I don’t regret any of the guys I dated in my twenties, but I totally regret not traveling more.

Why didn’t I travel more while I looked young and fresh and thin? Of course, my excuse was always that I was broke and couldn’t afford it. But I know what the real reasons were, and if you’re someone who is still making excuses not to travel, keep reading and maybe I can convince you to finally go out and see the world.

I spent all my money on shopping and brunches

I truly, legitimately didn’t have a lot of money  in my 20s (in fact, I was neck deep in school loan debt), but I somehow spent all my money on shopping. My first job in NYC, I worked right across from T.J.Maxx, and I would go there every other day.

And I was obsessed with brunch! Every single weekend, I had to line up somewhere to eat and drink a $30 meal…

Next thing I know, I was almost $3000 in credit card debt. With that money, I could’ve gone to Paris twice during off-peak season.

The point it, if you’re gonna be in debt, be in debt for something worthwhile. Brunches in the LES? No, not worth it. You won’t even remember the name of the restaurant in two years. That cute $80 skirt you’re gonna wear for a date? Definitely not worth it. He won’t remember you in two months.

I didn’t want to travel alone

This one is difficult to admit because I liked to think of myself as a strong, independent lady, but the truth is, I used to be terrified of the idea of traveling alone. I was afraid of being seen as a loser with nobody to travel with, so I would tell myself that I will travel when I have boyfriend or a husband. For whatever reason, my ideal trip consisted of going to France with a BOYFRIEND. So many missed opportunities.

If you have a friend to travel with, great. Do it. But if you have nobody to go with, that is not a problem. As I always like to remind myself and others, nobody cares about you as much as you do. Be free!

I thought I had to travel far and long

Again, I don’t know where my expectations of an ideal trip came from, but another thing that hindered me from traveling was the idea of having leave for a long time and go far, far away. I felt like I never had enough vacation days and definitely not enough money to afford a big trip.

Now that I think about it though, the few trips I took in my 20’s were short and not that far away — 2-3 hours of flight or a quick drive or a short train ride. And they were often a weekend trip or a weekend + Monday trip. I definitely should’ve done more of these!

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It’s not too late though, right? One of the best things about my late 20’s and 30’s (so far) is that I am traveling more! Even if I am broke, traveling is a must now. When I am old and unable to leave my bed, I will have all these awesome memories of beautiful places all over the country and all over the world.

So go ahead and get packing!

Do you travel often? If not, what’s stopping you?