Today might not be the perfect day – but neither is tomorrow.

Tomorrow, there will still be bills to pay.

Tomorrow, there still won’t be enough money.

Tomorrow, there will still be someone’s wedding to attend or a birthday party to go to.

Tomorrow, there will still be planning to do.

Tomorrow, you still won’t know if you are making the right decision.

Tomorrow, you will still second guess yourself.

Tomorrow, you’ll still find yourself putting off the preparation for one more day.

Tomorrow, you’ll find another excuse why you can’t go.

Tomorrow, people you know will still sow the seeds of doubt in your head.

Tomorrow, you’ll still worry about all the bad stuff that might happen to you.

Tomorrow, something else will come up.

Tomorrow will never be perfect.

When tomorrow does come, you’ll say to yourself “Today isn’t the right day. Let’s try again tomorrow.”

But tomorrow will never come. Tomorrow will always be some vague day in the future.

And then one day you’ll find you’ve run out of tomorrows.

And you’ll be filled with nothing but sadness and regret.

So stop waiting.

Stop making excuses. Today is your day.

It’s never the right time to travel.

Forget about tomorrow.

Just go.

It’s a new year.

And it’s full of possibilities.

I’ve never given much thought to whether or not people lie until recently. Some travelers and I got on this subject while I was in Amsterdam because I was giving wise ass remarks to the question “what do you do?” I hate the question because I hate talking about “work.” It’s always the same response about “how awesome the job is” and I’d really just talk about something else.

My friend Leyla, a nice and wild Irish girl, remarked “You know, you could really tell people any story. They wouldn’t know. I think I’m going to tell people I’m a princess and I have a helicopter. How would they know I was lying?” She then declared to the hostel “I’m a princess!”

And she’s right. (Not about the princess thing though.) We can tell people whatever story we like. I can be Bob, a 25 year old guy scientist from Texas. And maybe I actually am and all this Nomadic Matt stuff is fake. (It’s not, though I’d like to be 25 again.)

But sometimes the process of traveling is about leaving your old self behind. Travel gives us a chance to be someone new, unencumbered by the baggage of home and the past. We can reinvent ourselves. Sometimes that’s a good thing. You can be the person you have always wanted to be. Travel can be that push that forces us to change the parts of us we have always wanted to but have always found an excuse not too.

And as I thought about this question over the last few days, I have been wondering about your thoughts on the subject.

Have you ever lied or caught someone lying about who they are while traveling? Have you ever changed part (big or small) of your story? Do you think this happens frequently on the road?

But here I am, five years later, in Romania, with the same backpack, still traveling, still staying in hostels, and still having the time of my life.

I celebrated five years of travel by giving away all my frequent flier miles, but I think five years is a good point in which to sit back and reflect on what exactly travel has taught me through this long, strange trip:

It’s not that hard.

Every day, people get up and go out the door to travel the world. And they survive and thrive. In fact, the travel industry has made it very easy to make it. Just get on that plane or train or bus. Everything else will work itself out. All that worrying and fear I had was for naught – this traveling thing is a lot easier than you would believe. It’s not like you are the first person to ever do this.

You learn a lot of good skills.
Traveling around the world has taught me to how to be more social, adapt, be more flexible, and, most importantly, understand non-verbal communication a lot better. It has helped me figure out situations even when I can’t understand them. It has made more independent, more open, and, overall, just a better person. There’s no reason to be scared that you might not have “it” in you. You’d be surprised how often you can surprise yourself.

You make a lot of friends.

It may seem scary just throwing yourself out there and talking to strangers, but we are all strangers in a strange land. At the end of the day, everyone is very friendly. It took me a while to get used to just saying “hello” to strangers, but now it seems like second nature. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming on the road that even when you travel solo, you are never really alone.

You meet some of your closest friends traveling.

