Jealous of Your Friends' Travels? 7 Tips To Overcome Travel Envy
Travel envy can sting. You’re enjoying your morning coffee and scrolling through your social media only to see an acquaintance exploring the Italian countryside while you’re getting ready for another stressful day at work.
Travel envy, like any beast, can be defeated. All you need to do is start putting some verbs in your sentences.
1. Run a Tight Budget
If money is prohibiting you from doing the things you want to do, it’s time to make your money work for you. Get a budgeting app and run a tighter budget. Figure out where you can cut corners, and put the money you’ve saved into a special travel savings account (or in a grown-up piggy bank). Even if it takes you a year to save up for one trip, that means you can take a vacation abroad on an annual basis.
2. Pick a Job With Travel Opportunities
A lot of employers offer perks to their employees. If your employer doesn’t offer opportunities for you to take extended business trips, the idea is worth pitching. Many companies do business overseas, and they want their best and brightest to represent them in those markets. Worst case scenario, you can always use your paid vacation time to travel without losing income.
3. Become a Travelling Freelancer
Travelling freelancers, sometimes called nomadic freelancers, work from wherever they are. They take their laptops with them and turn all of their destinations into informal offices. If the work you do and the skills you’ve developed can easily translate into the freelance market, your work schedule will never disrupt you from exploring the world.
4. Thoroughly Document Your Own Trips
If you’ve done some travelling of your own (even if it isn’t as much as your friends), organize and document your trips. Post photos, write little anecdotes, and create a blog for your travels. Even if you don’t get out as much as you’d like to, you’ll be able to easily revisit your fondest travel memories when you’re feeling a little blue.
5. Live Vicariously Through Others
Instead of feeling jealous of your adventurous friends, why not feel happy for them? Video chat with them while they’re visiting famous landmarks so you can become a part of their trip. Read their experiences online and ask them for their stories. Give them a little money and ask them to pick you up some handmade souvenirs.
6. Plan a Trip Together
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Group travel is a lot less expensive than individual travels. If your traveling friends know each other and would like to visit some of the same places, see if you can’t arrange a trip together. Bundling into a group trip makes everything a little more affordable for everyone involved - many group trips also include discounts on things like food, tours, and accommodation.
7. Take Everything With a Grain of Salt
On social media, everyone has a perfect life. No matter what they’re doing, they’re having the time of their lives. When you see pictures of your friends at the Louvre, you probably aren’t thinking about the line of tourists they had to crawl through just to take those pictures. You probably don’t realize how expensive and long that flight was, or the jet lag they’re dealing with. Everything comes with downsides – don’t assume that their trip was perfect from the start.
When all is said and done, the best way to get over your jealousy of your friends’ travels is to have some of your own. If you’re determined enough, nothing will hold you back. Throw a dart at the map and spend a few days wherever fate leads you.
About the author
Michelle Arios is a an avid traveler with an unquenchable love for writing and sharing her experiences and tips with others. She is also a blogger, writing on behalf of Aubiz. Feel free to follow her on @MichelleArios.
