You may have seen me recently in the Daily Mail, where they wrote a pretty awesome piece about me with the headline “Teacher Sets off on Mission to Visit 30 Countries by 30.” When they sent me the published article, I was a little surprised. We hadn’t discussed this as a title, and I casually mentioned this part while they were interviewing me.
My goal when I’m traveling isn’t to count countries; my goal is to have a great time and experience something new and exciting! Should counting countries be your ultimate goal? Probably not. Is it fun and exciting? Yes! I don’t think you have to pick between the two as a goal when you travel, so here’s why I chose (and you might too) to visit 30 countries by 30 and how I keep your mindset about it in check.
PS – I’m past 30 now and did hit my goal!!!
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Reason 1: experience lots of different cultures.
Not because you just want to check off more places.
I love experiencing different things and different places. There’s so much to see and do in this world and one of the best ways to do that is go to new countries. Everywhere I’ve visited has given me a different experience and that makes me excited to have more.
If I decide to go somewhere just to check it off my list, then it probably will not be an experience I enjoy nearly as much. I do revisit places I love frequently. For example, I’ve been to Puerto Rico and Italy three times, Mexico three times, and California at least five times. I love revisiting places and seeing what else there is to offer. You’ve got to have a balance of both!
Being able to revisit places is also a privilege and has taken sacrifices. I completely understand wanting to go somewhere new each time because you may have limited PTO, time due to family, budget, and so on. Basically, you shouldn’t feel bad either way, but you should consider why you are choosing to travel somewhere.
Reason 2: every country is so unique
Not because you can go to a place for one day and say you know everything about it.
Every country (and city, honestly) has its own unique culture and space. The more I can experience, the better! I don’t feel like you have to visit a bunch of countries for something unique, but I think you do get something unique from each place you go.
I’ve been lucky enough to have layovers in different countries and start to experience them. I know I want to go back to countries like Turkey to spend more time there, but I did get to experience Istanbul for two days, and it was completely unique and wonderful!
Should you count short trips as visiting a country? I think so, but people have different thoughts on this. My thought is no you didn’t experience the whole country, you aren’t an expert on it by any means, but you did spend time there.
Now a layover where you stayed in the airport is a stretch, but leave your thoughts on this in the comments if you want!
Reason 3: having a lot of time off and a flexible schedule simplifies things
Not because you are going to do one huge multi-country hopping trip in a short amount of time.
If you have a job that allows you enough time off, then go for it! You may even have the means to take a longer trip and explore an entire area of the world. The key is to budget and plan well (assuming you have the time off.
Teachers can relate to this because we have the summer which is a great opportunity to travel. I’ve used teacher travel opps multiple times to afford to do this on my breaks.
And honestly, I realized I was so close anyway and travel all the time so why not make it a goal? It’s fun to think about and gives me motivation to go to new places. I am lucky enough to have a ton of time off. If you travel a lot, consider making it a goal for fun!
A week is a decent amount of time to spend in a country (although more is better!), so why not take advantage of those breaks? I went to six countries and three continents last year, and I don’t want to slow down.
Reason 4: there’s so much good food out there
Not because you want to try one dish and say you know everything about the food in a country.
I’m obsessed with all the different foods around the world! I love visiting different countries and trying the best of what they have to offer. I’m always happy eating a good meal and having some wine.
Traveling expands your knowledge of food and lets you see the best of each country. I am by no means a food expert, but eating the delicious food in a country is one of my favorite parts of visiting!
Reason 5: setting travel goals can be really fun
Not to stress yourself out or worry about being disappointed.
If you are goal oriented and thrive off having a bucket list or check list, it’s fun to make this a goal. If it starts to feel like pressure or financial strain, then maybe 30 countries by 30 is not for you and that’s okay!
As I mentioned, I’m pretty close to being there already, and I might as well reach this goal! It’s tons of fun to be working toward something (yes, I may be a bit type A…), and I do think it’s a fun way to document travels.
I think people way overthink the idea of counting countries. If your goal is to have fun and have great experiences, then you should go for it!
Reason 6: you can learn how to find great deals and make travel a priority.
Not because you have a bunch of money or are willing to put yourself into debt.
This one is really important and can end up being a great life skill. When you start to travel a lot or consider traveling a lot, but are on a budget, you start to learn how to make travel a priority and find good deals.
And trust me, I know how to find a good deal and probably spend about $5,000 a year on my travels. I’m pretty transparent about the money I spend when I travel on my blog because I want people to know how affordable it can be. I am not afraid to say that I took an extra job to fund my travels and I’m not worried about how it looks.
If travel is a priority for you and you want to make it something that you continue to do for a long time, you can learn how to do this too. Keep your bucket list affordable and don’t be afraid to adjust the goal if it’s too big a burden!
So, how do you feel about counting countries? Would you set a goal to visit 30 countries by 30? Hopefully, I have given you some insight into my thoughts about it and why I think it can be fun if done for the right reasons! Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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