Those times I just want to relax and do nothing are the times I’ve made my closest friends. Whether it was in a hostel in Vietnam, on a boat in Thailand, or walking into a hostel in Spain, when I least expected (or wanted) to meet people was when I met the best. And even though you may not see them for years, you still end up at their wedding, Christmas dinner, or family celebration. Distance and time cannot break the bond you formed.

Relationships come and go on the road.
I’ve meet lots of people on the road, including members of the opposite sex I’ve found attractive. But the nature of travel doesn’t always lend to a lot of long term relationships. It’s hard to make something last when everyone moves in different directions and holidays end. If you get too attached too often, you’ll have nothing but heartache as people come and go. But I’ve realized you need to simply enjoy your time together for what it is and stay on good terms when it ends.

But chase the ones you like.

Yet once in a while, you’ll find someone you really connect with. Meaningful romance on the road does happen. And when you have nowhere to be and no place to go other than where you want, sometimes there is no reason not to follow. Don’t force yourself to say another good-bye if you don’t have to. Pursue it even if the distance seems too vast, because you never know where it could lead or how long it might last. Sometimes you only get one chance and when it is gone, you’re filled with nothing but regret.

It’s good to try new things.

I used to be a very rigid person, but traveling has helped me expand my worldview. I’ve pushed myself to the limit, eaten new food, taken cooking classes, learned magic tricks, new languages, tried to conquer my fear of heights, and challenged my views on people. I’ve learned that the more you know and the more you try new things, the funnier life is.

Be adventurous.

Doing the canyon swing was tough. So was jumping off the boat in the Galapagos. As was eating the maggots in Thailand. And getting my butt kicked in Thai boxing. And, while I won’t do either again, I don’t regret stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things. Even if you only try things once, it’s good to challenge yourself and be adventurous. Scare yourself once in a while. It makes life less dull.

There is no such thing as a mistake.
No matter what happens on the road, it’s never a mistake. As was once said, “your choices are half chance, and so are everybody else’s.” When you go with the flow and let the road just unfold ahead of you, there’s no reason to have regrets or think you made a mistake. You make the best decisions you can and, in the end, the journey is the adventure.

Don’t be cheap.
When you travel on a budget and need to make your money last, it’s easy to be cheap. But why live like a pauper for so long while you were home so you could not eat the food in Italy, drink the wine in France, or have a sushi meal in Japan? While it is good to be frugal, it’s also important to splurge and not miss out on doing once-in-a-lifetime things. Who knows, for example, when you will get another chance to dive in Fiji?! Being cheap only fills you with regret.

That being said, don’t be wasteful.
But remember you aren’t made of money, so don’t always feel like you need to party with your new friends every night or do every activity in a new place. Sometimes it’s OK just to sit around and relax or cook your own meal. Be frugal, but not cheap.

Go with the flow.

Sometimes it is great to have a plan. When there is limited time, you want to try to see as much as possible and stay on track. But stop being hemmed in by that plan. Traveling is about opening yourself up to change and letting life take you where you want to go. In the end, you throw the plan away anyway, so why even bother getting caught up in one? Have a rough idea of what you want to do, and just fill in the details along the way.

Drop the guidebook.
Don’t be so glued to a book. You can travel fine without it, especially with so many good alternatives on the Internet these days. You buy it and hardly use it anyway. Just ask people for tips and information. It’s just extra weight in your bag.

It’s never too late to change.
Even if you aren’t the traveler or person you want to be in your head, it’s never too late to change. Travel is all about change. The more you say “tomorrow,” the less likely it is that tomorrow will ever come. Traveling has shown me aspects of my personality I wish I didn’t have and also shown me I’m really lazy. I’ve always lived by the phrase “Carpe Diem” but sometimes I don’t really do it. It’s never too late though and realizing that has made being more pro-active a lot easier.

Relax.

Life is amazing. There’s no reason to worry. The universe unfolds as it should. Relax and just go with it. You can’t change the future – it hasn’t happened yet. Just make the best decisions you can today and enjoy the moment. Don’t get caught up trying to see all the “must sees.” There’s nothing wrong with spending a day playing games, reading a book, or lounging by the pool.

