Why quitting everything and traveling is the worst advice you can give

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Turn into an eternal wanderer and go on an adventure, send a boring job to hell and start life from scratch … Social media news feeds convince us every day that travel is the best way out of any situation. Chelsea Fagan, author of The Financial Diet, has a pretty tough but honest article explaining why you shouldn't believe beautiful pictures and inspiring quotes.

I have an Internet acquaintance whose life I have been following on social networks for a little over two years. A sweet, intelligent and versatile girl, she writes a blog and makes odd jobs. Recently I decided to enter the magistracy. In Europe. In a specialty that, for many reasons, will not help in getting a good job. It seems to me that she herself perfectly understands everything, because she speaks of this as an opportunity to learn new things and expand her horizons, and not as a preparation for a future career. Everything is fine, because she has the opportunity to lead such a free lifestyle. She sees no problem in being one of those who are always on the road, studying just for the sake of gaining new knowledge and loves long conversations over a good dinner.

My friend has a well-to-do family, so she can count, if not on full maintenance, then at least on support sufficient for a serene life. In the genetic lottery, this girl pulled out a lucky ticket, and there is no point in blaming her for possessing the freedom given by birthright.

But what is worth blaming is in relation to their capabilities. And not only her - among young people who do not need to worry about creating financial well-being, one idea is very popular. Yes, we are talking about the need for travel. Moving around the world is now considered almost a moral duty that obliges you to forget about platitudes like money. A friend of mine posts beautiful photos with superficial inspirational quotes: "Drop everything and hit the road, quit your hated job and enjoy the beauty of the world while you are young and free." This is porn for ambition, teasing the viewer with pictures of a life they will never have and making them feel like a failure.

For the wealthy, travel has become a way of praising themselves for what, strictly speaking, anyone with the money can do.

A trip for the sake of a trip is not an achievement, the fact of its accomplishment does not at all guarantee that you will become more educated or more sensitive people.

Anyone who has the privilege (yes, the privilege) to actively travel around the world in his youth is no better than the rest. He is no wiser and no more worthy of a peer who is forced to stay at home and plow with might and main for the hope of someday getting a job that the traveler would take for granted. This is a competition of wealth and opportunity, where advice not to sweat about money just sprinkles salt on the wounds of the obviously loser.

I could afford to visit different countries, and even if I earned money on my own, this is still a direct result of a number of privileges. My family belongs to the middle class, so there was no need to worry about providing financial support to loved ones. On the contrary, in case of difficulties, they would come to the rescue. Millions of people do not have this either; travel is simply not available to them - there is too little money and a lot of responsibility. Therefore, I am infinitely grateful even for my modest trips.

I understand (partly thanks to the experience of traveling around the world) that the presence or absence of the opportunity to travel does not say anything about a person. Some just have more commitments and less income.

Someone is forced to endure an unloved job, because they need to take care of the family, someone pays for their education, someone goes step by step to financial freedom. This does not mean that they are less eager to learn new things than avid travelers.

They cannot go on wanderings at the call of the soul, but they develop and learn in the conditions that life offers them. Learn to work hard, put off pleasure and make yourself a little better. Yes, this is not a hitchhiking trip through Eastern Europe, but who can say that such a life hardens character worse?

“Don’t worry about money,” “Give it up and follow your dream,” these encouraging sentences reveal a deep misunderstanding of the meaning of the word “worry”. The indulgent traveler means that you don't need to set aside too much space in your life. It seems to him that you pettyly preferred an extra dollar to an incredibly important experience. But in reality, worrying about money is realizing: there is nothing left but to make it your priority. If you don't work or want to spend thousands on a trip to Southeast Asia to find your true self, you will find yourself on the street. If someone thinks that most people really have a choice in this matter, they are offensively naive.

Each of us is forced to independently pave the way to the notorious financial independence. Perhaps you are lucky: you travel, do what you want, and try everything new, because you know: if something happens, your loved ones will help and support. There is no reason to be ashamed or feel guilty, except because of the unproductiveness and futility of such a lifestyle.

But the one who considers his path to be the only correct one for achieving enlightenment and inspires others to behave in the same way is a real scoundrel.

Most of the inspirational quotes are suitable only for the lucky few who have satisfied all of their basic needs. And if you are in need of money, God forbid you follow these tips. It's very interesting to drag around South America and have fun for the sake of getting another education, but what will remain in the end? A souvenir keychain and an even bigger mess in life.