Get Motivated to Travel in 5 Steps
Steps to Build Motivation
A huge part of traveling is building motivation. Motivation is the spark to all human efforts and travel. While this is a wonderful aspect of adventure, it’s not effortless. Here are five steps to get motivated to travel:.
- Select a Specific Place
- Determine what to do there
- List what’s needed
- List relevant interests
- Determine a time frame
Planning and having concrete goals is one of the best ways to build sustainable motivation while changing dreams into goals.
Affiliate Disclosure: Leftfade Trails contains affiliate links, so using services or products through these links supports the website, at no extra cost to the user. All links are to tested services and products designed to aid travelers on their journeys. Some links specifically connect to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate this website earns from qualifying purchases.
Select a Specific Place
To get motivated to travel, first pick a destination which calls to you. This might be the place where your ancestors once lived, the home of a rare creature, a place saturated in history or simply an extremely relaxing or interesting location.
The world is vast and varied, so it’s very easy to get overwhelmed when looking at the entire world. Take a breath, narrow it down and pick a single, potent destination. Ensure this location has special meaning to you personally.
Determine what to do there
Part of being motivated involves having actual goals. Basically anyone can purchase a ticket and show up in a different part of the world. But experiences are individual, special and interesting.
Are you traveling to relax? Do you want to learn a new skill? Would you like to appreciate a new culture? Is there an upcoming music festival?
Flying to Rome and spending hours in a hotel room sorting out things to do is a poor way to spend a vacation. It’s better to have a strong idea of what you want out of a journey.
This clarity allows a person to visualize what they will do and builds a greater sensation of motivation. It also helps travelers align their interests with their destinations.
List What’s Needed
To help get motivated, always write down a list of what’s needed to achieve your goal. This is the most important part of staying motivated to travel, since it creates a checklist with achievable targets.
For example, if I want to explore Taiwan, I might need my travel gear, a place to stay, a translation application, a certain amount of money and a friend to travel with.
Writing down this list turns a dream into a goal. It has the additional benefit of marking progress. Whenever a person finishes a task, they can see their list growing shorter and their goal drawing nearer. This is an enormous help when maintaining motivation.
One of the most vital aspects of this list is a budget. Determine the cost of lodging, flight and food. This financial list provides an accurate monetary goal for all your plans.
You can find my personal favorite travel gear recommendations by clicking here.
List Relevant Interests
Beyond listing the things you’d like to do in a new land, it’s also important to tailor your interests to a place in the world. A person interested in martial arts might enjoy visiting Thailand to meet Muay Thai practitioners, Japan for Sumo culture, Israel for Krav Maga schools or Brazil for Jiu Jitsu matches.
Having relevant interests isn’t necessarily the primary reason for travel (though it can be) but it allows for a person to fully combine their life interests with actual experiences.
Personal interests are already a huge motivating factor of every human’s lifestyle. Building upon that and combining it with your journey is a huge asset when getting motivated.
Determine a Time Frame
Setting a time for a goal is one of the major differences between a dream and a goal. A person who marks a deadline for achievements is much more likely to follow through.
For example, if I want to visit London within the next six months, this deadline allows me to focus my efforts and resources on that time scale. This is a hugely beneficial way to stay motivated, since there are times when the actual desire to do something might flag.
If I wake up one day craving coffee, which will use money that has been earmarked for my London trip, a deadline helps me stay focused. This ensures a finite amount of time paired with my budget, keeping me on track.
Other Methods to Get Motivated
Aside from the list above, there are some other small activities a person can do to get motivated.
It is a good idea to break goals into small, achievable tasks. Instead of deciding to plan an entire trip at once, it is generally better to first research, then plan, then budget and so on. This makes goals seem more achievable across the board.
It is also a great idea to consume lots of relevant media. Read books, watch documentaries, follow other travelers online and browse magazines. This not only shores up motivation, but it also helps a person prepare and have a more accurate idea of the place they’re visiting.
Also apply imagination as much as possible. Sitting back and daydreaming about adventure, success and travel is vital. A person who utilizes their imagination is actually practicing visualization. By picturing yourself and the adventures you’ll have in a new land, you’ll render the idea more tangible and achievable.
Considering the benefits is also important in developing motivation. A person who pictures an adventure as lost time and money will never put a foot out the door. But a person who recognizes that travel nourishes the spirit, develops critical skills, enriches life’s experiences and opens up new opportunities is far more willing to take that first step. List all the reasons that travel can enrich your life and motivation will surge.
Finally, it is also a great idea to share plans with like-minded people who will encourage you and your goals. Telling family and friends who will encourage you is a tremendous help in both clarifying your plans and creating a support system to better achieve them.
Get Motivated To Travel and Go
Once a person is properly motivated, there’s nothing left to do but stick to your goals and run out the clock. Motivation remains the first step to any adventure, and the best way to guarantee those desires into reality is by following the steps above. Though motivation might flag sometimes, the methods here can help a person refocus, reorient and soon, enter the adventure on their own will.
Looking for motivational (or at least concerning) travel stories? Visit the Leftfade Trails Travel Blog
Download useful travel apps to help plan your journey:
Wanderlog is the best app I know for planning a journey. This is a free app which allows users to build, organize, and map itineraries for vacations, journeys & road trips.
Here are some other resources for your travels: