7 Ways to Remain Excited to Travel

Motivated individuals can accomplish anything they set their minds to. But how does one stay motivated, especially when you’re busy working and living life while your family and friends mock your plans, you’re overwhelmed planning your trip, or maybe you’re just tired of being on the road?

Intention is not an infinite wellspring, but rather a battery that must be charged on a regular basis. All too often, life interferes with our plans and throws us off course. If we don’t pay attention, that battery drains and our travel plans fall by the wayside. Years have passed and you’re still no closer to achieving your travel ambitions.

For example, the trip to Iceland had been planned for years. I always mentioned it, but it was always postponed because “stuff came up.”

The trip didn’t become a reality until I finally said “enough” and booked my ticket right there.

And it’s not just the anticipation of travel that necessitates motivation. You can also burn out and get off track while driving. It’s something that a lot of long-term travelers experience.

“Years ago, I burned out while driving. To recharge my batteries, I traveled to Cambodia. I stayed put, watched movies, and read books. Alone. No wandering or sightseeing allowed. Simply rest. It was soothing, and one day I awoke saying, ‘I’m ready to go again’.”

When you plan your trips, you don’t consider the long boring hours on a bus, the delays, the annoying airports, dealing with snorers in hostel dorms, avoiding tours and scammers, and everything else that will sap the energy and joy from your experience.

You must eventually come to a halt and recharge your batteries. Stay in one place, watch Netflix, and unwind.

It’s critical to find ways to stay motivated whether you’re planning a trip or are already on the road. Today, I’d like to share seven tips for staying motivated to travel, whether you’re planning a trip or are already on the road:

Make time for it

Things always seem to come up, don’t they? Sure, I had planned to visit Iceland in May, but then May arrived, and I was swamped.

Or maybe you decide today is the day to plan your trip, but then you remember you have laundry to do. What is my solution? Choose a day and time when you are not normally busy (for example, on Facebook) and devote that time to planning your trip.

Make it a regular part of your schedule and form a habit so that it no longer feels like a task you “have” to do; instead, it becomes something you do automatically.

Set aside thirty minutes per day to concentrate on travel. Make it a part of your daily routine. This time can be spent conducting research or reading books and blogs. This will keep you inspired and interested while planning your next adventure. Schedule it in your calendar so you don’t lose track of time. It’s on your schedule. You can’t avoid it.

Hold yourself responsible

The best way to stay focused is to be held accountable. Making yourself accountable to others will help you stay on track. They will help you stay focused on your goal, and the social pressure to stay on track will provide additional motivation.

Whether it’s betting money, having someone check in on you, keeping track of goals, or having someone help you plan, simply being held accountable will force you to stay focused, even when you don’t want to!

Travel books

Reading travel books is enjoyable because they delve deeply into a destination and open it up in ways that a short blog post cannot.

In the same vein, read books about the destination you are visiting to gain a better understanding of the place. You can’t understand the present unless you understand the past.

Travel blogs

Reading about the adventures of other travelers can show you that traveling is easier than you thought, provide advice and tips on the art of travel, and teach you about places you’ve never heard of. You’ll get tired of living vicariously through others and decide to write your own travel stories. They will demonstrate that, yes, travel is feasible, practical, and financially feasible.

happy young woman tourist in asian hat on the boat at lake

Take a breather

You’ve probably burned out if you’ve been on the road for a while. Travel isn’t always filled with rainbows and unicorns, and spending too much time on the road can lead to burnout. That will sap your motivation and may even cause you to consider returning home.

It did for me once (I got burned out on my first trip and returned home early), and when I got home, I smacked myself in the face and exclaimed, “What was I thinking?”

I learned my lesson and discovered that taking a break is a much better way to regain your mojo. Instead of continuing on to your next destination, stay for as long as you need.

Study a new language

Join a class and learn a language that you might need on the road. You won’t want to waste your new skill once you’ve started learning it. And the only way to use it is to travel to a country where it is spoken! Here are some learning apps and resources:

Duolingo, Spanish and Go, Rosetta Stone, Memrise

young woman on a beautiful beach in thailand with longtail boats, phi phi island

Get to know other travelers

It can be difficult to stay motivated when the people around you aren’t supportive of your desire to travel. If you’re having trouble, here are some ideas:

Additionally, tune out the naysayers who don’t believe long-term travel is possible, because all of these people encouraging you will show you that it is.

A positive environment is a healthier environment! And a community of travelers telling you that you are not insane and that this is possible will drown out all the skeptics in the world.

“If you’re like me, you have spurts of motivation. You get really excited about a trip, then your mind wanders to something else, or the difficulty of planning saps some of your motivation and you postpone it until later.”

But today is the only day, so use these tips to keep you motivated for your next trip.

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