Vacationing doesn’t have to be an occasional gift to yourself. Vacationing doesn’t have to break the bank. Traveling and vacationing are very different things that seem to get mixed up with one another. In my opinion, traveling is vacationing done correctly; with a strict budget, more often, and all over.

Recently I decided to drive down to Florida for a few days when I had nothing else to do. I packed up my car and went, alone. The spontaneous adventure inspired many people, but some were concerned with it, stating that it was irresponsible and foolish. When asked to elaborate, those same critics claimed that a trip to Florida couldn’t just be done on a whim and that the money required for a last-minute trip would break the bank. They all wished they could go on vacations willy-nilly but life prevented them from doing so. That got me thinking about the whole concept of vacations and adventures in general.

Yes, both vacations and traveling are typically a break from daily life in a more desirable location, but traveling can be done very affordably and more often than one might think. Vacation has a more grandiose connotation. People expect a vacation to include excursions, eating out, shopping, and other money-draining activities that create the negative stigma that vacationing is only something you can do occasionally.

The difference with traveling is that you don’t need to spend all that excess money. My trip to Florida which was five days including two full days of driving cost me around $226 dollars. For less than $50 a day I spent a few days hanging out on the beach reading, writing, and relaxing. I camped and brought all my own food so the only thing I bought in the entire state of Florida was gasoline and the campsite. All the activities, kayaking, fishing, hiking, and swimming were free of charge.

Traveling doesn’t require as much planning as one might think. I checked to make sure there was a campsite available for the dates I would be in Florida, and then I left. I figured out the rest of the details along the way. Not everything has to be planned. I find it far more relaxing to wake up and decide what I am going to do that day rather than going to bed knowing tomorrow I will be kayaking from 0800 hours to 1300 hours, and then from 1300 to 1330, I will eat. The whole point of traveling or vacationing is to escape routine and find yourself some peace.

This mentality can easily be applied to larger “vacations” too. In June I am planning a trip to Europe where I will attempt to backpack on a budget of only $90-$100 per day. All too often, people are dissuaded by high travel prices and the planning required to make sure everything goes smoothly, but it’s all so unnecessary. I was able to book a flight to Europe for less than $600 dollars using a one-way ticket there and a one-way ticket back. I used a different departing airport, and I made sure my dates were flexible so I could reap the benefits of off-peak flight deals.

Life is an adventure and should be treated as such. It is important that people keep a sense of wanderlust. I believe that we all have a sense of adventure when we are young, but as we grow older that sense of adventure dissipates. Other responsibilities begin to take over, and priorities shift.

The problem is people are worried about life, which I understand. Life can be a tough thing to navigate when you have a lot of responsibilities, and traveling can be the last thing on your mind. I am a college student with little to no responsibilities right now so that is why I am just going places, because I can, and I want to. I understand if you have kids or a strict job, or obviously, bills that take priority over small adventures, but what I don’t understand is the people that aren’t happy with their lives, and still don’t want to make the change. If you love your life, and your life is filled with kids, bills, and work, then awesome you have succeeded, but only because you love it. If you aren’t happy, then why would you stay?

Happiness is as much of a choice as what you are having for dinner. Adventure is out there and it is easy to achieve. Traveling is the affordable alternative to vacationing and can bring just as much, if not more, peace and joy to our stressful lives.