Technically I've been traveling since before I was one. My parents threw me in a box and we went to go visit my grandparents in Oklahoma. Therefore the first place I ever visited was Oklahoma. Gross. My first real memory of traveling though was when I was four and my family road tripped from Alaska to Florida for the 1994 World Cup. Since then the bug inside me has nested, created its furry little home in my heart, and demanded that I continuously travel to feed its bottomless pit of a stomach.
The travel bug often times feels like a good thing. I've been to over a dozen countries and I have met men that I've fallen in love with and women that I would consider my best friends. But the travel bug has no concern over your financial situation, and whether it's a weekend trip to Seattle or an oceanside bungalow in Thailand, your travel bug is itching to get there no matter the cost.
So how do I afford to travel? Well, it's taken a few failed attempts, but I think I've finally figured it out. The first time I took a long trip – three months – I knew I would be scrimping and then somewhere along the way, I threw all rationale out the window and ended up with zero money, a maxed-out credit card and an over-drafted bank account, unable to pay my expired visa fee in the Bangkok airport. Thanks to a few very kind and generous Americans who all gave me enough to pay the overstay fee, I made it back to the states. But, it taught me a valuable lesson, and now even though I still consider myself a master scrimper, I always have a plan B.
I've also grown quite fond of credit cards that give you miles for using it and bonuses for using it in certain places. I have an Alaska Airlines Signature card, which gave me 30,000 bonus miles just for signing up and earns me one mile for each dollar I spend anywhere. Alaska Airlines sounds small, but it's actually huge and part of an alliance of airlines all over the world, which mean benefits all over the world. But credit cards can be tricky and it's important to remember not to spend more than you make. But now I have almost 60,000 miles which equates to about three round-trip domestic flights.
Most importantly, find a way to make it happen if it is truly what you want. I set aside my addiction to clothes and shopping and have let go of having the highest quality in personal beauty products to sacrifice for my travel bug. My travel bug lives within me and is the most important part of me: it nurtures my soul, flowers my mind and colors my world every day.
