1. Fear of flying
I can admit that I was once a terrified flyer. I can clearly remember the days of hyperventilating and being completely petrified to get on a plane. But it got easier over time, and I'm now my most relaxed when I am on a plane and away from my daily routine. Since I can relate to those who are also afraid of flying, I do have a few words of wisdom. First, fly an airline that you feel comfortable with! My go-to for domestic flights is JetBlue and my international favorite is Emirates. Both provide great communication leading up to the flight and consistent service throughout the experience. My next tip is to read more about aviation. It's an interesting field! Understand the true odds of something bad happening, and more importantly the ongoing efforts to make flying safe and reliable. If that doesn't work, look into other modes of transportation like trains and buses that can whisk you away to a new place while keeping you on the ground.
2. Lack of funds
Getting over flying is more of a mental exercise, but figuring out how to save the money can be a bit more difficult. There are ways to cut back from daily expenses and eventually have enough money for a dream vacation, but it can be a daunting task. An alternative is finding a volunteer or work-abroad vacation opportunity that can cut down on the costs of a traditional vacation. If time is limited, there are volunteer programs that accept applicants for a week which can be found on sites like Global Volunteers. For those who have more time, longer-term opportunities can be found on Workaway.
3. No vacation time
The one thing that I truly hate about living in the U.S. is the general disregard for vacation time. I will never understand how people leave vacation days unused, and how it's standard to have just two weeks off a year. But it is a fact of life for many people and something to work through. If you want to take a vacation but don't have enough days, then ask for unpaid time off. If that doesn't work, take advantage of long holiday weekends to plan a fun getaway.
4. No one to travel with
Some people are dying to travel but have no one to go with. I always say, well, just go alone! But realistically, every vacation that I have taken has been with a group, to visit a friend or I've met up with someone along the way. My advice for people who can't find anyone to travel with is to do the same, and think about friends who live elsewhere. Even if you can't stay with them, would they be willing to spend a few days exploring with you? If that's not an option, look into tour groups like Contiki. And for those who don't feel like traveling with strangers, there really is nothing wrong with going solo as long as you research the destination first and make sure it's safe. I recently came across a site that connects locals with travelers called Your Local Cousin.
5. Lack of inspiration
Don't know where to go? Totally get it. Not everyone has time to research the new places or hot spots. For quick inspiration follow popular travel handles on Instagram like TravelandLeisure. Once you find your next dream destination, search for more content online. I personally like to follow tourism board travel handles on twitter to get ongoing information about places of interest.
Image: Tiffany Hagler-Geard/SheKnows