Learn more languages (seriously).
There’re some great benefits to not knowing the local language – like miming out “chicken” to let the lady know you want eggs for breakfast – but learning languages is fun, very helpful when you travel, and works out great when you meet other travelers. Not only can you eavesdrop on their conversations, but there’s also nothing like surprising people by speaking their language. It brings a smile to everyone’s face.

Wear more sunscreen.
Seriously. Science has proven it helps, and with all that beach time you do when you travel, you could always use a little more. Being tan is great. Having skin cancer is not. SPF up.

People are good.

All over the world, I have encountered amazing people who have not only changed my life but have gone out of their way to help me. It’s taught me that the old saying is true – you can always depend on the kindness of strangers. My friend Greg taught me long ago not to be guarded against strangers. We grow up in this culture of fear in America that is unrealistic. 99.9 of the people in the world aren’t murders, rapists, or thieves. There’s no reason to assume someone is one. Sometimes, people are just trying to be friendly.

I’ve learned more about the world and myself in the last five years of travel than I have in the previous 25 years of my life. No matter what happens in the future, I know that I am very blessed to have these last five years, and I’m a better person because of them.

Except this time, I missed a step.

Stepping out of the restricted area at the airport, I suddenly had an awful realization.

“Oh shit!”

I had left my passport on the plane.

Rushing to the airline’s office, they said they would call the plane to get it. It hadn’t been more than 15 minutes, so I figured there was a good chance it was still going to be there.

Except it wasn’t. They couldn’t find it. Maybe someone had turned it into the security office. The cleaning crews usually hand things in there. I figured given how quickly they clean and turn around planes on low-cost airlines that seemed the most likely. Off I went.

Except the security office didn’t have it. And when I returned to the airline’s main office, they still didn’t have it and now the plane was already on its way back to Copenhagen.

Defeated, I made my way into Amsterdam. I called the security office and the airline again, but my passport was nowhere to be found. It was gone. And along with it, 9 years of stamps. I had added pages to the passport twice as I accumulated those stamps. Now they are gone….and I’m still devastated.

So what happens when you lose your passport abroad?
Losing your passport is really just a big inconvenience. It’s actually really easy to get a new one. However, the new one the US Embassy issues while you are overseas is an emergency temporary passport. These passports have limited validity of either 3 or 6 months. They are basically only good long enough to get you home and aren’t meant to travel around long term on.

To get a new passport, you need to do the following.

1. Go fill out a police report for your lost passport.
2. Go to the State Department website, print out this form and this one. Fill them out.
3. Take the forms to the US Embassy or Consulate during morning hours.
4. Wait in line.
5. Wait in line some more.
6. Show the official your police report, forms, proof of your upcoming travel plans, and a passport-sized photo.
7. Read every sign made by the US Department of State while you wait even more.
8. Pay the fee (about $120 USD).
9. Go home and eat lunch.
10. Come back in the afternoon.
11. Wait in line again.
12. Get your new temporary passport.
13. Try not to lose this one either.

After filing the paperwork and paying the fee, later that afternoon you will have a nice new emergency passport. Since most countries want passports to be valid for 6 months after entry, these passports aren’t good to travel on. However, in Europe, that rule is waived, so you can travel around a bit before you need to get a real, 10-year validity passport.

Unfortunately, those take time, especially when you aren’t in the US. Outside the United States, they take 10 to 14 days. Inside the US, you can usually get a brand new 10-year validity passport the same day you apply for one if your travel is urgent enough. But you know the government – sometimes things are slow.

And that is what really screwed me.

See, last weekend I was supposed to fly to New York City for my friend’s wedding. I was just going for the weekend and then Monday afternoon (today), I was supposed to fly back to Europe. The trip didn’t give me a lot of time to get a new 10-year passport. Any delay, and I’d miss my flight and my birthday plans for Greece would be delayed and ruined.

