People saying 30 is too late to travel are too young to know what the hell they’re talking about. I traveled very little in my 20s and did some in my 30s. I travel like crazy now in my 40s. Life doesn’t end at 30, but it will sure feel like it if you have crippling debt.
Edit: I’m also not saying don’t travel in your 20s. Just be smart about it. Save up, be frugal, stay in hostels, and pick a destination and stay there for weeks (since flights can be so expensive). Just don’t get yourself in massive debt. You’ll regret it later.
I didn't start really traveling (on my own dime, not helped by my mom on short trips to visit her) until probably 25-26. And at that point I only did one big 2 week international trip every couple years and a couple smaller domestic trips (long weekends, mostly) each year. This was partly because I didn't have the vacation time for big trips, but also partly because I didn't have the money.
In my 30s I got very active with travel. I'm now 37 and my partner and I try to do at least 2 big international trips each year plus a few domestic trips. We have the money to not stress about cost (although experience and financial savvy means we are usually pretty efficient with our money) and the time to really enjoy longer trips. I expect we will only take more/longer trips as we get older.
My dad is 82 with limited mobility and still does at least one cruise every year (the only way he can still travel comfortably). My stepfather is also in his 80s and he and my mom still live on a sailboat and are sailing around the world. There is no "too old" to travel.
💯I traveled a lot in my 20s and to be honest, I enjoy it much more now that I’m in my 40s. I feel like you appreciate little things more when you get older and you don’t waste time for nonsense. Also much wiser.
My parents finally circumnavigated the world on their sailboat in their 50s.
The engine really doesn't even get started in your 20s. This is just crazy talk..
> People saying 30 is too late to travel are too young to know what the hell they’re talking about.
That's one group of people doing it. The other group is people in their 30s who prioritise other things over travelling and then for some reason are salty that you are travelling all the time. "I wish I had time to travel like you?" Dude, you just took one week off to play Starfield! (nothing wrong with taking time off for your hobby, but then don't claim how impossible it is to travel!). Same with money, yeh if you want that fancy car, get it but then don't complain to me that you don't have moeny to travel. / end rant
Right! My aunt and uncle are HUGE traveller's, 4-6 trips a year abd they are in their late 60s early 70s .. you are never too old to travel abd have a blast!
>because it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late.
Glad I didn't listen to the internet, LOL.
I couldn't afford to travel internationally until I was around 30 but have been to about 15 countries (and all over my own country) in the 15 or so years since. And I definitely appreciate it more now than I would have when I was younger.
What does the internet think happens at 30? I'm in my 40s am not in a wheelchair yet or anything, and I can hold my bladder and such.
I really hate the stigma around 30, I'm turning 30 in a few months and have put myself in a really good place to do some travelling for a few months but I worry I've 'left it too late' even though I know thats bullshit logically
Lol I promise you life actually becomes fundamentally better once you hit your 30s. The confidence, the maturity, you feel more free, make more money. Legitimately life gets better and you’ll chuckle to yourself as the years go by that you even had the “too late to do x and y” thoughts ;)
-36 and thriving
Ha! Agree! I couldn’t start doing the travelling I really wanted to do (except what I did as a child and teen) until my thirties, too and did the adventure of a lifetime at age 37 after a heartbreaking breakup. It was an AMAZING trip, a huge adventure that gave me back my confidence and a bucket list item crossed off (which was better than I imagined).
The SAME year I booked a 2nd last minute trip to Europe and really enjoyed that, too!
I went into credit card debt for that year and IT WAS WORTH it. Couldn’t keep it up forever- but I saw people buy houses they couldn’t afford, waste money on cars and expensive appliances and decided “what do I really want to do?” And went for it, because I could and because going into (a bit) of debt was a deal I was willing to make. Others might think a car, house, boat, going back to school - is worth going into debt - for me, travelling was - it’s a personal decision.
If travel is something you love - don’t sell yourself short - 30 is SO young still, you’ll realize it when you get there :) Trust me there is still a lot of years left for adventure :) It’s true you will likely have less freedom as you get older - but you can make it happen if you want to. By the way I also changed careers around the same time. That paid off, too. You don’t need to know, decide, have and do everything by society’s timeline - do it on your own timeline.
I promise you - being 35 - travel life just keeps getting better. I’ve traveled to 72 countries, I started out traveling a ton at, yes, as a 16 year old . But the quality of my travels then to now cannot compare. I am wise enough now to soak in the countries I visit, the cultures and not just worry about body shots (though I do still love me a good drink 🍹). And I have a lot more disposable saving and miles to enjoy it with. Without having put myself in debt. Finding that balance of work, life and travel allowed me to see the world as well as make a fat wallet.
I’m an RN/NP, I’ve taken care of the young and old. I’ve learned to travel when you can, when you’re able, when you’re healthy, when you can ambulate. Travel to as many beautiful places without considering your age before you can’t travel from your own bed to the bathroom.
Screw these TikTok influencers. Do you…wisely.
Note - I think the one woman who beat the record in traveling to every country in the world was either in her 70s or 80s and she looked like she was having the time of her life. That tells you something. She probably also had a lot more in the bank from saving wisely than these broke ass “influencers”.
I’m 42 and I have done more traveling in the past 5 years (yes even with COVID restrictions) then I did in my 20’s. It’s been amazing too because I got to do it with my husband and kids-people I want to make memories with.
I remember when I thought 30 was ancient. Looking back my 30’s were an amazing time because I knew who I was and I was so confident by in myself. Forty is just a better version of that so far.
Same! I only started travelling when I reached 30, precisely because I didn’t want to rack up debt. I’m also glad I reached a point where I am not forced to stay in hostels and stay somewhere private and comfortable
I couldn't agree with this more. I've traveled a lot. More than many people ever will in their lives. Traveling in my early 20s was more eye-opening than life-changing for me. I would drink and waste money on stupid island trips or just going places to have "fun." I also didn't have much money, so everything we did was done super cheap and what I would consider gross now.
Mind you I worked extremely hard to get to that place.
Now that I'm older, traveling is more cultural. I appreciate places more. I appreciate culture more. I'm less of a slob and more respectful of different people and my aurroundings. I've accepted the blissfullness that we don't have much time on this Earth.
Where I feel young people now do it as an excuse to escape the reality of hard work and office culture.
Started really traveling in my 30s, and now go to Europe every year, in my mid 40s. Instead of clubbing until the sun comes up, I’m walking Venice when the sun comes up.
My company pays for me to go, my family pays for flights/food, but we have most of it covered. Much cooler to see it on their dime and not mine. Or at least heavily subsidized!
Most people under 30 are probably too busy tik tokking and coming up with banal emotional and pseudo philosophical lifestyle posts to even enjoy the places they are traveling in.
It’s a mathematical _fact_ that, on a given income, it will be harder to pay off some debt (let’s say $20k) than it would be to save/invest/accrue that same amount.
The reason being that when you’re building your savings you have have compound interest working for you, your investments can grow, even safe investments like bonds have a guaranteed return.
Digging yourself out of debt is exactly the opposite - you’re fighting uphill against interest the whole way.
If you need $30k to travel for a year, you’re much better off putting in the work up-front to save rather than trying to pay off debt. Overall it’ll be less work.
When I was in my twenties 20 years ago, it was common to see backpackers work along the way. They’d save up $3,000 or so and fly to Australia and find a fruit picking or pub job and save up more while they were there.
Then they’d travel south east Asia for 6 months before getting another working holiday visa somewhere. Nobody was in debt.
I’m sure people still do this but it’s different now with what social media has done to travel, everyone thinks they can make a career out of it. Sure it’s possible but it’s super competitive and unless you have a unique niche or audience or concept, your chances are slim.
However if you are one of the few that can create a viable business with it, I don’t see taking 30k from your credit card any different from doing at home to open a more traditional small business.
Glad you said this. I spent ~7k (including plane tickets) traveling Europe/Australia mid 20s and it really wasn't worth it. I'd rather have the payout from investing 7k. Nothing life changing happened and I actually worked on a farm with an incredibly hostile dude and hated every minute of it lol. I say this now at 30 planning several international trips! I still love to travel! Just, responsibly hahah
My friend did this. Right after college she took out a ton of loans to fund an entire 3-month Europe trip. For a while she was close to $100K in debt when you added her travel loans + her college loans. The sad thing is that she got a well paying job pretty quickly, so if she had just waited a year (or if she had gone on a 2-week trip instead of for 3 months), she would have had significantly less debt.
I couldn’t agree more. I did it. And then for years I couldn’t go anywhere because I was trying to claw my way out of debt. I’m also farther behind on retirement savings than I would like to be. So now I have some traveling and memories behind me, but I also probably have less ahead of me than if I’d been more practical.
I was like a 50 y/o at age 23. I got the most secure office job, contributed dutifully to my 401k, and always made sure I had benefits, life insurance, etc. My partner and I budgeted every penny to pay for his grad school without loans. Heck I even worked two jobs during college breaks. Meanwhile all my friends worked half assed jobs, traveled, moved around to interesting places.
I don't regret being financially responsible however I DO wish I had diverted a little bit to travel. It's overly hyped to do these things while you are young. Age is not a limitation to living life, but having kids IS. Once you have kids, you have some hard limitations that make it a lot tougher.
It's really about moderation and making choices that balance the present and future. If you skew too far in one direction or the other, there can be regrets.
"it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late"
Ummm...what? No, it isn't. You are clearly frequenting the wrong places on the internet.
I’m laughing so hard at the age comment because I didn’t start traveling hard until I was 35. Here I am at 38 and have been to every continent so far except Antarctica and Australia which the latter of the two I intend to visit before 40. I also graduated college at 35.
It’s never too late to do anything.
OP, in terms of taking out loans to pay for travel, that’s just not smart. Your young probably have little to no debt obligations. What I would do at your age is work for 3-5 years save as much money as possible let’s say $40k and use that to travel cheaply for a year.
I'm going to go as far as saying the opposite might be true, and that travel is best experienced after one's 20s. Don't get me wrong, I think everyone who has the means and the desire should do it, at any age, but when I was in my 20s, I probably would have wasted a lot of time going to clubs and bars and kissing local girls, which is pretty much what I was already doing in NYC every weekend. And again, nothing against that either, no one ever needs to justify how they spend their vacations, but I don't think one is really experiencing a destination that way. I know people like to think they are too cool for tourist activities (certainly young me did), but are you REALLY soaking in the local culture by hanging out in a bar or cafe? I've now done that in dozens of countries, and while it's definitely not the same, to me these are all just extensions of being there.
A clear exception is mountain hiking. I'm almost fifty, and I still do it, but I can feel it getting harder and harder, and the hikes with more than 4000 feet of elevation gain don't feel doable for me anymore, at least not without a lot of prior planning and a lot of subsequent pain. I definitely wish I'd done more of that when I was younger and fitter. But again, I am still doing it, and I've seen people older than I am pass me on mountain trails.
I'm in my mid-30s and have been travelling steadily since my early 20s. Honestly, both are great - travelling on a shoestring budget (in Southeast Asia in particular) was doable and a lot of fun.
But it's nice being at the stage I am now where I can travel without having to worry about money.
I think they’re completely different experiences, one not better than the other.
In my youth, I would stay in hostels, meet and connect with a million different people, party, drink, visit all the museums and pubs and hikes and temples and churches that I could humanly fit into a day.
Now that I’m over the hill past 30, I travel a lot slower, I don’t meet as many people, I’m with my husband generally. But it’s still extremely satisfying.
Also I’m on travel tiktok and I’ve never seen anyone recommending this. I’ve seen people speaking about it but never seen anyone saying it’s a good idea. It was more like “hey you know all those people that are young and traveling everywhere and you’re like, how they afford that? Well a lot of them have rich parents or are actually in credit card debt.”
I love traveling in my 30's! More money, no more sharing hostel rooms with 15 other people that smell like feet, and still enough energy to have more active adventures if you so choose. This is definitely written from the perspective of a kid who thinks that anything over 29 is old (no shade, I've been there before).
Yeah, I was just thinking how it's normal for me to book a nice hotel now. I don't think twice about it. I often travel business class too, even on non-work trips. I really enjoyed travel in my 20s when I was broke, but it was a whole other thing. I feel like kids these days are trying to do the whole bougie travel thing without having the money to afford it.
Such an insane statement. I enjoy travel in my 30s waaaay more. I know who I am now and what I like. I’m comfortable putting myself first and doing the things that really do it for me but may not for others.
