Originally Posted by
TimesTwo
I love this. By all means, follow this advice. I was fortunate to do some pretty cool things when I was younger, but looking back, I certainly would have done more. Backpacking anywhere. Staying in hostels. Drinking too much abroad. It's funny how many responses are of us telling the kid what we wished we could've told ourselves back then. I will be 35 next week (sigh) and traveling with toddler twins is awesome, but it isn't the same as being able to sleep on a train, or at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere. Good times.
It's so cliche that I cringe to say it, but you really do regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did do.
One more thing - get a job and start saving. You might catch a great mistake fare or just a crazy cheap fare that pops up every now and then. You'll need the cash to book it, along w/ a hostel or couch surfing or whatever you'll do. Good luck!
Good advice above. Get a job and get the money to go.That's what I did cuz there was no FF miles when I was 19. Not saying that FF miles won't help though ;-)
I recommend going to the third world and difficult areas to travel to while you are young.
You can see Paris and London in a wheelchair in your 80's. You'll probably visit
those places on a stopover anyway.
My tips:
Go to areas that are up for major changes geopolitically.
Tops on my list would be Burma, Tibet, Western China,Viet Nam,N. Korea and lots of Africa including Egypt. Climb Kili. When you read about them later in the news, they will be a part of you.
Be prepared to have people who just don't get it, question you and say you are wasting your life or you should buy a car instead. Ignore them. They are idiots.
The experiences I have had traveling on a budget while I was younger, I would not trade for anything.
Go to
www.lonelyplanet.com and get a feeling for the good times ahead.
Good travels to you.