But that wasn’t the real problem. If I was just flying back into the European Union, I could probably have gotten by on my emergency passport as long as I showed them proper travel plans and proof that I had enough time to get a new passport. They are pretty easy to please in Europe.

But I was flying through England. And, as the guy at the US embassy said, “those guys total are hard asses.” (I wonder if that is the official government stance?) Having flown through London enough and having almost been denied entry for not having a printed version of my outbound flight, I know they are indeed total “hard asses.”

Everyone, including the embassy, recommended that I avoid trying to re-enter the UK on a temporary passport. Going out would be easy. Coming back, I might face problems. My gut agreed. And with no real idea (everyone has a different story!) about how long getting a new 10-year passport could take while in NYC, I couldn’t risk it. The passport office in New York City requires appointments and make no guarantee of a same-day turn around.

So I missed my weekend in New York City. I missed my friend’s wedding. (She was not happy.) I missed a lot of things. All because I spaced out and left my passport on the plane. Simply put, I’m an idiot.

But on the bright side, at least I now know the process for replacing your passport overseas.

Whenever I talk to people about long-term travel, they tell me they wish they could do what I do. Then they come up with common excuses as to why they can’t:

They fear not being able to afford the trip.
They fear they have too many responsibilities at home.
They fear they won’t be able to make friends on the road.
They fear not having the ability to handle it.

With all that fear, it’s much easier to stay at home in our comfort zones than to break out and travel. So most people simply stay at home, held back by their own fears, wishing they could travel but never doing so.

One of the most common emails I get asks about whether or not someone should travel the world. Do they quit their job and go for it? Are they in the right stage of life? Will everything be OK if they leave? Will they get a job when they return? These emails are peppered with nervous excitement over travel’s endless possibilities, but there is also always one underlying tone to the emails: “Matt, I want to go, but I’m also afraid and I’m not sure what to do.”

Dropping everything to travel the world takes a lot of courage. While many people claim “real world responsibilities” are the reason for not traveling, I think fear of the unknown is really what holds people back. It’s easier to live the life that is familiar and stick to our routines than to venture out into the unknown. There’s a reason why people always go with the devil they know. But, looking at them logically, the common fears people have about travel have no substance:

You aren’t the first person to travel abroad.
One of the things that comforted me when I began traveling was knowing that lots of other people traveled the world before me and ended up just fine. If some 18-year-old from England on a gap year came home in one piece, there was no reason I wouldn’t, too. You aren’t the first person to leave home and explore the jungles of Asia. Columbus had a reason to be afraid. You don’t.

You made it this far.
If you already have one foot out the door, why turn back now? What will you regret more later in life — that you let your fears keep you home, or that you went traveling? Sometimes you just have to go for it. Everything works out in the end. Don’t turn back halfway.

You are just as capable as everyone else.
I’m smart, I’m capable, and I have common sense. If other people can travel the world, why can’t I? What makes me think I lack the skills? I realized that there was no reason I couldn’t do it. I’m just as good as everyone else. Don’t doubt yourself. You get by in your life just fine now. The same will be true when you travel. Trust yourself.

Responsibilities are a false crutch.
Everyone uses “responsibility” as the main reason to avoid travel. But that is just your fear telling you that you have things at home that can’t be let go of. However, those responsibilities are simply chains that hold you down. When I quit my job, I didn’t have to work anymore. When I cancelled my bills, they disappeared. When I sold my car, the payments were gone. When I sold my stuff, I didn’t have any. We think this is all very complicated, but, with a few phone calls, everything that held me back was gone; taken care of. Suddenly, my responsibilities disappeared. Vaporized. It is easier to cut the cord than you think.