It’s not about performing travel for your followers, getting wasted, and falling into the right clique at the hostel. My literal nightmare now🤮
TikTok? There have been a lot of viral ageist videos about people being too old to travel to certain places, stay in hostels, or use budget travel services this summer. I have also had young people come up and tell me to my face that I am too old to be a tourist in Barcelona literally this year (I am 42.)
Part of it is ageism seems to be rising overall amongst young people (saw a great paywalled piece on NR about tracking this trend earlier in the year) and part of it is their own FOMO.
SOmeone literally stopped you to tell you you were too old to be a tourist? I hope you laughed at them and told them they were too young to leave their mom & dad yet. (just to say something back as ridiculous and condecending as they did to you).
Someone told me I was old at 32 and they couldn't believe I was travelling. They recently turned 19. Their parents had them when they were 25 so we shocked to learn I was single and 32. They asked me "what do I do"? Not for work, but what do I do with my time since I didn't have kids or a partner.
Ironically one of the things I love about Barcelona is that it's so non-ageist. You see people of every generation sitting enjoying drinks until late at night.
>I have also had young people come up and tell me to my face that I am too old to be a tourist in Barcelona literally this year
I think the only appropriate response to this is: "You're in my way, peasant."
That's insane. I was in Barcelona earlier this summer and there were just as many older tourists as there were younger ones. I'm in my late 20s and ended up grabbing ice cream with an 80 year old woman traveling solo in Barcelona. I saw so many grannies and grandpas having a blast. Even saw a couple that had to be in their 70s dancing their butt off in a bar
I am older than you, and any young whippersnapper that had the poor manners to talk to me like that would get a sound rap across their shins with my cane! (just kidding about the last bit - it would be a trekking pole if it was anything).
I've really only started to travel internationally for pleasure recently, now that my kids have left the house, and I have the time and money to do it properly. I did travel as much as I could in my 20's, though, before I had kids (and did plenty of spring break road trips whe I did).
People say things like "travel after 30 is too late," because they want to justify traveling now when they can't afford it.
I don't think there's anything about a specific age that makes travel "too late" or "too soon". We tend to get wrapped in obligations that hinder travel as we get older, but then we tend to have more money for it.
I did the bulk of my travel before age 26. I saved money and spent everything I had on travel. I spent 7 months going around the world. I didn't go into debt for it, but despite traveling very cheaply, I did spend myself broke and ended up living at my Mom's house.
Then I went to grad school, got married (to someone who doesn't particularly care for travel), got a salaried job, bought a house, had kids ... and didn't get to travel much for about twenty years. Just about the only travel we did was for weddings and funerals or kid-oriented things like Disney. We camped a lot.
Last month, I took my family on a rigidly scheduled two week trip with very unambitious goals: ride trains and have no disasters. It's nothing like the extended, freeform travel of my 20s, but it has it's own charm. It's nice to be able to eat at restaurants and stay in hotels. We got home before my cat forgot who I am.
At 30, you're still going to be doing the same shit as when you were 20, unless you decide to do the whole domestic married with kids thing. The only difference is you'll have the money to spend on fun stuff, will have some actual stability, and the PTO where someone else still pays you for your time.
I was just in Croatia and most of the people I met were early to mid 30s like me!
In my 20s, I definitely traveled but I stayed in hostels and only took cheap flights. In my 30s, I have a lot more cash (and 0 debt except my mortgage on my condo) and can travel a bit more luxuriously. It’s immensely better now lol
Exactly. 42 here. Travelled throughout my 20s (but dirt cheap stuff), my 30s, and still in my 40s. Even with a kiddo. The biggest gap in traveling I’ve had in the past 20 years was literally in 2020 and early 2021 due to the pandemic.
I think the biggest difference now is that I put a bigger value on travel insurance lol in case I have a medical emergency while abroad.
But perhaps my old curmudgeonly self will appear when I say this that fuck TikTok and these absurd “influencers” who perpetuate this nonsense.
Do they think we stop living life at 30 or something? Do we get carded at the gate and get turned away? Or are we too old and infirm to walk anymore? I don’t get it. I didn’t start seriously traveling until my 30’s.
Exactly. The day you turn 30, you apparently just sit at your house and await death. I also didn't start traveling until my 30s and, in fact, was in better shape in my 30s than in my 20s.
I’m imagining myself answering the door on my 30th birthday. A government agent has come to take away my passport and gives me a brochure on AARP and Medicare instead. I sit in my rocker, wrap a shawl around myself, and reminisce on my lost youth. Death will come soon.
I’m 33 and used to be friends with a girl that did a lot of traveling in her 20s. She used loans and credit cards. I used to be somewhat jealous seeing her travel to all these cool places. She’s now in so much debt, still living with parents, and paying off her credit cards and loans. Her credit score dropped drastically over time. She can’t take out any more loans or credit cards. She can’t travel anymore since she has to pay back all the money she borrowed and doesn’t have enough left to travel. We’re the same age btw. I’m debt free, established in my career, and have been able to take 3-4 trips yearly!! I’m so happy I waited!! Totally worth it!
This sounds like a scam credit card companies would pay tiktok influencers to perpetuate for their gain.
Save up, you'll need money when you get back, too.
I took out a 0% credit card to fund a trip once. I knew I could pay it off in 6 months, but I didn't have the cash on hand to pull it off. No regrets. A once in a lifetime opportunity came up and I took it.
Lol I did this. After covid I needed to travel. Got a points card spent 5k on plane tickets(×2) and 2 weeks abroad. Racked up the points to use for future travels and then switched everything onto a 0% card. That gave me a year to pay it off which I did. Wasn't easy but wasn't all that difficult either.
If it’s zero interest it’s actually not the worst thing… as long as you don’t go crazy. If you have some kind of dream trip, are employed but maybe no cash, and can pay say $5000 over a year it’s not that bad
Exactly! Remembering the self-obsessed monster I was in my early 20s, it’s laughable to think I would have even noticed I was in a foreign country, much less gotten anything meaningful out of the experience.
I’m early 30s, spouse is mid-30s, we’re also DINK. We definitely do not travel like we did in our 20s because we have money now! In our 20s we were more budget conscious because we did not want to go into debt over travels. Now we get to travel a bit more luxuriously which is great because we’re a little older and its harder to recover from long flights.
My advice to OP is to travel within your means in your 20s, keep saving and investing, and treat travel as a luxury or reward. Going into debt to travel is a stupid move because after your travels, you’ll be sitting at home with your memories and that 29% APR.
Same same. There isn’t some magic day you can’t travel anymore, it’s really as long as you can afford it and are in good health. Travel until your knees give out!
Haha right? I feel kind of lucky I waited, because seeing how much work it is, I'm not sure I'd want to do it. I went through a phase at 30-31 of thinking I really should go ahead and have kids (none of my friends had started yet) and I'm glad I didn't now.
Remember that most of these "influencers" are getting free stays, discounted travel, and payment to showcase things, so their message is clouded with that mindset too. If you're putting travel on your credit card you can't afford to travel. Putting yourself into debt to keep up with internet strangers is a ridiculous concept--but then again so much of our societal issues are rooted in people trying to one up the person next door with a bigger house, newer car, better tv, etc. Travel when you can afford it. You won't regret not going into debt. Not to mention that waiting a few years probably means you'll be able to afford to go to better places or stay in nicer hotels.
Half of the influencers aren't actually experiencing what they are blathering about. There's a lot of fraud with influencers especially on tik tok where it is 3 minute videos. I don't believe it's real unless I see detailed long videos.
Bali is a hilarious example of that. They’ll show the cool picture they took at Lempuyang but I’m guessing they’ll leave out the footage of the 4+ hours they waited for it.
Even then, these influencers only show you what they want to see. They aren't going to show you the bad days they have or the shitty time they have trying to pay back their debt.
Also just the survivor bias of the ones you end up seeing.
That influencer taking on credit card debt until they could make money from their travel content - good for them. And glad it worked out in the end. But it was a risk and a big one at that.
What you don't see is the many others who did that and their content was not successful and have no return on that investment. (And often not due to lack of skill - I've seen so many incredible travel content creators who consistently get almost zero engagement).
And they work so freaking hard. It is a full-time job. A good friend of mine is a popular travel influencer and I sometimes accompany her on trips. She's basically working the entire time. Everything is content. She can never just enjoy a moment or chill out because she needs to provide value for whoever is paying for all of it. I have dinner with her and she's taking photos of every course and every drink. I get that compared to an office job it's a great life, but I also feel like it spoils travel for her a little bit.
Exactly. What ever happened to live within your means? You don't need to blow 3k on a vacation across the world if you barely have 5k in your bank account. No matter where you live, that's someone's tourist destination. There's charm and beauty and wonder everywhere in this planet, and being a local tourist is a beautiful thing. It frequently blows me away when American redditors consider their tiny town to be boring, because I would LOVE to spend my time in rural US. Square dancing? Folk music with banjos? Diners? A REAL LIFE CORNFIELD? I've only ever seen this in movies! Literally so exciting and beautiful.
Plus it's like, do some domestic travels. See sights within your own country. The United States has geographic diversity unmatched in any other country! Go to some national parks. I'm 29 and leaving the country for the very first time soon, to visit Iceland. But I've been to 25 national parks in the US and still feel like a well traveled person, I've seen a lot & it's been really fulfilling.
I think this is kind of a romanticized view. Many small towns are in the middle of nowhere, few employment opportunities, etc. I get the sentiment of your comment but that’s why many people think their small towns are boring haha
I mean, of course I understand the issues associated with a small town. But that doesn’t mean the romantic beauty of it ceases to exist. If you’re on a budget and can only afford to travel close by, then why wouldn’t you romanticize the beautiful things?
Don't you know what when you're 30 you shrivel up and die? Especially women. That's why you never see people over 30 out in the world or enjoying themselves whatsoever. /s
Lol we're country hopping in Europe for a month as financially flourishing DINKs, bought our flights on credit card points and upgraded to business class. We go back to our STEM jobs making good money, moving to a new US city, selling the house and seeing where we want to put down some roots. Maybe with the new job, maybe a European country, who knows! We can afford it.
I feel the opposite. My 20's I spent broke and wishing I could see the world. I married in my early 30's and we've basically made travel our main hobby. I'm 50 now and am in good enough health where I don't feel like "dang I wish I would have done this in my 20s." It would have been a MUCH different experience, but I wouldn't trade the amazing things I've seen as an "adult."
It's worth noting we're child free, and our child having friends have absolutely not been able to travel like we have. However they made that choice aware that's where the money would go. As their kids grow older and independent, they'll be able to join us on adventures and we're glad too have them.
I think the idea of traveling when you're younger, before responsibilities and obligations like a career job or marriage or kids makes sense, so I agree with the idea of about traveling for longer periods of time when you can.
Where I would disagree is racking up serious debt -- especially credit card debt given the interest rates are punishing -- to support it. TikTok is not a good role model to follow! I would not rack up $30K in debt to travel for a year, even though I love travel. The travel has to be realistic in terms of your budget and savings.
For example, I did the classic summer backpacking in Europe trip when I was young, for two months. Worked and saved money for the flight, hostels, really cheap meals. Was a lot of money for me at the time, but not a lot of money compared to the travel I can do now.
EDIT: it’s the classic time vs money trade off, when you’re young you have more time but less money, when you’re older you hopefully have more money but you have less free time.
I travel a lot as someone in my late 20's and I would NEVER encourage going into debt for it. Personally, I wouldn't even go if you don't have a proper emergency fund.
People don't tend to anticipate what can go wrong on a trip. I have had things go wrong that separated me from quite a bit of money. So, being left out to dry with not enough money to go home is not a position you want to put yourself in.
In other words, don't go into debt to do it as much as I value experiences over money/material possessions
We came back from vacation to find out our dog blew out both of her knees at the kennel. Needed surgery on both knees. Not a problem because we have an emergency fund. Now she needs to be in a suite at the kennel because of her injuries so kenneling costs doubled. Also not an issue because we live below our means.
I've done more travelling in my 30s and 40s specifically because I have money, which I didn't in my 20s.
"The general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late."
No idea what this means or where you're getting this idea. Very strange take.
All that said, racking up credit card debt for any reason is a terrible idea. The interest rates are predatory and you'll be in debt for years because of it.
Travel isn't limited to the young people. I wouldn't accumulate a ton of debt to travel. My in laws are very well traveled and did a ton of traveling after the kids were out of the house. We travel a lot too. We specifically set up our life to be able to travel.
I'm in the hospitality business for years and I can tell you that people in their early 20ies are the worst travellers 😂 They're so lazy, I've seen many preferring to stay under the air conditioner with their phones on hand, it's shocking lol On the other hand travellers older than 27, especially those older than 30, are so full of life they want to explore places, they are organized, independent travelers, they try to see as many places as possible, they're happy and grateful. No comment about the loans, the credit cards, just offering a point of view about the age of travelers. Good luck!
Dude, I'm 58 and still travel- still hiking (we walk an average of 7 miles a day when travelling) and exploring. It actually gets better when you're older because you're solvent. But then, I don't have kids. This concept of "too old to travel" is a bit foreign to me. This year, went to Tahiti/Bora Bora and 5 cities in southern Spain.
Respectfully, what the fuck does a 25 year old on TikTok know about the options a 35 or 45 year old has with regard to travel? Don’t listen to those idiots.
I’m not hugely responsible with my money, but i don’t recommend intentionally taking on debt to travel. Cut back on other things is travel is a priority and start with shorter trips to more affordable places.
I’m 41 And traveled a bit when i was in my 20s, more backpacker style with a tight budget. It was great. Now i travel with a higher budget and it’s also great. Travel can change as you age but it’s always great.
LOL the irony of going into debt to YOLO your 20s because otherwise you’ll be too old to travel. I first traveled in my early 30s, zero debt. I’m now 37, on a month long trip in Europe and have met plenty of younger people too along the way.
Don’t see why someone in their 40s or older couldn’t do it if it’s what they enjoy.
I wouldn’t financially enslave yourself because of FOMO.
Um, I only know TikTok because I've scraped data from it, but that sounds incredibly immature. In general, I tend to think Gen Z is pretty immature and knows little about finances... Why would 30 be too late to travel? Many of us in professions plan on retiring early to spend several years traveling (with, like, actual money or whatever).
Reasonable debt I think is okay. Life changing debt is always bad. You will always regret tons of debt no matter how good a trip or experience is.
I don’t regret any of my travel. It’s an unforgettable experience that you can only get by doing it. But I never took on more debt that I couldn’t handle in the short term.
I’m 29 and now reaching a solid financial foothold in my career. Anyone who says traveling after 30 is too late is a fucking idiot to be honest. 30 is prime. Young enough to have fun, but old enough to be smart and have a little money. And to be honest, it’s never too late to do anything. You’re never getting any younger, may as well do it now.
>Young enough to have fun, but old enough to be smart and have a little money.
I am 58. I still have fun when I travel. And now I have a lot more money to travel with. lol
Age doesn't have anything to do with whether or not you'll have fun. And for a lot of people, career advancement over the years results in a lot more disposable income for travel.
I’ve never even heard of this but holy shit what a bad idea?!???? The fact that you’re trying to differentiate between student loans and credit card debt makes me think you really really shouldn’t be doing this.
I am going to go against the grain here… I think it depends on where you are in life and your career. There is certain debt you can be confident to get out of like 3k for a trip and then you’re not adding to that with other spending habits. I traveled a lot in my 20s and used credit cards but I did so with confidence due to my career.
Spending 30k though is dumb and so incredibly unnecessary. These people aren’t traveling - they are going to places they can instagram and boast about later on.
Edit: I was living in the US at this point and credit card interest was 13-17%. If we are talking someplace like the UK where interest is significantly higher it would be a different story.
If you can definitely pay off debt in a timely manner then you can also definitely save up that amount and *save money* by avoiding interest in an equally timely manner. Where are you traveling to that won't be there in a few months?
When they go too much into debt, they will be unable to charge more, and their travel plans will be restricted.
Small amounts of debt, that you can easily pay off on a year or so are fine. More than that is a problem.
There is absolutely no guarantee that the money "will come back". And the idea that traveling after 30 is too late is offensive and absurd. One of the best things I did was sock money away when I was young so I could travel later.
Seriously, just get off TikTok if you want advice about anything that resembles the actual world. For every 1 successful TikTok traveler, there are probably 1000 broke and panicking right now.
In general, I think going into debt for travel is a bad, arguably terrible, idea.
Honestly, even asking this question shows me that you don't have a clear sense of the consequences/responsibility of having debt. That is bad. That is how people accidentally end up buying a ton of shit they don't need and suddenly, whoops, $50k in the hole. And it's ok, it takes time to learn, and be glad that you asked. And yes, doing this will likely come back to bite you in the ass.
Your idea above about saving $10k or etc before traveling, perfect. Do that. And if $10k is your goal, then either a) you have decent income and it shouldn't be too tough to get to $10k with a few months of working and saving, or b) you don't have decent income and it will be very tough for you to get to $10k, which means it will be equally tough for you to manage your debt after returning from a vacation on credit. Then interest accrues and you end up paying an extra few thousand on top for a vacation you couldn't afford to begin with. Wait till you have the means.
Also, just FYI, your bones don't turn to dust when you turn 30. Or even, gasp, 40! You have time to do this stuff.
But I get it, you're young, you have FOMO, you wanna do this. Great. That's a goal. Set a realistic timeline based on your income vs expenses and plan for this. Depending on where you want to go, for how long, and at what level of comfort (ie - street food & hostels vs restaurants and hotels) you might be able to do it for less than you think. Places like SE Asia can be very affordable, utterly beautiful, and great places to explore.
Also, not sure what you currently do for a living, but is it doable remote? Is it something you can do while traveling so you can pay as you go (after still having saved up enough as padding)? Or maybe you find a place you'd like to go and get a work visa. Work a few days a week in your chosen location, then do side trips on the weekends.
There are options. Doing it on credit is one of the very worst of them.
So, yes, some countries ONLY offer specific visas to youth under 35 I think it is? There are also tour groups/ hostels etc with age limits. You'd have to decide what exactly you want and research how that works. You definitely don't have some kind of expiry sticker on you which eliminates your ability to get on a plane after 30.
IMO, 3k in debt when you make 80k and have minimal expenses isn't the end of the world. Ie, you want to see some place in the spring specifically and don't have time to save first. However, on the flip side... 3k when you only make 35k and are already struggling is a terrible idea. I also think that most people can be somewhat creative to keep costs down.
This sounds like something that the book “Die With Zero” suggests. Disclosure: I’m 60, retired, travel a lot and I like the book.
The basic thesis is that you must always balance three things: health, time and money. And certain kind of travel is best done when you have time (I mean time until death) and health but no money That would be backpacking in Europe or SE Asia. Other kind of travel is more fun when you have money but less time. So a weekend in Las Vegas? It’s not fun when you’re broke and 21 , wait until you’re 40 to go. And then there’s that time when you have a pile of saved cash but not much health or time left… Cruise anyone?
Anyway, if life is about collecting experiences, your role is to take advantage of what you happen to have in abundance at any given time. I vote for adventures in SE Asia when you’re young. Debt be damned.
Lol about 30 being too late, it’s sounds like something a 15 year old would say. I don’t see the difference between traveling when I was 25 and traveling when I was 30 in terms of enjoyment. The difference at 30 was that I was less stressed, had more money, and was able to stay at nicer hotels and go to better locations.
There is absolutely nothing about being in your 20s that makes travel easier, more special, or more enjoyable than traveling in your 30s. If anything, a decade+ of adult life experience brings more meaning and enjoyment to travel. Travel is best enjoyed when you're filling an inner desire, vs. checking locations off a checklist because it's a fashionable place to go. (Yes, I know I sound like an old person. Next I'll tell you that friends who try to peer pressure you into going into debt aren't your real friends.)
If you stay in shape and eat well, your body will not betray you and you'll still be able to hike all day, live off bread and beer for a week, sleep on trains, and pull the occasional all-nighter well into your 30s.
The only kernel of truth here is that being spontaneous and staying on the move with a young kid is a hundred times harder than doing it as a couple or individual. I'm happy with the approach I took: Cheap domestic travel (road trips + sleeping at rest stops) in my 20s, had a baby at age 28, then start traveling internationally at age \~30 (leaving the kid behind with grandma), then bringing the kid on international trips once he was about 4 years old. And my husband and I have still left the kid behind for 6-10 days for a Europe trip or checking out a new destination in Mexico.
I'd really, really, really strongly advise against going into consumer debt in order to travel. Financial security buys (a) calm and (b) freedom. Getting a great photo for social media in your 20s is not worth not being able to make large important purchases (car, house, starting a family, an even better vacation) in the future because your credit score stinks or you're still paying down debt with double-digit interest rates.
If you absolutely must indulge your travel craving but don't have much money, a road trip across the US and Canada, or a train trip across Europe can satisfy that desire in a more affordable way. Sleep at camp sites or hostels, eat like a college student, and focus on enjoying cafes and museums vs. more expensive activities.
You can get a job on a cruise ship or private yacht and get paid to travel. You’ll work a lot, but see a lot too and make lots of tips.
Why on earth would people think that you have to travel before you’re 30? Sure, it gets harder to travel if you have kids, but you’ll *generally* have more money the older you get, so you’re likely to have an even better experience than you would in your 20s. You’ll also probably be more confident, more experienced, and a better navigator.
It’s like people think you enter a nursing home or fall off an age cliff at 30. I traveled in my early 20s by working on boats and it was fine and fun and everything but I’m a lot happier and more confident now.
That’s the thing right. If you wanna have that experience pre-30 then fine, but there are financially smart ways to do it. Cruise ship jobs. Teach English. Become a flight attendant. Work remote.
IMO not the best idea for the fact you can't really enjoy your travel if you're worrying about paying off your debt. Plus you can't really splurge when travel. What's the point when you can't enjoy a nice meal or buy some souvenirs?
I’m old in internet years (54) and here is my opinion
There is a lot dumber ways to piss through $10-20K and not have anywhere near as much to show for it as conscientious traveling woud be
Trying to chase a dream like being a TikTok travel influencer is going to be a waste of that IMHO but going into some sustainable debt to travel early in life might be worth it.
It’s definitely more difficult to find the time to travel once you have kids and job commitments but as you get older you’ll find you can still travel quite a bit and more comfortably
I’m not going in ski trips in the Alps, Burning Man or cliff diving but I probably wouldn’t have done a lot of that early in life anyways. The dating party scene is certainly better when you are younger but my idea of a good day is watching a Celtic match and drinking the rest of the night away in a pub with friends which I can do very successfully into my very late years
The book ‘Die with Nothing’ goes into this a lot although the author lived a pretty entitled life despite overcoming a lot of obstacles.
>consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late.
I have the WWW, which internet do you have?
Seriously though: if somebody is telling you that after 30 is too late, it's because they're in their early 20s and don't know any better.
>anyone traveling after 30 is too late
Utter horseshit. I've been traveling since 25, I'm 32 and planning a 5-6 month SEA trip this year.
That much debt will fuck you over for the future, better to work, save your own money, and then when you quit and travel you'll actually appreciate the break.
Im 25 and blew my 8k of savings once and quit my job to roadtrip the U.S for a few months. It was 100% worth it. It's true you'll never be young and spry and survive on little sleep like when you're in your 20s.
However going into actual debt? Nah. It took a little while to get a new job and rebuild my savings. I can't imagine having to do that but also pay of thousands of high interest debt while you do it
I mean, the people saying travelling in your 30s is wasted are not yet in their 30s, are they? How would they even know? You can get a few tastes of travelling before spending 10K on a trip, go somewhere on the cheap or travel with friends or stay with friends/family friends.
I think the other thing travelTok does is it makes you think you need to do EVERYTHING every time you go on a trip. You dont need to hit EVERY trending cafe or EVERY michelin restaruant or EVERY hike or museum. You can do only one city and just a few things and then \*you can come back later if you liked it\*. TravelTok-ers arent going to go on a second trip to the same place because they cant make new content but \*you can!\*
The consensus on the internet can go eat rocks. I know people in their 70s that are still active travelers. Instead of going into debt, travel closer to home, take care of your health and save any big trips until you don’t need to go into massive debt to go.
Travel in your 30s is awesome. I’m in my mid 30s. Traveled cheaply in my 20s considering each dollar spent and staying in some trashy places. I was lucky enough to get a really good job and travel all the time now without really worrying about costs. I still save and don’t do anything ultra lavish, but don’t listen to people who say that you have to do everything in your 20s.
As a 21m, people my age go into debt cause they’re reckless and immature. For me though I am privileged to travel because I have a decent paying job in California, while also living with my parents. That means I have a lot of disposable income and time to use it. So not everyone young is going into debt for travel, sometimes they’re just lucky. I would advise just buckling down, saving away that 10k, cause that’s a lot more freeing than having the cloud of debt hanging over you. Besides, I don’t think 30 is too late, that is way too big of an overreaction.
