Let's talk about time.

Let's talk about time.

Time is something people always tell me they don't have enough of and is one of the main reasons why they don't travel as much as they would like.

So today, I wanted to send over some tips and tricks on how to find the time to travel when you work a 9 - 5 job. Even if you don't want to be nomadic like me and travel full-time, if you are like most people I know, you probably want to travel a little more than you do now. And despite what you my think, you do have the time to do so.

Let's say you work 50 weeks a year and get 2 weeks vacation (Not American? Then you probably get a lot more and you should consider yourself lucky). Counting your vacation time and every weekend brings the total number of days per year you can travel to 110 (104 weekend days plus the 10 days in your two week vacation). That's a lot of time to travel. Throw in three-day weekends and holidays and we can add even more days to our total. It may not be all continuous, but you can do a lot with that much time.

Let's think about that for a second - 110+ days of free time per year. That's close to 4 months of potential travel time per year! 4 months!! The world is your oyster with that much time.

Most people associate "travel" with a long-term, big expensive trip and thus discount all the short-term methods of travel. When people think "I want to travel" they envision a two week vacation, a cruise, or some long multi-month journey. It's a big trip to a far away land.

I used to think that way too. It's just how the travel industry tells us we need to travel. We internalize that idea and never consider other options. The industry's marketing machine tells us that travel means a long trip where we spend lots of money.

And if you hear something enough, you believe it. I used to.

But there are plenty of small ways one can satiate the travel bug when time is not on your side:

 Weekend Getaways -  Two days isn't a lot of time but it's still enough to explore a city, town, or camp in a national park close to you. I spend a lot of time in New York City. From there, weekends away can include Atlantic City, Fire Island, the Hamptons, the Berkshires, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. - and those are just the ones within a few hours of driving! Try to incorporate more weekend trips away. Even a couple of days somewhere are better than no days anywhere.

Go Somewhere Close - Only have a week? Don't travel halfway around the world, wasting tons of time getting to your destination. Go somewhere a short distance away. In Miami and Fiji's too far? Head to Central America! In Sydney and America's too far? Go halfway and stop in Hawaii, visit New Zealand or a Pacific island nation! In Europe? Well, hell, 90% of the continent is a 3-hour flight away! Stay close and you'll need less time to do what you want. Additionally, the best flight deals you can find are often for destinations close to you.

Be a Local Tourist - I don't think people are tourists in their own city often enough. How often do you visit the museums, explore new areas in your town, or visit the major attractions of your city? I know New Yorkers who have never been to the Met, Bostonians who have never walked the Freedom Trail, and Amsterdamers who have never wandered through the red-light district. Take the weekend, move out of the house and into a cheap place to stay, and be a tourist. I love playing a tourist in my own city because it helps you learn and understand where you come from.

Maximize Your Time -  Don't try to see everything under the sun. You'll run around too much. I field a lot of emails from people who want to see half of Europe in two weeks or want to conquer all of South America in a month. When you think that is how you have to travel and try to cram everything in, it's easy to get burdened by your itinerary. You look at all those destinations, get overwhelmed, realize there is not enough time, give up, and hold off until you do "have" the time. I get that you don't have a lot of vacation and want to see a lot, but don't! Sticking to just one or two places suddenly opens up a lot of time and opportunity. In travel, less is more.

You may not have months to travel, but that doesn't mean you can't travel at all. There is a plethora of ways to get out and see the world without having to be a nomad like me.

So the next time you think "I don't have the time", think of all the places nearby you could explore. Yes, you'll have errands to run and things that require your attention. But travel is about exploration, and that exploration can happen anywhere for any length of time.

**Hey There My Fellow Travelers**
If you have enjoyed reading and like what you have been seeing then please send me a email at greenplanettravelers@yahoo.com
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Have A Wonderful Time, Wherever You're Headed!!
James Brannon
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