6 Things All Long-Term Travelers Hate Being Told

We are usually very easy-going bunch and accept a lot of comments of people who either do not travel as much or do not like it to begin with. But there are a few common comments that are frequently thrown at us that almost always get to our nerves.

1. I can’t afford to travel. It is too expensive.

For most who complain about wanting to but not being able to travel, it is simply not a priority. It is so easy nowadays with travel apps to travel on a budget. We’ve all had to sacrifice something in order to be able to live abroad.

Like What Doesn’t Suck? said: You spend $10 a day eating out. That’s $300 a month. Add drinks and it’s $500 a month. In 4 months you can buy a ticket anywhere in the world. You can travel, you’re just too lazy to cook.

2. You should think about settling down

First of all, travelers don’t like being told what to do. Secondly, as long as we are on this planet, we consider ourselves settled down. We see the whole planet and not just a country as our home. We might get married, get a job, and get children, but we aren’t ones to settle down, because wanderlust is embedded within us.

3. So what do you really do?

Travel writing is a real job. Teaching English in Thailand is a real job. Being a cabin crew is a real job. Asking us what we ‘really’ do is a form of macroaggression, and is honestly very rude. Granted these jobs do not pay as much as being a manager, engineer or doctor would, but it allows us to experience something no money can ever buy- happiness, and it is a tangible job.

4. You will probably forget me when you are gone

This one really gets us. Just because we are not in your neighborhood anymore and half a world away, doesn’t mean we do not think about you. We regret not making it to weddings, graduations and funerals, but we do very deeply care and aren’t ones to forget. Traveling in no way leads to lack of empathy; if anything, it makes us more compassionate beings and full of perspective.

5. It must not be safe, don’t go to that country

Fear never stopped us before and it won’t stop us now. In fact, to overcome our fear is the motivating factor for a lot of our solo travels and adventures. We feel alive when we go to unknown places and meet unknown strangers. We find ourselves safer having overcome chaos. That is why travelers have not only experienced, but also are prepared for the worst.

6. You are getting too old for this

A traveler never really ‘gets too old’. I learnt that when I met a 40-year-old woman who trekked the strenuous Annapurna mountains for four days in Nepal with me and a 50-year-old man who is determined to climb the seven summits including Mt.Everest, and had mountains tattooed on his ring finger. We more often than not are dreamers, and one can dream regardless of their age.