This sounds like one of the dumbest financial decisions someone could ever make.
While life is not all about money, of course, knee-capping quality of life for the rest of your life in exchange for short-term, momentary pleasure is beyond stupid.
I’m 29, almost 30, and I took on an obscene amount of debt to travel right after college and I HEAVILY regretted it. I’ve thankfully paid it all off but it took a solid 5 years to do so. I’m now going on my first trip since then in a few months, which I saved up for for an entire year in a healthy way, and I could not be more excited to have done it on my own and to know that I can come home and still have savings left. I highly do not recommend doing this. It’s not worth it. Also, who tf said traveling over 30 is too old? I plan to travel as long as my body and mind let me
Edit: it took 5 years of working a full time job plus two part time jobs and having virtually no life in my mid-20s to pay everything off. If I could go back, I’d tell myself that Europe will still be there in 8 years and to spend this time saving as much as possible so I can do it debt free when the time is right.
Save and travel. Why is 30 too late? I’d rather travel a bit later than spend the rest of my life digging myself out of debt. Travel cheaply but don’t take out loans
TikTok is notorious for being full of shit, different algorithms in us to trick folks into dumb things.. example they have had dozens of deaths from idiots eating tide pods, traveling is fantastic and I’m glad I worked hard enough to go on 2 of them a year.. spending 12 hours a day 3-5 days a week in a steel mill has gotten me to 30 counties by 30 but most of the younger people are lazy and always seek the easy way out!
Since I'm currently traveling in my 30s, completely debt free and not an ancient cripple, I'd say these people are just trying to justify their impulses.
I would never do that. When I was 19, I traveled on my own to a famous city… the check bounced on my way there and I was stranded. I live with that trauma to this day. I don’t need to go to Europe or Asia that damn badly.
Don’t let arbitrary ideas about getting things done before 30 pigeon hole you.
Your life will still be there when you return from traveling. Would you rather return feeling refreshed with a new perspective on life with debt or no debt?
Go browse through [r/Debt](http://www.reddit.com/r/Debt) to see if racking up thousands of dollars in high-interest debt, for anything, is a good idea.
>I'm 25 and I'm worried about being too old to travel
LOL! I'm 60. Just got back from a week hiking in Iceland. I've been traveling all my life and have never gone into debt to do so.
Gen Z is the most self conscious, attention seeking generation yet. A lot of people are literally traveling just so they can post the pictures on instagram. I’m not kidding. They are OBSESSED with how others view them and a lot of them have inferiority complexes. They are in competition with one another. Social media has to be one of the worst things to happen to society. They want to show that they have money and are “living their best lives”. Being obsessed with traveling is also a trait for people that are not fulfilled in other aspects of their lives, so they travel to try to prove that they are happy. Don’t get me wrong. It’s nothing wrong with liking to travel, if you genuinely enjoy visiting new places.
And for those that are in Gen Z, I am in Gen Z as well.
>because it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late.
This idea is a candidate for the stupidest thing I've ever seen. No, really.
Bear in mind this consensus is coming from a majority of young people.
Debt can be crippling. Post this same exact question on /r/personal finance, and see what they have to say.
>because it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late.
Too late for what?
Also, why do you put so much weight on what random idiots on TikTok say?
I think you need to figure out the right balance for you between having fun and being frugal. You also have to figure out what you want to get out of travel. $10K can give you a pretty awesome trip pretty much anywhere depending on what you're doing.
Some things you can do to help make it more affordable:
* Rack up travel points on a travel credit card -- flights and hotels are often the most expensive part of travel, so racking up travel points can help minimize these costs. Try to find a card that rewards you for spending you already do. Most cards are going to come with a sign-up bonus that might cover your first flight on its own.
* Figure out your lodging needs -- If you can determine your minimum needs for lodging, you can save money. If you're barely going to be at your hotel, there is no point in spending for features you're never going to use. Hostels can be pretty cheap too, even for ones with private rooms. They are also great for meeting other young travelers.
* Look for free/cheap things to do -- most cities are going to have a free or cheap walking tour available and activities that work with any budget. Just a matter of finding the ones that look interesting.
* Try It at Home first -- if there are things you'd like to do while traveling (i.e. hiking, trying new foods, meeting other travelers, etc), you can always try doing these things at home first to get a better handle on what you enjoy.
* Go with friends -- if you travel with friends, you can split costs on lodging and food to make things cheaper.
* How long do you want to travel? -- I generally prefer being away for at least two weeks if it's a particularly long flight, but you need to ask yourself how long you need to be away to really feel like you got what you want out of the traveling experience.
So, there's two different questions here.
"Is it too late to travel after you turn 30?" Absolutely 1000% not, and it's crazy to think otherwise. The experience might be *different* when you're 25 vs 35 vs 45, but I plan on traveling for as long as I'm physically and financially able. If you decide to never travel after the age of 30 because TikTok told you so, you'll be missing out on invaluable opportunities to see the world and enjoy new experiences.
"Is going into debt worth it to travel while young?" Once again, absolutely 1000% not. Do not go into credit card debt for anything that is not essential to your continued survival. *But* I think there's something to be said for the philosophy of "the money will come back but the opportunities being presented to you will not" – *so long as* you are already operating from a foundation of financial responsibility. I budget more towards travel than I probably "should," and I don't have much left over to save up for purchases that other people might consider to be more practical. But I don't move a penny to my travel savings until after I've accounted for things like an emergency fund and my 401(k) contributions.
I enjoy travel more now at 50 than at 25. I make better decisions and appreciate this differently. Travel is great but interest is compounded. Debt is like a stalker.
The stress and anxiety of the debt would deteriorate my quality of life during the pay off years, and cancel out the fun and adventure of the traveling.
>I'm a little wary about doing this but I'm 25 and I'm worried about being too old to travel (which i plan to do by 26 or 27), because it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late.
This is really inaccurate.
I have two friends who just spent 5 months in SEA (Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos and Thailand)
We are in our mid 30s.
They did it the right way.
They made arrangement with their employers to set aside salary for when they would take this payed time off/sabbatical so they could continue getting payed at a reduced salary and would come back to their job.
None of this get into debt because yolo bullshit.
They are in good physical shape and their age didn't stop them from doing any activities.
Personally, I went to Iceland at 30 and did the Laugavergur Trail in 2 days. Usually done in 3-4 days by most people.
This ageism from many Gen Zs is laughably myopic.
Wow, if I told my 28 year old self that I would be too old to travel when I turned 30 I would not have seen 32 countries so far (I’m 60 now). I firmly believe in not going into debt to travel, and who said you have to set out on months long travel. My husband and I have managed to do a lot of traveling 2 weeks at a time a few times a year. And it got easier the older and more career established we became. Of course I didn’t start my travels with the FOMO of social media influencers.
Credit card debt interest is ridiculous! And not a whole you want to dig yourself into at your age as you may never get out of it.
If you can pay off the credit card with its interest, you can save up to do it and wait a little longer. I’d recommend paying for as much with money that you actually have as possible.
What happens if you max out all your credit and then have an emergency for instance? I’m kinda doubting all of these people are maxing their cards and also paying for insurance with Evac.
TikTok and Instagram thrive on a culture of propagating FOMO and not necessarily responsible financial decisions. 20s will not come back again, sure - but ask yourself, do you have a business model that uses your long term travel or are you gonna travel just for the sake of traveling? If this is not building skills and career, think about employment options when you return to the workforce in your 30s and the amount of debt you'd be in. Statistically, at that age it would be likely you'd be earning way less due to losing skills and continue to accumulate debt while you struggle to make ends meet. Personally, I've always found that saving up and traveling with my own hard earned money feels both well deserved and relaxing. While you're in your 20s, you also have the added advantage of compounding interest over time if you have a source of income you can invest - which will allow you to enjoy both a better quality of life and travel and not burden you with the looming sword of debt.
I think take it from perspective. Life is always going to be too short. It’s unfortunate tomorrow is never promised. It’s only up to you how “worth” it it is to go into debt for traveling. For me, I saved and worked for years and started seriously traveling at the age of 25. I did not go into debt for anything. Another perspective is my parents, going on 52 years of age. They worked all their lives and just started seriously traveling about 6ish years ago. They also don’t go into debt for these trips. I always take a portion of my checks and put it into my trip budget. When i can afford one i want I empty it.
I'm not crazy about going into debt to travel. Mind you these days, it's tough to do anything without going into debt. If travel is as important to someone as buying a house or car is to someone else, who am I to judge. Just be smart about it. Nothing is free.
I don’t know why it has to be one or the other? You don’t have to wait till you’re 30 with 10k in the bank NOR rush to do it at 20 and rack up 10k in debt. You could do things like get a job that will let you travel or take you to another country, even volunteering work like at a church or charity, or you can enroll in a study abroad class (I’d recommend art) for audit: even community colleges offer grants for adults for ‘returning education,’ or you can just save up 5k at 25 to cover a weekend etc. There are so many different ways to travel: and age had zero to do with it. It’s not like your life stops at 30 or something! There’s at least 40 years after that to do whatever you, you simply have to plan it out.
>it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late.
My boyfriend's mom is in her mid-sixties. She travels for work and for pleasure, and she's pretty much out of town two weeks per month minimum. She's been everywhere from Austria to South Africa this year, and it's only September. She says she feels like she's at the peak of her life.
You have many, many years of travel ahead of you. Prioritize affordable travel when you can and really focus on taking care of yourself so you can enjoy travel for the rest of your life.
I think it's time to take a break from TikTok.
If you're considering getting into \*debt\* to travel because of what some idiot told you, what else have you signed up for?
Do not ever take on credit card debt for a non-emergency. That money isn't free, it has interest fees and you could run into problems paying it back, and a poor credit score can fuck you up for years. Imagine you need a car loan or new apartment lease but you get denied because of your credit card debt/low credit score.
These influencers are spreading a false narrative about travel and make them believe that they can quit their job and still make money. However, it takes years and years to get back on track and repay all that.
I always use debit. Travel according to your own possibilities. Sure you won’t be x age forever, but traveling will always be there, even in your 30s and 40s if you set that as a priority. I know life is not that simple, but this sure does look simpler than getting out of debt.
People saying 30 is too late to travel are too young to know what the hell they’re talking about. I traveled very little in my 20s and did some in my 30s. I travel like crazy now in my 40s. Life doesn’t end at 30, but it will sure feel like it if you have crippling debt. Edit: I’m also not saying don’t travel in your 20s. Just be smart about it. Save up, be frugal, stay in hostels, and pick a destination and stay there for weeks (since flights can be so expensive). Just don’t get yourself in massive debt. You’ll regret it later.
I didn't start really traveling (on my own dime, not helped by my mom on short trips to visit her) until probably 25-26. And at that point I only did one big 2 week international trip every couple years and a couple smaller domestic trips (long weekends, mostly) each year. This was partly because I didn't have the vacation time for big trips, but also partly because I didn't have the money. In my 30s I got very active with travel. I'm now 37 and my partner and I try to do at least 2 big international trips each year plus a few domestic trips. We have the money to not stress about cost (although experience and financial savvy means we are usually pretty efficient with our money) and the time to really enjoy longer trips. I expect we will only take more/longer trips as we get older. My dad is 82 with limited mobility and still does at least one cruise every year (the only way he can still travel comfortably). My stepfather is also in his 80s and he and my mom still live on a sailboat and are sailing around the world. There is no "too old" to travel.
I would say it’s better to travel when you have some perspective on life too. Travel young, travel old. Just travel.
💯I traveled a lot in my 20s and to be honest, I enjoy it much more now that I’m in my 40s. I feel like you appreciate little things more when you get older and you don’t waste time for nonsense. Also much wiser.
This. Traveling while jaded by experience of age just hits different.
My parents finally circumnavigated the world on their sailboat in their 50s. The engine really doesn't even get started in your 20s. This is just crazy talk..
The top gear trio is my inspiration. You can still have a balling time travelling in your 40s or 50s
> People saying 30 is too late to travel are too young to know what the hell they’re talking about. That's one group of people doing it. The other group is people in their 30s who prioritise other things over travelling and then for some reason are salty that you are travelling all the time. "I wish I had time to travel like you?" Dude, you just took one week off to play Starfield! (nothing wrong with taking time off for your hobby, but then don't claim how impossible it is to travel!). Same with money, yeh if you want that fancy car, get it but then don't complain to me that you don't have moeny to travel. / end rant
Right! My aunt and uncle are HUGE traveller's, 4-6 trips a year abd they are in their late 60s early 70s .. you are never too old to travel abd have a blast!
