Travel Goal: Reaching 30 Countries by 30
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Originally posted on makingyourfootprint.com blog in 2017
I was 28…traveling to Providence, Rhode Island from my home in Chicago, to a client site for work. Each week I would fly out on Monday mornings and back home on Thursday evenings. Sometimes I would fly through Boston because flights were cheaper and one day, a few hours before my flight back to Chicago, I went on a date with this guy whom I met through Coffee Meets Bagel and he told me about his most recent travel goal – visiting 30 countries by 30. I was enamored by the idea, I decided to take it as my own. Despite it being our only date, I gained a new travel goal that I wanted to meet. Having less than 2 years before turning 30 and 15 countries under my belt, I was determined to reach the remaining 15 countries.
How I did it…
I already loved traveling and like I said, was already 15 countries deep. Post break-up with my latest boyfriend of 3+ years during which I spent majority of my time split between Chicago and Los Angeles, I made a vow to myself to visit a new place every month for the next year which included trips within the US and abroad. So with the addition of this new goal of visiting 30 countries by 30, I was able to meet both objectives successfully by doing a combination of weekend trips, maximizing long layovers, and traditional vacations….
Weekend Trips
At the time, I had a job that allowed me to travel every week to work within the US – which was great as it provided me airline/hotel status and points, but the best part was the added bonus of going somewhere else other than home to Chicago from the client site. Meaning…if I found a flight that cost around the amount it would to fly home, I could visit other countries on the weekend and would not have to pay for the flight! Using this method (which I understand may not be feasible for everyone), I was able to check off three countries – Iceland, Costa Rica, and Greece. Despite having limited time, I felt that I had experienced the highlights and gained insight as to what I wanted to do the next time I returned to the country. And I definitely need to go back to all three!
Maximizing Long Layovers
Another way I was able to meet my goal was by maximizing my layovers. In booking flights, I specifically looked for connections with long layovers so that I could leave the airport and explore for the day. Depending on the length of the layover, I was able to see the town, have a meal, or even spend the night. I’ll be writing about how I maximized layovers in some of these cities, so stay tuned!
Vacations
And lastly, I reached majority of my countries by the good old fashioned (also one of my fav drinks, lol) vacation method. A mix of family, friends, significant others, solo, luxury, and budget travel – I’ve done it all!
Traveling with family/friends/SO’s…
Being with family, friends, or significant others is the traditional way to travel. I’ve done it with majority of my trips and its great! Depending on how you click with your fellow travelers, it is easy for the most part…there are a couple downsides such as differences in interests or no one can make up their minds on what to do. You may be stuck doing something that you have no interest in doing or on the flip side, discover something new that you enjoy. Regardless of where you go and what you do, you are making memories with people you care about which is the important thing!
Solo travel…
Solo travel is a whole other beast which can be nerve wrecking in the beginning for most travelers. And I don’t mean going to the airport and flying on a plane by yourself to meet up your friends or family, lol. After my first solo trip, which was in Sedona, Arizona – I fell in love with it. You have the freedom to do what you want, when you want. The only person you need to worry about pleasing is YOU. It is absolutely liberating! Once you take that first step outside of your comfort zone, you have the opportunity to learn so much about yourself and those you meet along the way that it can be the most rewarding type of travel. I highly recommend traveling on your own at least once in your life! Separate post on solo travel coming soon.
Luxury travel…
My past role as a management consultant provided me with lots and lots of airline miles, hotel points, and premier statuses that made me feel like a queen! I’ve learned how to maximize my points through the years and have cashed them in to get amazing hotel rooms that I normally would not be able to afford (sometimes even free upgrades to suites!!), access to airline or hotel lounges where there is typically free food and booze, free car rental days which definitely came in handy, and free domestic or international flights with the occasional first class upgrades. Not a bad way to travel, I must say!
Budget travel…
My most recently learned skill! After a life changing trip to Vietnam and Cambodia in December 2016 (more about this later), I was faced with a choice to continue on with my career or live my travel dreams and take a gap year. I obviously went with the latter and was unemployed with big plans to travel the world. My trip kicked off in January and I came back early May having visited Southeast Asia, Australia, and East Africa accomplishing my goal of meeting 30 countries before I turned 30. Woohoo!
During my trip, I had to make some changes in the way I traveled due to my lack of income. The biggest expenses in travel are the flights and accommodations. I used points/miles where it made sense on the flights which greatly reduced overall expenses, but the biggest change I made is my accommodation of choice which transitioned from nice hotels to… affordable hostels – and it was a great experience! People always ask me…
“Have you not seen that movie, Hostel?!?”
Haha..fortunately in this case, real life is not like the movies!! Hostels feel like you are back in college…living in a dorm room, usually in a bunk bed and using a shared bathroom. Definitely a different way to travel, but I got used to it quickly. I spent majority of my time in Southeast Asia which is already super inexpensive, I did not limit my spending too much outside of accommodations since meals were usually only a couple dollars and tours/activities were stupid cheap when compared to US prices, however, I will definitely need to budget for my upcoming backpacking trip to Europe!
What I learned…
This travel goal of reaching 30 countries by 30 was initially a race against time to reach as many countries as I could before turning 30. However, as I added the last couple of countries to my tally during this gap year, I had the opportunity to try out “slow travel” and learned to appreciate this entirely different way to see the world. There wasn’t a set agenda, just the flexibility to stay or leave a place as I saw fit. I learned to not cram so much into a trip and enjoyed what that specific city or country had to offer. I learned that detailed itineraries and timelines are not always necessary when traveling so if you have the gift of time for your next trip, I suggest to just research the types of activities you want to do for your destination and then just wing it!
Regardless of who I traveled with or how much time I had, I tried to see and learn about the country as much as I could. Immersing yourself in the culture, the people, the food – all of it helps mold how the overall experience will be. I learned a great deal about myself – getting out of my comfort zone, meeting new people, understanding my limits and my strengths – all of which has me believe that everyone needs to travel. There is so much out there outside of our little bubble we live in each day. You can develop newfound interests, meet the love of your life, or even face your biggest fear (which for me is loud noises and shooting a gun for the first time…and of all guns, an AK-47).
I always try to encourage my family and friends to travel and my hope is that this blog will inspire others to do so as well. There is so much more of the world to see and I have this urge to see it all, so thank you for joining me in my journey 🙂