travel vs. vacationing

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, an 18 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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onto today’s topic: travel vs. vacationing 🛩️ 

there is a huge difference between going somewhere for travel versus for a vacation. i used to watch those tiktok travel compilations and think to myself, “wow, they must be so rich.” while that might be true for some cases, i’ve only recently realized how financially feasible traveling and seeing the world really is.

travel is budgeting, staying in hostels, couch surfing, going for the local experiences, making friends with strangers, an adventure nearly every day, flights with multiple layovers and hiking up mountains. 🏔️ 

vacations are staying in hotels, hitting tourist spots, relaxing in hot springs, taking the scenic trains and nonstop flights with checked suitcases. obviously, this is much more expensive.

i’ve been planning a lot of travel recently and my biggest expense has been flights, the rest is minimal for an amazing experience. it’s also about priorities — working on a side hustle for a month or two can definitely fund a month’s worth of travel anywhere around the world. 🌏️ 

the key difference between travel and vacations is the cost, which is enabled by compromise. i've learned from my trips so far that i’m more of a traveler rather than a vacationer. i want to be on the go for entire time i’m abroad — trying new food, seeing new sights and meeting new people.

you don’t have to be rich to live a life that is rich with different experiences and perspectives from all around the world. it just needs to be a priority, with a willingness for compromise. ;)

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