Do you like to travel? Do you get enjoyment out of seeing different places, visiting different landmarks and cities, and simply exploring the 
world?
Join the club.
I’m one of those people. I’ve been to 47 of the 50 states (Alaska, Hawaii, Maine are the missing 3, in case you’re wondering), and have been to every major city in the U.S. Well, I don’t think I’ve visited Memphis, TN – but aside from that city by the Mississippi River, I’ve been to every other major one.
Canada? Been to 6 provinces.
Outside of North America? