Simply Alison: Travel! NOW!

So in honor of Mardi Gras, I've decided to write about traveling. I LOVE to travel. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Seeing new places and experiencing new things just makes me SUPER happy. If you know me at all, you know I've been many places. And as of June 2011, I added Europe to my list of adventures (best 3 weeks ever!). I know I'm not the most traveled person and I'm not the best traveler. I have a very hard time sleeping in other places (ask Tracie and Kristin about Europe) so I've started using sleep aids when I go places. But today I want to make a case about why you should stop making excuses and just go.

Probably the biggest reason people don't travel is money. And I totally get this. I made a little over $16,000 last year and I've got an astronomical amount of student loans to pay off. When I went to Europe, I had $200 to my name and no job. None! And when I got back I was unemployed for another 2 months before finding a seasonal job at a Halloween store (which ended in November). And I still had loans to pay. It wasn't a great time for me, I admit but I had people looking out for me. Looking back, financially I shouldn't have been going anywhere but I did. If I can travel broke, you can too. You don't come back with much in terms of souvenirs but as long as you have a camera and a notebook, memories are better than souvenirs anyway. Key is to also eat small, healthy and drink a lot of water. I drank more water in those three weeks than probably all my years prior. Italy has delicious water, btw. But seriously, you can travel cheap, it just takes research and patience. Camping... great way to save money. Nichole and I did it for Yellowstone and we didn't have to bring a tent. We stayed in a tipi, a little more expensive but you don't have to worry about set up or tear down. Don't like planes... Amtrak has become much more reliable in recent years and they go pretty much everywhere and we have buses, which go places Amtrak doesn't.

Does traveling require money? Yes. But it doesn't have to require a lot of money. And many cities have tourism bureaus, who are there to help you AND GUESS WHAT? They can tell you about FREE STUFF to do! Nichole and I rely on this heavily. We LOVE free stuff. And one of my favorite travel sites is Roadside America. Now granted it is generally for road trips BUT if you type in your destination, it will give you a list of fun (although some times cheesy) stuff to see. Plus, a lot of the stuff is free. And despite what you think, seeing the really cheesy stuff sometimes make the best memories.

This wonderful photo of my friend, Beth, was taken at Foamhenge. A totally free, totally cheesy tourism sight in Virginia. I found it on Roadside America and said we had to go. It was super fun! Another really good idea is to check out the local colleges, especially if you're heading to the east coast or south. The colleges are some times older than most of the city and have cool buildings you can walk around in for free!

So the money excuse isn't generally valid. I make less than a lot of you, pretty much owe enough money for halfway decent house and I still travel. All I'm saying here is you can owe money and still travel smart and cheap. I did some traveling as a kid but didn't really catch the "bug" until my aunt took Kristin and I to Washington D.C. in Spring 2001. Yes, I was in D.C. 6 months before 9/11 and since going back, I could definitely tell you the huge differences.

Another argument you might have is... "Well, I don't have anyone to go with." Uh... hello? Did you not hear the part where I LOVE to travel? Invite me, I'll come... your excuse is invalid.

Now here's one I've been trying to tackle for 4 years. My wonderful boyfriend is a bonafide homebody. He's not a big traveler and would rather spend time at home in a place he's comfortable. The comfort zone argument is by far the most challenging one because I can't force you to step out. I can't hold a gun to your head and say "TRAVEL OR ELSE!" For the last four years, I've been trying to get him to come with me on my adventures. Every time it's been no for some ridiculous reason. After year 2, I realized it's because he's a homebody. I think I've FINALLY gotten him to commit to a trip next year and I'm crossing my fingers he stays the course.

The year I went to Virginia, I forced Zack to go somewhere for spring break. If we get married, I didn't want to be the one with all the traveling stories. He needs some too. I told him alternative spring break was a great option because he could go somewhere for a week for $120, with everything paid for and do something useful. He went to Florida and helped with a Nature Conservancy project. He was really nervous at first but he came back and showed me ALL kinds of photos. He had stories to tell and had the BEST time! I think what really got him to commit was his best friend Patrick was leading the trip. I think I asked Patrick to help me convince him.

See? Even homebody's can have the time of their lives!

I think it's easier to travel with someone who's been around the block a couple of times because they've handled the really uncomfortable situations. If things so seriously wrong, they are more likely to have a level head when you're on the other side of the country. Patrick had been on alternative spring break before and knew what to expect, therefore able to help prepare my nervous boyfriend for the trip. So if you're really worried about traveling, take an experienced traveler with you (like me!). It will help. For our Europe trip, Kristin and I had NEVER been out of the country before. Tracie, who has been out of the country (Canada, Mexico and Jamaica still count), was the anchor of our trip. Kristin and I were fish out of water but Tracie really kept me calm (Kristin's a different story but we brought her home alive). It's scary traveling and everyone's nervous. I still get sweaty palms during take off and I HAVE to be looking out a window. I can't stress this enough, if you've never been overseas talk to people who have. They can give you good pointers and be a reference. My aunt Sandy is my go to person for traveling, she travels A LOT.

So travel... any excuse you can possibly come up with is probably invalid. I can and will find an argument to prove you wrong. Medical issues can be tricky but if you plan it right, you can still do it. My grandfather went to Texas to visit my aunt Sandy while he needed dialysis 3 days a week. I wear a fake leg and spent 3 weeks in Europe. My amazing grandmother travels quite frequently with my aunt. I get to be her travel buddy next month when we go to San Antonio to visit Aunt Sandy (super excited!).

I can't stress enough how much the memories will be worth it. The pictures and stories you'll be able to tell your family and kids are priceless. And international travel is great and pretty life changing, but don't forget what's in your own backyard. The U.S. has amazing cities and national parks. How can enjoy looking at the beauty of the mountains abroad, if you never seen the Rockies? I've seen the Alps and I know how amazing they are, simply because I saw the Rockies first. I feel you're able to enjoy the sites abroad better if you've seen the sites in your own country. So go travel, go places I've never been and may never see. Build your travel wishlist and go tackle it. We live in a country where we work too hard, don't get paid enough and take simple things for granted. Traveling allows us to step back, appreciate the small things and build memories that last longer than a ridiculous staff meeting you had last week.

You will never regret traveling. I spent 4 hours on a plane with the stomach flu and altitude sickness... And I don't regret that trip to Yellowstone at all. You get one shot on this earth so you might as well soak up as much of it as you can while you're here. Because you're not going to see any of this by looking out your window.

Yellowstone