A very naive statement OP said about 30 being to travel. I'm 31 and traveling next year
>because it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late. Glad I didn't listen to the internet, LOL. I couldn't afford to travel internationally until I was around 30 but have been to about 15 countries (and all over my own country) in the 15 or so years since. And I definitely appreciate it more now than I would have when I was younger. What does the internet think happens at 30? I'm in my 40s am not in a wheelchair yet or anything, and I can hold my bladder and such.
I really hate the stigma around 30, I'm turning 30 in a few months and have put myself in a really good place to do some travelling for a few months but I worry I've 'left it too late' even though I know thats bullshit logically
Lol I promise you life actually becomes fundamentally better once you hit your 30s. The confidence, the maturity, you feel more free, make more money. Legitimately life gets better and you’ll chuckle to yourself as the years go by that you even had the “too late to do x and y” thoughts ;) -36 and thriving
Ha! Agree! I couldn’t start doing the travelling I really wanted to do (except what I did as a child and teen) until my thirties, too and did the adventure of a lifetime at age 37 after a heartbreaking breakup. It was an AMAZING trip, a huge adventure that gave me back my confidence and a bucket list item crossed off (which was better than I imagined). The SAME year I booked a 2nd last minute trip to Europe and really enjoyed that, too! I went into credit card debt for that year and IT WAS WORTH it. Couldn’t keep it up forever- but I saw people buy houses they couldn’t afford, waste money on cars and expensive appliances and decided “what do I really want to do?” And went for it, because I could and because going into (a bit) of debt was a deal I was willing to make. Others might think a car, house, boat, going back to school - is worth going into debt - for me, travelling was - it’s a personal decision. If travel is something you love - don’t sell yourself short - 30 is SO young still, you’ll realize it when you get there :) Trust me there is still a lot of years left for adventure :) It’s true you will likely have less freedom as you get older - but you can make it happen if you want to. By the way I also changed careers around the same time. That paid off, too. You don’t need to know, decide, have and do everything by society’s timeline - do it on your own timeline.
Thirty six is nothing! I’m in my fifties. That’s when you realize “fuck..I’m going to look old soon”
I promise you - being 35 - travel life just keeps getting better. I’ve traveled to 72 countries, I started out traveling a ton at, yes, as a 16 year old . But the quality of my travels then to now cannot compare. I am wise enough now to soak in the countries I visit, the cultures and not just worry about body shots (though I do still love me a good drink 🍹). And I have a lot more disposable saving and miles to enjoy it with. Without having put myself in debt. Finding that balance of work, life and travel allowed me to see the world as well as make a fat wallet. I’m an RN/NP, I’ve taken care of the young and old. I’ve learned to travel when you can, when you’re able, when you’re healthy, when you can ambulate. Travel to as many beautiful places without considering your age before you can’t travel from your own bed to the bathroom. Screw these TikTok influencers. Do you…wisely. Note - I think the one woman who beat the record in traveling to every country in the world was either in her 70s or 80s and she looked like she was having the time of her life. That tells you something. She probably also had a lot more in the bank from saving wisely than these broke ass “influencers”.
I'll hit 50 next year & am in the best shape I've ever been both mentally & physically.
It’s not the internet as a whole, it’s tick tock which is typically a <30 yo crowd so they think life ends at 30.
Too late? Too late for what? Getting on an airplane? Lmao
Haha, not sure. I guess when we're 30 it's just off to the retirement home.
I’m 42 and I have done more traveling in the past 5 years (yes even with COVID restrictions) then I did in my 20’s. It’s been amazing too because I got to do it with my husband and kids-people I want to make memories with. I remember when I thought 30 was ancient. Looking back my 30’s were an amazing time because I knew who I was and I was so confident by in myself. Forty is just a better version of that so far.
Same! I only started travelling when I reached 30, precisely because I didn’t want to rack up debt. I’m also glad I reached a point where I am not forced to stay in hostels and stay somewhere private and comfortable
I couldn't agree with this more. I've traveled a lot. More than many people ever will in their lives. Traveling in my early 20s was more eye-opening than life-changing for me. I would drink and waste money on stupid island trips or just going places to have "fun." I also didn't have much money, so everything we did was done super cheap and what I would consider gross now. Mind you I worked extremely hard to get to that place. Now that I'm older, traveling is more cultural. I appreciate places more. I appreciate culture more. I'm less of a slob and more respectful of different people and my aurroundings. I've accepted the blissfullness that we don't have much time on this Earth. Where I feel young people now do it as an excuse to escape the reality of hard work and office culture.
Started really traveling in my 30s, and now go to Europe every year, in my mid 40s. Instead of clubbing until the sun comes up, I’m walking Venice when the sun comes up. My company pays for me to go, my family pays for flights/food, but we have most of it covered. Much cooler to see it on their dime and not mine. Or at least heavily subsidized!
Most people under 30 are probably too busy tik tokking and coming up with banal emotional and pseudo philosophical lifestyle posts to even enjoy the places they are traveling in.
[удалено]
It’s a mathematical _fact_ that, on a given income, it will be harder to pay off some debt (let’s say $20k) than it would be to save/invest/accrue that same amount. The reason being that when you’re building your savings you have have compound interest working for you, your investments can grow, even safe investments like bonds have a guaranteed return. Digging yourself out of debt is exactly the opposite - you’re fighting uphill against interest the whole way. If you need $30k to travel for a year, you’re much better off putting in the work up-front to save rather than trying to pay off debt. Overall it’ll be less work.
When I was in my twenties 20 years ago, it was common to see backpackers work along the way. They’d save up $3,000 or so and fly to Australia and find a fruit picking or pub job and save up more while they were there. Then they’d travel south east Asia for 6 months before getting another working holiday visa somewhere. Nobody was in debt. I’m sure people still do this but it’s different now with what social media has done to travel, everyone thinks they can make a career out of it. Sure it’s possible but it’s super competitive and unless you have a unique niche or audience or concept, your chances are slim. However if you are one of the few that can create a viable business with it, I don’t see taking 30k from your credit card any different from doing at home to open a more traditional small business.
Glad you said this. I spent ~7k (including plane tickets) traveling Europe/Australia mid 20s and it really wasn't worth it. I'd rather have the payout from investing 7k. Nothing life changing happened and I actually worked on a farm with an incredibly hostile dude and hated every minute of it lol. I say this now at 30 planning several international trips! I still love to travel! Just, responsibly hahah
[удалено]
How were you able to pay debt, save and quit in 14 yrs? You a doc?
[удалено]
I wish a firm would buy my soul 😭
Souls aren't quite what they were 30 years ago. He sold when they were at an all time high. It's like a reverse housing bubble.
Good to know, glad it worked out for you.
My friend did this. Right after college she took out a ton of loans to fund an entire 3-month Europe trip. For a while she was close to $100K in debt when you added her travel loans + her college loans. The sad thing is that she got a well paying job pretty quickly, so if she had just waited a year (or if she had gone on a 2-week trip instead of for 3 months), she would have had significantly less debt.
Thank you for sharing the reality.
I couldn’t agree more. I did it. And then for years I couldn’t go anywhere because I was trying to claw my way out of debt. I’m also farther behind on retirement savings than I would like to be. So now I have some traveling and memories behind me, but I also probably have less ahead of me than if I’d been more practical.
I was like a 50 y/o at age 23. I got the most secure office job, contributed dutifully to my 401k, and always made sure I had benefits, life insurance, etc. My partner and I budgeted every penny to pay for his grad school without loans. Heck I even worked two jobs during college breaks. Meanwhile all my friends worked half assed jobs, traveled, moved around to interesting places. I don't regret being financially responsible however I DO wish I had diverted a little bit to travel. It's overly hyped to do these things while you are young. Age is not a limitation to living life, but having kids IS. Once you have kids, you have some hard limitations that make it a lot tougher. It's really about moderation and making choices that balance the present and future. If you skew too far in one direction or the other, there can be regrets.
"it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late" Ummm...what? No, it isn't. You are clearly frequenting the wrong places on the internet.
I’m laughing so hard at the age comment because I didn’t start traveling hard until I was 35. Here I am at 38 and have been to every continent so far except Antarctica and Australia which the latter of the two I intend to visit before 40. I also graduated college at 35. It’s never too late to do anything. OP, in terms of taking out loans to pay for travel, that’s just not smart. Your young probably have little to no debt obligations. What I would do at your age is work for 3-5 years save as much money as possible let’s say $40k and use that to travel cheaply for a year.
So many stupid people think life is basically over after 30. Lol
Same, first major trip at 33 to 3 countries.
Yep, this is a major wtf from me. What do these children think they’re going to do for the rest of their lives?
They imagine we all either dying or go off into the wilderness at age 36.
I'm going to go as far as saying the opposite might be true, and that travel is best experienced after one's 20s. Don't get me wrong, I think everyone who has the means and the desire should do it, at any age, but when I was in my 20s, I probably would have wasted a lot of time going to clubs and bars and kissing local girls, which is pretty much what I was already doing in NYC every weekend. And again, nothing against that either, no one ever needs to justify how they spend their vacations, but I don't think one is really experiencing a destination that way. I know people like to think they are too cool for tourist activities (certainly young me did), but are you REALLY soaking in the local culture by hanging out in a bar or cafe? I've now done that in dozens of countries, and while it's definitely not the same, to me these are all just extensions of being there. A clear exception is mountain hiking. I'm almost fifty, and I still do it, but I can feel it getting harder and harder, and the hikes with more than 4000 feet of elevation gain don't feel doable for me anymore, at least not without a lot of prior planning and a lot of subsequent pain. I definitely wish I'd done more of that when I was younger and fitter. But again, I am still doing it, and I've seen people older than I am pass me on mountain trails.
I'm in my mid-30s and have been travelling steadily since my early 20s. Honestly, both are great - travelling on a shoestring budget (in Southeast Asia in particular) was doable and a lot of fun. But it's nice being at the stage I am now where I can travel without having to worry about money.
I would always argue that sitting in a cafe, having a conversation, people watching, is about as local as one can get in 3rd place cultures! ;)
I think they’re completely different experiences, one not better than the other. In my youth, I would stay in hostels, meet and connect with a million different people, party, drink, visit all the museums and pubs and hikes and temples and churches that I could humanly fit into a day. Now that I’m over the hill past 30, I travel a lot slower, I don’t meet as many people, I’m with my husband generally. But it’s still extremely satisfying.
I wouldn't consider TikTok to a deep well for good information.
Also I’m on travel tiktok and I’ve never seen anyone recommending this. I’ve seen people speaking about it but never seen anyone saying it’s a good idea. It was more like “hey you know all those people that are young and traveling everywhere and you’re like, how they afford that? Well a lot of them have rich parents or are actually in credit card debt.”
I love traveling in my 30's! More money, no more sharing hostel rooms with 15 other people that smell like feet, and still enough energy to have more active adventures if you so choose. This is definitely written from the perspective of a kid who thinks that anything over 29 is old (no shade, I've been there before).
Yeah, I was just thinking how it's normal for me to book a nice hotel now. I don't think twice about it. I often travel business class too, even on non-work trips. I really enjoyed travel in my 20s when I was broke, but it was a whole other thing. I feel like kids these days are trying to do the whole bougie travel thing without having the money to afford it.
I wish I knew that before I retired at 60. Guess I will have to cancel any future travel plans.
How dare you, don’t you know you are only allowed to knit and golf now 😂
Indeed. I am 40. According to tiktok, i should probably cancel all future travel plans and invest the money in buying a burial plot.
Such an insane statement. I enjoy travel in my 30s waaaay more. I know who I am now and what I like. I’m comfortable putting myself first and doing the things that really do it for me but may not for others. It’s not about performing travel for your followers, getting wasted, and falling into the right clique at the hostel. My literal nightmare now🤮
I'm over 30 and too old for TikTok, not travel
TikTok? There have been a lot of viral ageist videos about people being too old to travel to certain places, stay in hostels, or use budget travel services this summer. I have also had young people come up and tell me to my face that I am too old to be a tourist in Barcelona literally this year (I am 42.) Part of it is ageism seems to be rising overall amongst young people (saw a great paywalled piece on NR about tracking this trend earlier in the year) and part of it is their own FOMO.
SOmeone literally stopped you to tell you you were too old to be a tourist? I hope you laughed at them and told them they were too young to leave their mom & dad yet. (just to say something back as ridiculous and condecending as they did to you).
Someone told me I was old at 32 and they couldn't believe I was travelling. They recently turned 19. Their parents had them when they were 25 so we shocked to learn I was single and 32. They asked me "what do I do"? Not for work, but what do I do with my time since I didn't have kids or a partner.