You will find a job.
Another reason people get held back is the belief that when they go overseas, they will become unemployable. They worry that employers will see a gap in their resume and not want to hire them. But in this globalized world, having experience with foreign cultures and people is a real asset. So is showing that you are independent, courageous, and capable. After all, no one makes it around the world without learning these skills. Employers realize this, and now look at travel as a positive thing that teaches intangible personal skills no business school ever could.

You will make friends.
People always ask me how I make friends on the road. They tell me that they’re not very social and that it’s hard from them to meet strangers. The truth is that when you travel, you are never alone. There are many solo travelers out there in the same boat as you. You’ll find people who will come up and talk to you, even if you are too scared to go up to them. I used to be nervous talking to strangers, but the fear subsides as you eventually realize that everyone wants to make new friends. And one of those friends is you.

You can always come back.
If you make it three months into your trip and decide that long-term travel isn’t for you, it’s perfectly okay to go home. There’s no shame in cutting your trip short. Maybe traveling isn’t for you, but you never would have known if you didn’t try. There’s no such thing as failure in the world of travel. Getting up and going is more than most people do, and if it isn’t for you, at least you tried it. That in itself is a major accomplishment.

Fear is an element that affects everything we do. Yes, fear is a healthy biological response designed to make sure we don’t do foolish things. But, in many ways, fear is the reason why we never succeed. It’s scary leaving everything you know and heading off into the unknown. However, once you look at why you are afraid of doing it, you’ll realize there’s no reason to be. You can travel. You are capable. It’s not as hard as you think.

Don’t let fear win.

Go off the grid – They say it takes 2 days for people to settle to relax and settle into “travel mode.” To expedite that process, turn off your electronics, get off Facebook, and don’t even think of opening your inbox. Disengage yourself from the real world and spend your time thinking about your trip and all the wonderful things you’re going to do while you’re on the road. Keeping your plugged in means you’re simply keeping yourself back home and not where you are.

Judge Distance – My friends sometimes ask me, “Can we go to Rome when we visit Paris?” When you don’t travel often, judging distances between places can get tricky. Friends of mine once tried to put Perth into a 12 day Australian trip. Plan your trip according to the distance you are traveling. Don’t try to jet-set all over the place. You’ll spend more time packing, unpacking, and traveling than actually seeing anything of interest. I know there’s a temptation to see as much as you can, but with travel try to remember that less is often more. Stick to one geographic area.

Staying Close to Home – If you have a limited amount of time for your trip, don’t jet off half way around the world. An exotic far away place sounds like a good idea but with limited time, going far just wastes your precious travel days. My rule of thumb is that for every two weeks you have, don’t fly more than 7 hours. That way you get to spend more time in your destination and less time in the air.

Travel like a Turtle – I already mentioned above that less is more when you travel. Don’t feel like you have to see everything and go everywhere on your short trip. There’s nothing wrong with taking your time in a place and getting to know it. Most travelers check off the majors sights and then move on to their next destination. You can do better than that. Get to really know London instead of trying to squeeze half of England into your trip. You can always come back. Running around like a chicken with its head cut off ensures only have time for pictures.

Do What You Want – When people get to a destination, they usually open a guide book and head straight for all the main attractions. They rush around feeling like if they don’t see X, Y, or Z, they’ll miss out on “seeing the place.” But there’s no such thing as a ‘must see’. See whatever you want. It may sound stupid, but a lot of people go places because everyone else does. If you don’t like art, skip the Louvre. If you hate scrambling around on ruins then avoid going to Angkor Wat. Don’t like fish? Skip the Tokyo fish market. It’s your trip, not Lonely Planet’s.

Relax – This is your vacation. You want to relax and rest and experience your trip your way. When I go to a new place, I like to get into the pace of life there. In places like Barcelona, for example, that means sleeping late and staying up late, and in place like Fiji it means early to be and early to rise. Go with the flow, relax, and enjoy your trip. It’s not the number of things you do but the fun you have that matters.

