Traveling in my Early 20's

Amongst a list of questions that I receive when traveling, on the top of that list is: How do you afford to travel at such a young age? This question is most asked by friends and peers back home. The truth is, it is not easy.

My love for traveling started a couple of years ago when I went to Louisiana as part of a service trip put on by the university. Before that trip, I had never really left the Pacific Northwest. I was 19 years old and felt as if I could conquer the world without knowing it first. Then after that trip, I searched for other opportunities to travel and help others. The cost of traveling was an obvious burden until I found a program called Camp Adventure. It was the perfect opportunity as a young and curious university student studying international relations. It helped me with traveling while working with children. Because of this program, I've had the opportunity to go to China and the following year to Germany. The program paid for both of my tickets and even a small stipend for food. By saving money on not purchasing those tickets, I was able to travel after the program for an extended month. 

Russia was a trip associated with the University of Oregon as part of an exchange program with Russians and American student. Although I never wrote about this trip- it happened so fast after Colombia, I could barely process all of it- I had an amazing time. We learned about different NGO programs to tackle the issue of alcohol and drugs in Russia. It was a fast week of beautiful mountains, delicious Russian food, late night songs by the campfire, and educational exchanges of language, knowledge, and power. Since we were sponsored by the International Studies department and the University of Oregon as well as a university in Russia, the entire trip was covered. 

Before Russia and a few days before graduating was Colombia. You can read all about this trip in the previous posts on my blog. Colombia was a bit random and intentional. I had finished my undergraduate degree a term early and after the election, I felt a deep desire to leave the country. I was looking for a place that was in South America (so that I could continue practicing my Spanish and because I had never been). Within a few days of searching through WorkAway, an institution in Colombia quickly responded to my request and soon I was on my way to teach there. The institute provided a place to stay and money for food so all I had to do was purchase my flight there.

Chile has been the only trip that I took that was purely for vacation and enjoyment. All of my other trips were for work, internships, and volunteering. But when people see my photos, most think that all of my trips have been for vacation.

In part, traveling is something that many communities argue is a classist activity. There is of course truth to this statement, but it is not everything. The answer to how I travel so much is simply by saving. Back in the states, I do not dine out (only for special occasions) or drink that much (same as with eating out) nor do I purchase lots of materials or clothes. I am quite frugal with my money and save more than I consume. Every day, I see people spending money on hair cuts, manicures/pedicures, makeup, eating out daily, etc. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, but when you think about the amount of money that could be saved then travel can become more of a reality. The other truth is that even when I do travel, I do not travel luxuriously. As a college student, I am constantly thinking about how to save money. I stay in hostels, cook food instead of eating out, and take long overnight bus rides as opposed to the more expensive and faster options, etc.


I hope to embark on many more traveling adventures as I manifest these dreams into a reality.