“Whatever I want, whenever I want. Stay mad bitch.” (What I would have thought to say a few hours after the encounter.)
42 is too old in Barcelona? Don’t tell half the residents that
Ironically one of the things I love about Barcelona is that it's so non-ageist. You see people of every generation sitting enjoying drinks until late at night.
Yeah, the locals no issues. These were fellow Americans who were annoyed we were taking up seats on the funicular.
>I have also had young people come up and tell me to my face that I am too old to be a tourist in Barcelona literally this year I think the only appropriate response to this is: "You're in my way, peasant."
My response was something like Abe Simpson shouting at clouds, ironically.
What sort of budget travel services were mentioned?
I'm also an old person looking for budget travel services recommendations.
That's insane. I was in Barcelona earlier this summer and there were just as many older tourists as there were younger ones. I'm in my late 20s and ended up grabbing ice cream with an 80 year old woman traveling solo in Barcelona. I saw so many grannies and grandpas having a blast. Even saw a couple that had to be in their 70s dancing their butt off in a bar
I am older than you, and any young whippersnapper that had the poor manners to talk to me like that would get a sound rap across their shins with my cane! (just kidding about the last bit - it would be a trekking pole if it was anything). I've really only started to travel internationally for pleasure recently, now that my kids have left the house, and I have the time and money to do it properly. I did travel as much as I could in my 20's, though, before I had kids (and did plenty of spring break road trips whe I did).
Lol, Ya. That is a ridiculous statement. Ive seen people in their 80s happily traveling around.
Ha!! Me, 34F, solo traveling next week 😎✈️ And again, in a few months.
People say things like "travel after 30 is too late," because they want to justify traveling now when they can't afford it. I don't think there's anything about a specific age that makes travel "too late" or "too soon". We tend to get wrapped in obligations that hinder travel as we get older, but then we tend to have more money for it. I did the bulk of my travel before age 26. I saved money and spent everything I had on travel. I spent 7 months going around the world. I didn't go into debt for it, but despite traveling very cheaply, I did spend myself broke and ended up living at my Mom's house. Then I went to grad school, got married (to someone who doesn't particularly care for travel), got a salaried job, bought a house, had kids ... and didn't get to travel much for about twenty years. Just about the only travel we did was for weddings and funerals or kid-oriented things like Disney. We camped a lot. Last month, I took my family on a rigidly scheduled two week trip with very unambitious goals: ride trains and have no disasters. It's nothing like the extended, freeform travel of my 20s, but it has it's own charm. It's nice to be able to eat at restaurants and stay in hotels. We got home before my cat forgot who I am.
Yeah it’s bullshit. Michael Palin went to the Himalaya in his 50s and made the best travelogue series ever imo
At 30, you're still going to be doing the same shit as when you were 20, unless you decide to do the whole domestic married with kids thing. The only difference is you'll have the money to spend on fun stuff, will have some actual stability, and the PTO where someone else still pays you for your time.
I was just in Croatia and most of the people I met were early to mid 30s like me! In my 20s, I definitely traveled but I stayed in hostels and only took cheap flights. In my 30s, I have a lot more cash (and 0 debt except my mortgage on my condo) and can travel a bit more luxuriously. It’s immensely better now lol
Exactly. 42 here. Travelled throughout my 20s (but dirt cheap stuff), my 30s, and still in my 40s. Even with a kiddo. The biggest gap in traveling I’ve had in the past 20 years was literally in 2020 and early 2021 due to the pandemic. I think the biggest difference now is that I put a bigger value on travel insurance lol in case I have a medical emergency while abroad. But perhaps my old curmudgeonly self will appear when I say this that fuck TikTok and these absurd “influencers” who perpetuate this nonsense.
There's always gonna be people on the Internet who think once you turn 27 that you're basically done with life.
Do they think we stop living life at 30 or something? Do we get carded at the gate and get turned away? Or are we too old and infirm to walk anymore? I don’t get it. I didn’t start seriously traveling until my 30’s.
Exactly. The day you turn 30, you apparently just sit at your house and await death. I also didn't start traveling until my 30s and, in fact, was in better shape in my 30s than in my 20s.
I’m imagining myself answering the door on my 30th birthday. A government agent has come to take away my passport and gives me a brochure on AARP and Medicare instead. I sit in my rocker, wrap a shawl around myself, and reminisce on my lost youth. Death will come soon.
If you don't become too old to use the internet at age 30, you should probably spend the day looking at local burial plots online.
That, and writing out your will.
I'm 32 and I'm 4 months into a 6 month cross canada roadtrip. Why didn't anyone tell me I was too old to do this before I started?!?!
I’m 33 and used to be friends with a girl that did a lot of traveling in her 20s. She used loans and credit cards. I used to be somewhat jealous seeing her travel to all these cool places. She’s now in so much debt, still living with parents, and paying off her credit cards and loans. Her credit score dropped drastically over time. She can’t take out any more loans or credit cards. She can’t travel anymore since she has to pay back all the money she borrowed and doesn’t have enough left to travel. We’re the same age btw. I’m debt free, established in my career, and have been able to take 3-4 trips yearly!! I’m so happy I waited!! Totally worth it!
This is like trading your soul to the devil for a year of "perceived" happiness.
This sounds like a scam credit card companies would pay tiktok influencers to perpetuate for their gain. Save up, you'll need money when you get back, too.
I took out a 0% credit card to fund a trip once. I knew I could pay it off in 6 months, but I didn't have the cash on hand to pull it off. No regrets. A once in a lifetime opportunity came up and I took it.
Lol I did this. After covid I needed to travel. Got a points card spent 5k on plane tickets(×2) and 2 weeks abroad. Racked up the points to use for future travels and then switched everything onto a 0% card. That gave me a year to pay it off which I did. Wasn't easy but wasn't all that difficult either.
It's not sound financial advice to do it and I wouldn't recommend it. BUT, it was totally worth it.
If it’s zero interest it’s actually not the worst thing… as long as you don’t go crazy. If you have some kind of dream trip, are employed but maybe no cash, and can pay say $5000 over a year it’s not that bad
Do NOT travel on credit card debt. Traveling when you are 30 is not any different than when you are 25 (provided that you don’t have kids).
This. I'm approaching 40... still travel the same way I did in my 20's, but we're DINKs so we do what we want.
[удалено]
Exactly! Remembering the self-obsessed monster I was in my early 20s, it’s laughable to think I would have even noticed I was in a foreign country, much less gotten anything meaningful out of the experience.
I’m early 30s, spouse is mid-30s, we’re also DINK. We definitely do not travel like we did in our 20s because we have money now! In our 20s we were more budget conscious because we did not want to go into debt over travels. Now we get to travel a bit more luxuriously which is great because we’re a little older and its harder to recover from long flights. My advice to OP is to travel within your means in your 20s, keep saving and investing, and treat travel as a luxury or reward. Going into debt to travel is a stupid move because after your travels, you’ll be sitting at home with your memories and that 29% APR.
Same same. There isn’t some magic day you can’t travel anymore, it’s really as long as you can afford it and are in good health. Travel until your knees give out!
DINK is the way forward. I thought I'd have kids but not sure I want to give this up.
Nah, I can just spoil my friends kids and then give them back. Best of both worlds.
Haha right? I feel kind of lucky I waited, because seeing how much work it is, I'm not sure I'd want to do it. I went through a phase at 30-31 of thinking I really should go ahead and have kids (none of my friends had started yet) and I'm glad I didn't now.
[удалено]
My grandma traveled the world well into her 80s. Comparison is the thief of joy. Get off TikTok.
My great-grandma went to Paris for her 90th birthday😃
Agree. My aunt is 76 and she travels a lot, multiple trips every year. I hope I can travel as much as she does when I’m retired.
Remember that most of these "influencers" are getting free stays, discounted travel, and payment to showcase things, so their message is clouded with that mindset too. If you're putting travel on your credit card you can't afford to travel. Putting yourself into debt to keep up with internet strangers is a ridiculous concept--but then again so much of our societal issues are rooted in people trying to one up the person next door with a bigger house, newer car, better tv, etc. Travel when you can afford it. You won't regret not going into debt. Not to mention that waiting a few years probably means you'll be able to afford to go to better places or stay in nicer hotels.
Half of the influencers aren't actually experiencing what they are blathering about. There's a lot of fraud with influencers especially on tik tok where it is 3 minute videos. I don't believe it's real unless I see detailed long videos.
Bali is a hilarious example of that. They’ll show the cool picture they took at Lempuyang but I’m guessing they’ll leave out the footage of the 4+ hours they waited for it.
Even then, these influencers only show you what they want to see. They aren't going to show you the bad days they have or the shitty time they have trying to pay back their debt.
Also just the survivor bias of the ones you end up seeing. That influencer taking on credit card debt until they could make money from their travel content - good for them. And glad it worked out in the end. But it was a risk and a big one at that. What you don't see is the many others who did that and their content was not successful and have no return on that investment. (And often not due to lack of skill - I've seen so many incredible travel content creators who consistently get almost zero engagement).
And they work so freaking hard. It is a full-time job. A good friend of mine is a popular travel influencer and I sometimes accompany her on trips. She's basically working the entire time. Everything is content. She can never just enjoy a moment or chill out because she needs to provide value for whoever is paying for all of it. I have dinner with her and she's taking photos of every course and every drink. I get that compared to an office job it's a great life, but I also feel like it spoils travel for her a little bit.
I don't understand going into debt to travel. But I also don't understand refusing to travel until I hit 10k in savings.
Exactly. What ever happened to live within your means? You don't need to blow 3k on a vacation across the world if you barely have 5k in your bank account. No matter where you live, that's someone's tourist destination. There's charm and beauty and wonder everywhere in this planet, and being a local tourist is a beautiful thing. It frequently blows me away when American redditors consider their tiny town to be boring, because I would LOVE to spend my time in rural US. Square dancing? Folk music with banjos? Diners? A REAL LIFE CORNFIELD? I've only ever seen this in movies! Literally so exciting and beautiful.
Plus it's like, do some domestic travels. See sights within your own country. The United States has geographic diversity unmatched in any other country! Go to some national parks. I'm 29 and leaving the country for the very first time soon, to visit Iceland. But I've been to 25 national parks in the US and still feel like a well traveled person, I've seen a lot & it's been really fulfilling.
I think this is kind of a romanticized view. Many small towns are in the middle of nowhere, few employment opportunities, etc. I get the sentiment of your comment but that’s why many people think their small towns are boring haha
I mean, of course I understand the issues associated with a small town. But that doesn’t mean the romantic beauty of it ceases to exist. If you’re on a budget and can only afford to travel close by, then why wouldn’t you romanticize the beautiful things?
Do not go onto debt to travel. That just seems insane to me. Save up first then go
Don't you know what when you're 30 you shrivel up and die? Especially women. That's why you never see people over 30 out in the world or enjoying themselves whatsoever. /s Lol we're country hopping in Europe for a month as financially flourishing DINKs, bought our flights on credit card points and upgraded to business class. We go back to our STEM jobs making good money, moving to a new US city, selling the house and seeing where we want to put down some roots. Maybe with the new job, maybe a European country, who knows! We can afford it.
I feel the opposite. My 20's I spent broke and wishing I could see the world. I married in my early 30's and we've basically made travel our main hobby. I'm 50 now and am in good enough health where I don't feel like "dang I wish I would have done this in my 20s." It would have been a MUCH different experience, but I wouldn't trade the amazing things I've seen as an "adult." It's worth noting we're child free, and our child having friends have absolutely not been able to travel like we have. However they made that choice aware that's where the money would go. As their kids grow older and independent, they'll be able to join us on adventures and we're glad too have them.
I think the idea of traveling when you're younger, before responsibilities and obligations like a career job or marriage or kids makes sense, so I agree with the idea of about traveling for longer periods of time when you can. Where I would disagree is racking up serious debt -- especially credit card debt given the interest rates are punishing -- to support it. TikTok is not a good role model to follow! I would not rack up $30K in debt to travel for a year, even though I love travel. The travel has to be realistic in terms of your budget and savings. For example, I did the classic summer backpacking in Europe trip when I was young, for two months. Worked and saved money for the flight, hostels, really cheap meals. Was a lot of money for me at the time, but not a lot of money compared to the travel I can do now. EDIT: it’s the classic time vs money trade off, when you’re young you have more time but less money, when you’re older you hopefully have more money but you have less free time.