Even though you’ve only got a week or two for vacation doesn’t mean you can’t have a great time. You can make these two weeks feel like forever when you take the time to plan your trip properly and scout out the things that you really want to see and do. Make the most of a place. Get to know it well. That’s the key to successful travel.

Eat In! Eating out is the biggest of the low hanging fruit. Instead of having $10 lunches and $20 dinners, brown bag it to work and cook dinner at night. Even if you still go out once a week, a person can survive on groceries for around $60 per week. That’s a lot less than eating out every meal. This is the biggest duh! tip and it may be inconvenient to always cook but if you really want to supercharge your savings, changing your eating habit is the biggest thing you can do.

Cut the Coffee. Love your Starbucks? Well, Starbucks doesn’t love your or your bank account. That daily coffee is costing you $150 per month ($5 for a coffee). That’s a week traveling around Asia! If you drink more than one coffee, then think about how that number quickly adds up. Give up the coffee, move to tea, or brew your own cup. Coffee is the little thing that quietly drains your bank account without you ever noticing.

Drink Less. Alcohol is expensive. Heck, even on the road, the biggest money suck is usually a night out. It may not be appealing to spend nights inside and not out with your friends but spending a $100+ dollars a week will really add up. Try to cut down on the night’s out. Have friends over, see a movie, watch TV, create a travel blog, read a book. It’s not exciting but the goal is worth the sacrifice. And if you aren’t a big “going out” person, you’re already half way there!

Lose the Car. Cars cost a lot of money. If you can, get rid of yours. Between gas and insurance, you are probably spending hundreds per month. That money can be used while abroad and it’s not like you are going to need your car when you’re backpacking India. Learn to love the bus, subway, or walk. This tip may not be feasible for everyone but if you can, try to get rid of the car. It may be inconvenient or make your commute longer, but it will save lots of money. Plus, walking is good exercise after all.

Move Out! Get rid of that apartment or bring in some roommates. Lowering your housing costs will allow you to see huge gains. If you can, try to move in with mom and dad. Then you’ll have no housing costs. It may kill your social life but hey, a social life costs money anyways and we’re trying to save. If that’s not an option, bring in a roommate. Turn that living room into a spare room and have a house mate! If you’re spending hundreds per month on rent, cutting that in half or reducing it to zero will give you the biggest whole number jump in your bank account.

Switch Your Bank! Avoid paying bank fees! Get a bank account at Bank of America and use their ATM partners to avoid ATM fees. Get HSBC and use their worldwide ATMs and avoid fees. Get a Capital One account and never pay fees. Fees just drain money out of your bank account and giving $5 to the bar in Australia for a beer is a lot better than giving it to some giant bank. Also, Charles Schwab offers refunds on all ATM fees.

Get a New Credit Card. Get a travel credit card that gives you free money, free rooms, free flights… just something that is free. It’s less money you need to spend later on. The best way to save money is to not have to spend it. There are so many travel cards these days that the offer huge bonuses to attract customers. From free nights in hotels to thousands of airlines miles just for signing up. I have gotten thousands of dollars in free flights from my by racking up rewards points. I have over 350,000 miles and only about 50,000 of them are from flying. The rest? Travel credit cards. Here’s my complete guide to travel credit cards.

Get a High Yield Savings Account. Now that your savings is going up, make it work for you. Don’t leave it in a savings account where you get .5% a month. Even though interest rates are very low, you can still get 2% with some accounts. Get an online money market and actually make some money. It won’t be a lot but a little free money is better than no free money. For online banks, I like Emigrant Direct. Capital One and Discover bank also offer good rates.

Sell Your Stuff Since you are going on a long term trip, you are not going to need a lot of stuff. A good way to save money for your trip is to make extra money for your trip. Before I went away, I sold everything I owned. I didn’t know what I would need when I came back but I knew I needed extra money for my trip. I went online to Craiglist and sold everything I had. I ended up making a good amount of money and it was very helpful, plus it is cheaper than putting everything in storage.

