Over the following twenty years, I’d spend every spare minute counting the days to my next holiday — with a big countdown affixed to my bedroom wall — but then as soon as I arrived, I’d dread returning home.

When I started university, I made a big decision.

I started putting together a tentative plan that would allow me to build a life I didn’t want to escape from.

I knew that exploring new countries was something that made me happy, I just didn’t know how to do it for more than two weeks a year. It didn’t seem possible. I had no travel experience: I’d never been away from home on my own, and never had a holiday that lasted for more than several weeks. And anyway, travel was expensive. Who could afford to vacation every single day of their life?

STUDYING, WORKING, STUDYING, WORKING

I didn’t have a huge amount of money or savings when I decided I wanted to see the world — there are no rich relatives funding my adventures. Instead, for the five years that I was at uni, I made travel my priority. Whenever I wanted to buy something new, I’d equate every $30 to an extra day I could spend exploring Southeast Asia, and then suddenly, I didn’t want that new jacket or lipstick so much anymore.

My first step towards travel was to increase my savings so that I could dedicate at least a year to travelling the world. I crossed this off the list by working various retail jobs, earning just over $5 an hour while studying full-time. Every day I worked would allow me to spend another two or three days in Thailand. I sold anything I owned that I didn’t have a sentimental attachment to. I didn’t eat out at restaurants and I didn’t buy anything I didn’t need.

By staying focused on this goal, I was able to save £15,000 ($24,000) over those five years, and I estimated this would be enough to keep me on the road for a year or two.

 

Kusmierz Krazysztof

Krazs@nhatravel.com