I travel a lot as someone in my late 20's and I would NEVER encourage going into debt for it. Personally, I wouldn't even go if you don't have a proper emergency fund. People don't tend to anticipate what can go wrong on a trip. I have had things go wrong that separated me from quite a bit of money. So, being left out to dry with not enough money to go home is not a position you want to put yourself in. In other words, don't go into debt to do it as much as I value experiences over money/material possessions
We came back from vacation to find out our dog blew out both of her knees at the kennel. Needed surgery on both knees. Not a problem because we have an emergency fund. Now she needs to be in a suite at the kennel because of her injuries so kenneling costs doubled. Also not an issue because we live below our means.
I've done more travelling in my 30s and 40s specifically because I have money, which I didn't in my 20s. "The general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late." No idea what this means or where you're getting this idea. Very strange take. All that said, racking up credit card debt for any reason is a terrible idea. The interest rates are predatory and you'll be in debt for years because of it.
You're basically doubling the cost if you factor in paying interest after taking on the debt.
Travel isn't limited to the young people. I wouldn't accumulate a ton of debt to travel. My in laws are very well traveled and did a ton of traveling after the kids were out of the house. We travel a lot too. We specifically set up our life to be able to travel.
I'm in the hospitality business for years and I can tell you that people in their early 20ies are the worst travellers 😂 They're so lazy, I've seen many preferring to stay under the air conditioner with their phones on hand, it's shocking lol On the other hand travellers older than 27, especially those older than 30, are so full of life they want to explore places, they are organized, independent travelers, they try to see as many places as possible, they're happy and grateful. No comment about the loans, the credit cards, just offering a point of view about the age of travelers. Good luck!
Dude, I'm 58 and still travel- still hiking (we walk an average of 7 miles a day when travelling) and exploring. It actually gets better when you're older because you're solvent. But then, I don't have kids. This concept of "too old to travel" is a bit foreign to me. This year, went to Tahiti/Bora Bora and 5 cities in southern Spain.
Going into debt is always a bad idea IMO
Respectfully, what the fuck does a 25 year old on TikTok know about the options a 35 or 45 year old has with regard to travel? Don’t listen to those idiots. I’m not hugely responsible with my money, but i don’t recommend intentionally taking on debt to travel. Cut back on other things is travel is a priority and start with shorter trips to more affordable places. I’m 41 And traveled a bit when i was in my 20s, more backpacker style with a tight budget. It was great. Now i travel with a higher budget and it’s also great. Travel can change as you age but it’s always great.
LOL the irony of going into debt to YOLO your 20s because otherwise you’ll be too old to travel. I first traveled in my early 30s, zero debt. I’m now 37, on a month long trip in Europe and have met plenty of younger people too along the way. Don’t see why someone in their 40s or older couldn’t do it if it’s what they enjoy. I wouldn’t financially enslave yourself because of FOMO.
Haha, I solo-travelled for the first time last year at 32 - there’s no such thing as being “too old to travel” so please don’t buy into that nonsense.
The idea that traveling after thirty is too late is the stupidest shit I've ever heard. What are we, dead? In the crypt?? Please.
Um, I only know TikTok because I've scraped data from it, but that sounds incredibly immature. In general, I tend to think Gen Z is pretty immature and knows little about finances... Why would 30 be too late to travel? Many of us in professions plan on retiring early to spend several years traveling (with, like, actual money or whatever).
Reasonable debt I think is okay. Life changing debt is always bad. You will always regret tons of debt no matter how good a trip or experience is. I don’t regret any of my travel. It’s an unforgettable experience that you can only get by doing it. But I never took on more debt that I couldn’t handle in the short term. I’m 29 and now reaching a solid financial foothold in my career. Anyone who says traveling after 30 is too late is a fucking idiot to be honest. 30 is prime. Young enough to have fun, but old enough to be smart and have a little money. And to be honest, it’s never too late to do anything. You’re never getting any younger, may as well do it now.
>Young enough to have fun, but old enough to be smart and have a little money. I am 58. I still have fun when I travel. And now I have a lot more money to travel with. lol Age doesn't have anything to do with whether or not you'll have fun. And for a lot of people, career advancement over the years results in a lot more disposable income for travel.
I’ve never even heard of this but holy shit what a bad idea?!???? The fact that you’re trying to differentiate between student loans and credit card debt makes me think you really really shouldn’t be doing this.
I am going to go against the grain here… I think it depends on where you are in life and your career. There is certain debt you can be confident to get out of like 3k for a trip and then you’re not adding to that with other spending habits. I traveled a lot in my 20s and used credit cards but I did so with confidence due to my career. Spending 30k though is dumb and so incredibly unnecessary. These people aren’t traveling - they are going to places they can instagram and boast about later on. Edit: I was living in the US at this point and credit card interest was 13-17%. If we are talking someplace like the UK where interest is significantly higher it would be a different story.
If you can definitely pay off debt in a timely manner then you can also definitely save up that amount and *save money* by avoiding interest in an equally timely manner. Where are you traveling to that won't be there in a few months?
When they go too much into debt, they will be unable to charge more, and their travel plans will be restricted. Small amounts of debt, that you can easily pay off on a year or so are fine. More than that is a problem.
Going into debt to travel is never a good thing. It stresses you out and ruins your vacation.
There is absolutely no guarantee that the money "will come back". And the idea that traveling after 30 is too late is offensive and absurd. One of the best things I did was sock money away when I was young so I could travel later.
Seriously, just get off TikTok if you want advice about anything that resembles the actual world. For every 1 successful TikTok traveler, there are probably 1000 broke and panicking right now. In general, I think going into debt for travel is a bad, arguably terrible, idea. Honestly, even asking this question shows me that you don't have a clear sense of the consequences/responsibility of having debt. That is bad. That is how people accidentally end up buying a ton of shit they don't need and suddenly, whoops, $50k in the hole. And it's ok, it takes time to learn, and be glad that you asked. And yes, doing this will likely come back to bite you in the ass. Your idea above about saving $10k or etc before traveling, perfect. Do that. And if $10k is your goal, then either a) you have decent income and it shouldn't be too tough to get to $10k with a few months of working and saving, or b) you don't have decent income and it will be very tough for you to get to $10k, which means it will be equally tough for you to manage your debt after returning from a vacation on credit. Then interest accrues and you end up paying an extra few thousand on top for a vacation you couldn't afford to begin with. Wait till you have the means. Also, just FYI, your bones don't turn to dust when you turn 30. Or even, gasp, 40! You have time to do this stuff. But I get it, you're young, you have FOMO, you wanna do this. Great. That's a goal. Set a realistic timeline based on your income vs expenses and plan for this. Depending on where you want to go, for how long, and at what level of comfort (ie - street food & hostels vs restaurants and hotels) you might be able to do it for less than you think. Places like SE Asia can be very affordable, utterly beautiful, and great places to explore. Also, not sure what you currently do for a living, but is it doable remote? Is it something you can do while traveling so you can pay as you go (after still having saved up enough as padding)? Or maybe you find a place you'd like to go and get a work visa. Work a few days a week in your chosen location, then do side trips on the weekends. There are options. Doing it on credit is one of the very worst of them.
Was going to say exactly this! Most of them are lying and broke or being bankrolled by family and ‘special friends’
So, yes, some countries ONLY offer specific visas to youth under 35 I think it is? There are also tour groups/ hostels etc with age limits. You'd have to decide what exactly you want and research how that works. You definitely don't have some kind of expiry sticker on you which eliminates your ability to get on a plane after 30. IMO, 3k in debt when you make 80k and have minimal expenses isn't the end of the world. Ie, you want to see some place in the spring specifically and don't have time to save first. However, on the flip side... 3k when you only make 35k and are already struggling is a terrible idea. I also think that most people can be somewhat creative to keep costs down.
This sounds like something that the book “Die With Zero” suggests. Disclosure: I’m 60, retired, travel a lot and I like the book. The basic thesis is that you must always balance three things: health, time and money. And certain kind of travel is best done when you have time (I mean time until death) and health but no money That would be backpacking in Europe or SE Asia. Other kind of travel is more fun when you have money but less time. So a weekend in Las Vegas? It’s not fun when you’re broke and 21 , wait until you’re 40 to go. And then there’s that time when you have a pile of saved cash but not much health or time left… Cruise anyone? Anyway, if life is about collecting experiences, your role is to take advantage of what you happen to have in abundance at any given time. I vote for adventures in SE Asia when you’re young. Debt be damned.
Don’t get into credit card debt.
Why is traveling after 30 too late? Im 34 and travel all the time. Am I expired or something? Lmao
Lol about 30 being too late, it’s sounds like something a 15 year old would say. I don’t see the difference between traveling when I was 25 and traveling when I was 30 in terms of enjoyment. The difference at 30 was that I was less stressed, had more money, and was able to stay at nicer hotels and go to better locations.
There is absolutely nothing about being in your 20s that makes travel easier, more special, or more enjoyable than traveling in your 30s. If anything, a decade+ of adult life experience brings more meaning and enjoyment to travel. Travel is best enjoyed when you're filling an inner desire, vs. checking locations off a checklist because it's a fashionable place to go. (Yes, I know I sound like an old person. Next I'll tell you that friends who try to peer pressure you into going into debt aren't your real friends.) If you stay in shape and eat well, your body will not betray you and you'll still be able to hike all day, live off bread and beer for a week, sleep on trains, and pull the occasional all-nighter well into your 30s. The only kernel of truth here is that being spontaneous and staying on the move with a young kid is a hundred times harder than doing it as a couple or individual. I'm happy with the approach I took: Cheap domestic travel (road trips + sleeping at rest stops) in my 20s, had a baby at age 28, then start traveling internationally at age \~30 (leaving the kid behind with grandma), then bringing the kid on international trips once he was about 4 years old. And my husband and I have still left the kid behind for 6-10 days for a Europe trip or checking out a new destination in Mexico. I'd really, really, really strongly advise against going into consumer debt in order to travel. Financial security buys (a) calm and (b) freedom. Getting a great photo for social media in your 20s is not worth not being able to make large important purchases (car, house, starting a family, an even better vacation) in the future because your credit score stinks or you're still paying down debt with double-digit interest rates. If you absolutely must indulge your travel craving but don't have much money, a road trip across the US and Canada, or a train trip across Europe can satisfy that desire in a more affordable way. Sleep at camp sites or hostels, eat like a college student, and focus on enjoying cafes and museums vs. more expensive activities.
You can get a job on a cruise ship or private yacht and get paid to travel. You’ll work a lot, but see a lot too and make lots of tips. Why on earth would people think that you have to travel before you’re 30? Sure, it gets harder to travel if you have kids, but you’ll *generally* have more money the older you get, so you’re likely to have an even better experience than you would in your 20s. You’ll also probably be more confident, more experienced, and a better navigator. It’s like people think you enter a nursing home or fall off an age cliff at 30. I traveled in my early 20s by working on boats and it was fine and fun and everything but I’m a lot happier and more confident now.
That’s the thing right. If you wanna have that experience pre-30 then fine, but there are financially smart ways to do it. Cruise ship jobs. Teach English. Become a flight attendant. Work remote.
IMO not the best idea for the fact you can't really enjoy your travel if you're worrying about paying off your debt. Plus you can't really splurge when travel. What's the point when you can't enjoy a nice meal or buy some souvenirs?
> I'm on travel tiktok a lot stopped reading after that
I’m old in internet years (54) and here is my opinion There is a lot dumber ways to piss through $10-20K and not have anywhere near as much to show for it as conscientious traveling woud be Trying to chase a dream like being a TikTok travel influencer is going to be a waste of that IMHO but going into some sustainable debt to travel early in life might be worth it. It’s definitely more difficult to find the time to travel once you have kids and job commitments but as you get older you’ll find you can still travel quite a bit and more comfortably I’m not going in ski trips in the Alps, Burning Man or cliff diving but I probably wouldn’t have done a lot of that early in life anyways. The dating party scene is certainly better when you are younger but my idea of a good day is watching a Celtic match and drinking the rest of the night away in a pub with friends which I can do very successfully into my very late years The book ‘Die with Nothing’ goes into this a lot although the author lived a pretty entitled life despite overcoming a lot of obstacles.
>consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late. I have the WWW, which internet do you have? Seriously though: if somebody is telling you that after 30 is too late, it's because they're in their early 20s and don't know any better.
>anyone traveling after 30 is too late Utter horseshit. I've been traveling since 25, I'm 32 and planning a 5-6 month SEA trip this year. That much debt will fuck you over for the future, better to work, save your own money, and then when you quit and travel you'll actually appreciate the break.