While most of these tips might have you living like a hermit for a bit, the real way to save money is to not spend it. You are going to want to have some life while you are home. The trick is to always find the cheap alternative. Moreover, you should always make your money work for you. When I was home, I invested my savings, I used high interest savings, cash back cards- whatever it took because every extra dollar was more money on the road. At the end of the day, the more you save, the longer you can be on the road. Combined with my tips for life on the road, you’ll be able to save some serious money traveling so you can travel longer and cheaper.

My guide book on world travel can help you save even more money and will give you in depth information on the costs of every place in the world with more ways to save money on before you go and during your trip. PLUS, there are discounts and coupons on accommodation, flights, transportation, and tours worth over $1000 USD!! That’s some serious savings!

Squat Toilets are OK- Squat toilets are used around the world. Don’t be scared by them. Just remember to hover well.

Avoid Using Your Left Hand- In many parts of the world, the left hand is used to wipe after using the above toilet. Using the left to shake hands, eat, or do whatever can be seen as dirty. Especially avoid using it in parts of Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East.

Tip According to Local Practices- Not everywhere in the world tips. Tips according to the way the locals do. Sometimes it can be insulting if you leave money. I’ve been chased out the door and given money back.

It’s O.K. to Make Return Visits- Just don’t make it the only place you visit. I’ve been to Holland five times in the last three years. But I’ve been elsewhere too. To go to a place 100 times and exclude everywhere else is foolish. There are a lot of good places in the world. I know you have your likes but give the other places a chance too.

Don’t Claim to be an Expert- No matter how many times you’ve been to Paris, unless you’ve lived there your whole life, you are not an expert. You just know more than others. Don’t be stuck up with your advice. There’s no one way to to travel.

Travel Alone- Traveling alone is something everyone should do once. You’ll learn more about yourself in than any other time in your life. It takes a bit of courage to do it but no one I’ve ever met has regretted venturing off on their own for a bit. You never know what you might discover about yourself.

Take Cash- Credit cards are not accepted everywhere and, in many parts of the world, there is a 3% service charge on top of what your company may charge. Don’t get too tied to plastic.

Avoid Money Changers- ATMs give much better rates than the exchange bureaus you see in airports or around cities. Especially avoid, Travelex. They give the worst exchange rates.

Always Visit Tourist Information Centers- These offices know all the information in the city, know what is going on, and usually have some discounts available. Don’t skip them.

Don’t Live by Your Guidebook- Take the information in guidebooks with a grain of salt. It’s a bit dated by the time the book hits the shelves, the prices can be a bit off, and many restaurants and hostels aren’t even in them. Use them just as basic guide, not as a bible.

Locals are Happy to Help- Don’t be afraid to ask strangers for help. If you don’t speak the language, there are plenty of ways to get across what you need. People are generally good and will always help you if you are in trouble. You can always count on the kindness of strangers right?

Take All the Random Invites and Excursions- The random trips you take with the random people you meet will be remembered more than anything you planned for months. You never know where the road will take you. It can lead you to amazing things if you are open to them. Don’t be tied down to a plan. Go with the random.

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Traveling like this has both its upsides and downsides. On the upside, it gives travelers excellent flexibility. Since nothing is ever booked far in advice, you can change your plans up until the last minute if something better comes along. The downside is that booking everything so late usually means you miss out on most of the deals. I tend to pay a lot more than I used. Not because I’ve upscaled my travels in anyway but because I’m now booking so late. I missed the cheap flight to Europe. I missed the cheap bus to NYC. I missed the cheap dorm in Valencia. Why? I didn’t book in time.

I think real long term vagabonding makes you commitment phobic, at least it has for me. When you are a perpetual nomad, you can do what you want. You have a million travel ideas circulating through your head. But the second you commit to any one, all the other travel balloons burst. I would do any of the multitude of trips in my head but you can only be in one place at a time. I think this problem is shared by most long term travelers. The more you travel, the more realize you can do. And the more you want to try to do. Setting dates means that all those other dreams die.

