living in Europe also makes it a lot easier to travel. But I hope this kind of posts encourages people (especially those in North America) to believe that travel is feasible, far and near!
Casey says
True, but I think it’s also all about how you look at wherever you are. Anything can be an adventure, depending on how you look at it! And you’re so right, i hope this encourages people who might not be able to be an expat to still travel in whatever location they are!
Kristin | Eat. Fly. Love. says
Yes to all of this! I’ve loved living overseas, I’ve loved living back in the mainland US, and while I’m always on the verge of buying that weekend travel deal, I’m not inspired to quit my job and do it full time. It’s so wonderful to see bloggers like you show how travel can be attainable for everyone, whether you’re doing it all the time or whether you can just squeeze a getaway or two into a busy schedule!
Casey says
Same… being an expat is an amazing thing and a worthwhile adventure. But I agree with you, I like living in the US and still being able to travel. I love to champion that lifestyle because it’s so doable, as you well know! 🙂