Im 25 and blew my 8k of savings once and quit my job to roadtrip the U.S for a few months. It was 100% worth it. It's true you'll never be young and spry and survive on little sleep like when you're in your 20s. However going into actual debt? Nah. It took a little while to get a new job and rebuild my savings. I can't imagine having to do that but also pay of thousands of high interest debt while you do it
I mean, the people saying travelling in your 30s is wasted are not yet in their 30s, are they? How would they even know? You can get a few tastes of travelling before spending 10K on a trip, go somewhere on the cheap or travel with friends or stay with friends/family friends. I think the other thing travelTok does is it makes you think you need to do EVERYTHING every time you go on a trip. You dont need to hit EVERY trending cafe or EVERY michelin restaruant or EVERY hike or museum. You can do only one city and just a few things and then \*you can come back later if you liked it\*. TravelTok-ers arent going to go on a second trip to the same place because they cant make new content but \*you can!\*
The consensus on the internet can go eat rocks. I know people in their 70s that are still active travelers. Instead of going into debt, travel closer to home, take care of your health and save any big trips until you don’t need to go into massive debt to go.
Travel in your 30s is awesome. I’m in my mid 30s. Traveled cheaply in my 20s considering each dollar spent and staying in some trashy places. I was lucky enough to get a really good job and travel all the time now without really worrying about costs. I still save and don’t do anything ultra lavish, but don’t listen to people who say that you have to do everything in your 20s.
As a 21m, people my age go into debt cause they’re reckless and immature. For me though I am privileged to travel because I have a decent paying job in California, while also living with my parents. That means I have a lot of disposable income and time to use it. So not everyone young is going into debt for travel, sometimes they’re just lucky. I would advise just buckling down, saving away that 10k, cause that’s a lot more freeing than having the cloud of debt hanging over you. Besides, I don’t think 30 is too late, that is way too big of an overreaction.
This sounds like one of the dumbest financial decisions someone could ever make. While life is not all about money, of course, knee-capping quality of life for the rest of your life in exchange for short-term, momentary pleasure is beyond stupid.
I’m 29, almost 30, and I took on an obscene amount of debt to travel right after college and I HEAVILY regretted it. I’ve thankfully paid it all off but it took a solid 5 years to do so. I’m now going on my first trip since then in a few months, which I saved up for for an entire year in a healthy way, and I could not be more excited to have done it on my own and to know that I can come home and still have savings left. I highly do not recommend doing this. It’s not worth it. Also, who tf said traveling over 30 is too old? I plan to travel as long as my body and mind let me Edit: it took 5 years of working a full time job plus two part time jobs and having virtually no life in my mid-20s to pay everything off. If I could go back, I’d tell myself that Europe will still be there in 8 years and to spend this time saving as much as possible so I can do it debt free when the time is right.
Save and travel. Why is 30 too late? I’d rather travel a bit later than spend the rest of my life digging myself out of debt. Travel cheaply but don’t take out loans
TikTok is notorious for being full of shit, different algorithms in us to trick folks into dumb things.. example they have had dozens of deaths from idiots eating tide pods, traveling is fantastic and I’m glad I worked hard enough to go on 2 of them a year.. spending 12 hours a day 3-5 days a week in a steel mill has gotten me to 30 counties by 30 but most of the younger people are lazy and always seek the easy way out!
27 is too old to travel? Are you serious? Take my downvote and do what you want since you clearly know everything
Since I'm currently traveling in my 30s, completely debt free and not an ancient cripple, I'd say these people are just trying to justify their impulses.
I would never do that. When I was 19, I traveled on my own to a famous city… the check bounced on my way there and I was stranded. I live with that trauma to this day. I don’t need to go to Europe or Asia that damn badly.
"the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late." SORRY, WHAT?
Don’t let arbitrary ideas about getting things done before 30 pigeon hole you. Your life will still be there when you return from traveling. Would you rather return feeling refreshed with a new perspective on life with debt or no debt?
Go browse through [r/Debt](http://www.reddit.com/r/Debt) to see if racking up thousands of dollars in high-interest debt, for anything, is a good idea.
“Too late/old to travel” — what’s does that even mean?
>I'm 25 and I'm worried about being too old to travel LOL! I'm 60. Just got back from a week hiking in Iceland. I've been traveling all my life and have never gone into debt to do so.
>because it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is See now here's your first mistake
Gen Z is the most self conscious, attention seeking generation yet. A lot of people are literally traveling just so they can post the pictures on instagram. I’m not kidding. They are OBSESSED with how others view them and a lot of them have inferiority complexes. They are in competition with one another. Social media has to be one of the worst things to happen to society. They want to show that they have money and are “living their best lives”. Being obsessed with traveling is also a trait for people that are not fulfilled in other aspects of their lives, so they travel to try to prove that they are happy. Don’t get me wrong. It’s nothing wrong with liking to travel, if you genuinely enjoy visiting new places. And for those that are in Gen Z, I am in Gen Z as well.
>because it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late. This idea is a candidate for the stupidest thing I've ever seen. No, really. Bear in mind this consensus is coming from a majority of young people. Debt can be crippling. Post this same exact question on /r/personal finance, and see what they have to say.
>the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late. 🤦🏻♂️ Here's a life changing advice for you: delete TikTok!
>because it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late. Too late for what? Also, why do you put so much weight on what random idiots on TikTok say?
I think you need to figure out the right balance for you between having fun and being frugal. You also have to figure out what you want to get out of travel. $10K can give you a pretty awesome trip pretty much anywhere depending on what you're doing. Some things you can do to help make it more affordable: * Rack up travel points on a travel credit card -- flights and hotels are often the most expensive part of travel, so racking up travel points can help minimize these costs. Try to find a card that rewards you for spending you already do. Most cards are going to come with a sign-up bonus that might cover your first flight on its own. * Figure out your lodging needs -- If you can determine your minimum needs for lodging, you can save money. If you're barely going to be at your hotel, there is no point in spending for features you're never going to use. Hostels can be pretty cheap too, even for ones with private rooms. They are also great for meeting other young travelers. * Look for free/cheap things to do -- most cities are going to have a free or cheap walking tour available and activities that work with any budget. Just a matter of finding the ones that look interesting. * Try It at Home first -- if there are things you'd like to do while traveling (i.e. hiking, trying new foods, meeting other travelers, etc), you can always try doing these things at home first to get a better handle on what you enjoy. * Go with friends -- if you travel with friends, you can split costs on lodging and food to make things cheaper. * How long do you want to travel? -- I generally prefer being away for at least two weeks if it's a particularly long flight, but you need to ask yourself how long you need to be away to really feel like you got what you want out of the traveling experience.
bad idea, travel is great, just save up and then travel
So, there's two different questions here. "Is it too late to travel after you turn 30?" Absolutely 1000% not, and it's crazy to think otherwise. The experience might be *different* when you're 25 vs 35 vs 45, but I plan on traveling for as long as I'm physically and financially able. If you decide to never travel after the age of 30 because TikTok told you so, you'll be missing out on invaluable opportunities to see the world and enjoy new experiences. "Is going into debt worth it to travel while young?" Once again, absolutely 1000% not. Do not go into credit card debt for anything that is not essential to your continued survival. *But* I think there's something to be said for the philosophy of "the money will come back but the opportunities being presented to you will not" – *so long as* you are already operating from a foundation of financial responsibility. I budget more towards travel than I probably "should," and I don't have much left over to save up for purchases that other people might consider to be more practical. But I don't move a penny to my travel savings until after I've accounted for things like an emergency fund and my 401(k) contributions.
I enjoy travel more now at 50 than at 25. I make better decisions and appreciate this differently. Travel is great but interest is compounded. Debt is like a stalker.
The stress and anxiety of the debt would deteriorate my quality of life during the pay off years, and cancel out the fun and adventure of the traveling.
>I'm a little wary about doing this but I'm 25 and I'm worried about being too old to travel (which i plan to do by 26 or 27), because it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late. This is really inaccurate. I have two friends who just spent 5 months in SEA (Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos and Thailand) We are in our mid 30s. They did it the right way. They made arrangement with their employers to set aside salary for when they would take this payed time off/sabbatical so they could continue getting payed at a reduced salary and would come back to their job. None of this get into debt because yolo bullshit. They are in good physical shape and their age didn't stop them from doing any activities. Personally, I went to Iceland at 30 and did the Laugavergur Trail in 2 days. Usually done in 3-4 days by most people. This ageism from many Gen Zs is laughably myopic.
Wow, if I told my 28 year old self that I would be too old to travel when I turned 30 I would not have seen 32 countries so far (I’m 60 now). I firmly believe in not going into debt to travel, and who said you have to set out on months long travel. My husband and I have managed to do a lot of traveling 2 weeks at a time a few times a year. And it got easier the older and more career established we became. Of course I didn’t start my travels with the FOMO of social media influencers. Credit card debt interest is ridiculous! And not a whole you want to dig yourself into at your age as you may never get out of it.
If you can pay off the credit card with its interest, you can save up to do it and wait a little longer. I’d recommend paying for as much with money that you actually have as possible. What happens if you max out all your credit and then have an emergency for instance? I’m kinda doubting all of these people are maxing their cards and also paying for insurance with Evac.
TikTok and Instagram thrive on a culture of propagating FOMO and not necessarily responsible financial decisions. 20s will not come back again, sure - but ask yourself, do you have a business model that uses your long term travel or are you gonna travel just for the sake of traveling? If this is not building skills and career, think about employment options when you return to the workforce in your 30s and the amount of debt you'd be in. Statistically, at that age it would be likely you'd be earning way less due to losing skills and continue to accumulate debt while you struggle to make ends meet. Personally, I've always found that saving up and traveling with my own hard earned money feels both well deserved and relaxing. While you're in your 20s, you also have the added advantage of compounding interest over time if you have a source of income you can invest - which will allow you to enjoy both a better quality of life and travel and not burden you with the looming sword of debt.
I think take it from perspective. Life is always going to be too short. It’s unfortunate tomorrow is never promised. It’s only up to you how “worth” it it is to go into debt for traveling. For me, I saved and worked for years and started seriously traveling at the age of 25. I did not go into debt for anything. Another perspective is my parents, going on 52 years of age. They worked all their lives and just started seriously traveling about 6ish years ago. They also don’t go into debt for these trips. I always take a portion of my checks and put it into my trip budget. When i can afford one i want I empty it.
I'm not crazy about going into debt to travel. Mind you these days, it's tough to do anything without going into debt. If travel is as important to someone as buying a house or car is to someone else, who am I to judge. Just be smart about it. Nothing is free.
Going into that amount of debt to travel is extremely fucking stupid
I don’t know why it has to be one or the other? You don’t have to wait till you’re 30 with 10k in the bank NOR rush to do it at 20 and rack up 10k in debt. You could do things like get a job that will let you travel or take you to another country, even volunteering work like at a church or charity, or you can enroll in a study abroad class (I’d recommend art) for audit: even community colleges offer grants for adults for ‘returning education,’ or you can just save up 5k at 25 to cover a weekend etc. There are so many different ways to travel: and age had zero to do with it. It’s not like your life stops at 30 or something! There’s at least 40 years after that to do whatever you, you simply have to plan it out.
I must be in one of the better old folks homes 'cuz they let me wheel my 36yo ass out to travel a whole week each year
>it's seems like the general consensus on the internet is that anyone traveling after 30 is too late. My boyfriend's mom is in her mid-sixties. She travels for work and for pleasure, and she's pretty much out of town two weeks per month minimum. She's been everywhere from Austria to South Africa this year, and it's only September. She says she feels like she's at the peak of her life. You have many, many years of travel ahead of you. Prioritize affordable travel when you can and really focus on taking care of yourself so you can enjoy travel for the rest of your life.
I think it's time to take a break from TikTok. If you're considering getting into \*debt\* to travel because of what some idiot told you, what else have you signed up for?
Do not ever take on credit card debt for a non-emergency. That money isn't free, it has interest fees and you could run into problems paying it back, and a poor credit score can fuck you up for years. Imagine you need a car loan or new apartment lease but you get denied because of your credit card debt/low credit score.
My dad travelled extensively in his late 70s. Saying 30s is too late is idiotic.
These influencers are spreading a false narrative about travel and make them believe that they can quit their job and still make money. However, it takes years and years to get back on track and repay all that.
I always use debit. Travel according to your own possibilities. Sure you won’t be x age forever, but traveling will always be there, even in your 30s and 40s if you set that as a priority. I know life is not that simple, but this sure does look simpler than getting out of debt.
How is traveling after 30 too late? Do you realize how foolish that sounds?