I live on one extreme when it comes to planning. Most new travelers live on the other. I read a lot of travel blogs and travel forums. Most new travelers do what I did- they plan out everyday. Their entire route is planned, sometimes even down to a specific day. This holds true especially among young or gap year travelers. They try to race and see it all. 2 days here, 2 days there. This is a bad way to travel. When you travel, less is more. Spending more time in a place allows you to better understand it. Why go to Paris when you really aren’t “seeing” Paris? You simply took a few pictures. Moreover, what if you love Brussels but, like Colin Farrell, think that Brugge is what hell really is? If you are committed to your dates and times, you have no flexibility to leave earlier or stay longer.

But there is a middle way to travel and one that people who travel often tend do. By the end of most people’s year around the world, planning has been thrown out the window and people just go with the flow. As Buddha said, the middle way is the right way and the middle way for traveling is to simply plan your general direction.

When I travel to Europe this fall, I will be starting in Spain and heading east to Austria. I have a list of places I want to see and things to do- wine tours in France, hiking in Germany, beer in Belgium, and tomatoes in Spain. But I’m not tied to any dates. I know general times but no specific dates. Having wiggle room for anything that happens on the road is important. And one thing that every traveler will tell you is that unexpected things happen on the road. This will throw a monkey wrench into the best planned itinerary. If you aren’t flexible, your itinerary will cause you frustration and stress when things don’t go as planned.

Just like my extreme, over planning is not the way to go. The best travel plan gives you a good idea of where you are going with the flexibility to adapt to changes on the road. It’s important to give yourself wiggle room for places you like or dislike. Or if you get burnt out and you just want to take a travel time out and relax for a few days. Decide where you want to go and what you want to see but don’t tie yourself down to too many dates.

Traveling without a plan is a great idea. Traveling with a semblance of a plan is an even better one.

Except I never went. I was always too afraid. Not afraid of what might happen but afraid of what I might miss back home. What if I miss “something” I always thought- never really sure what that something was except that I knew I didn’t want to miss it. I never wanted to hear the stories of my friends- I wanted to be part of them. In the back of my mind I knew I’d have created my own stories abroad but I never wanted to miss out on what might be back home. So, I never went. I stayed while many friend’s went and created their own great stories.

And to this day I regret that decision. In 2006, before I left for my round the world trip, I was talking to my friend Mike. Mike had spent a semester in England and, to this day he says, it remains one of his favorite experiences. He told me that though I may think things will change while I am gone, they won’t. When he came back from England, it was like he had never really been gone. He picked up right where he left off. When I came back in 2008, I said to him “Mike, you were right.” While I was gone, I had changed but the world back home didn’t- everything was the same. Like Mike, it was as if I had never left.

If I had let the same fear hold me back in 2006 as it did in college, I would never have experienced the world and begun the path that has lead me to this life. And so my biggest regret still remains that I never spent a semester abroad. I put up off a great experience because of fear.

Don’t let your fear hold you back. In previous posts, I’ve written about how now is a good time travel because of the economy and about how the only secret to long term traveling is desire. But even those with the greatest desire to travel can be held back by fear.

But what really keeps people back is fear of what they will leave behind. What if people get pregnant? Married? What about the celebrations? The crazy weekend antics? My favorite places to eat? The list goes on and on. Comfort of what you know keeps you from experiencing the things you want and desire to see.

But if you talk to any traveler, they will all say the same thing: nothing changes back home. People might get a new job or a new girlfriend. Maybe they will move. But fundamentally, the lives of those you left behind are the same. What changes is you. You come back and, anticlimactically, you realize you moved on and life at home didn’t and you see that staying would have been the worst thing you could have done.

Fear is a powerful thing but don’t let your fear hold you back from traveling. Because in the end, you will just look back and have regrets. Life never gives you the same chance twice and destinations never stay the same. Get going now because you are missing the world out there not the world where you are.