“If I leave home, something terrible will go wrong.” Aside from the fact that bad things can happen in your own country just as easily as anywhere else, there are very few places in the world that are outright hostile to visitors. Most people don’t come out and say it that way, but that’s what they mean. I was too shocked to say much of anything in response to that statement. Well, just the two cars… and the student loan… and the credit card… and of course, the mortgage doesn’t count.” She nodded and said, “Yeah, we don’t have any debt either right now.

I must have surprised the person making the comment, because I agreed and said that I also believe in living a completely debt-free lifestyle. One time someone told me that she couldn’t give to a charity event because she did not believe in going into debt, and that her husband believed that a pledge to give money was effectively a debt. I’ve chosen to focus my own spending priorities on meaningful experiences. Many people, young and old, have no problem happily spending their money and even going into debt for luxuries each week. We choose what we value, either consciously or unconsciously. If that sounds a little soapbox to you, read this New York Times article. There really could be a good reason why someone doesn’t travel much, but the responses I hear back is usually variations of these answers:įair enough if it’s true, but for many people who say this, it would be better to say, “I’ve chosen to spend money on a lot of other things, so now I don’t have money to travel.” America is a country of great wealth, and many of us living here throw things away every week that would be prized possessions to lots of other people. I’m not being judgmental I’m just trying to figure out what people’s motivations and priorities are.

My reply is always the same: “What’s keeping you from it?” I talk with people who hear about where I’m going, and they always say the same thing: “That sounds amazing! I wish I could do that.” It happens to me every time I travel overseas. Why You Should Quit Your Job and Travel around the World

The art of nonconformity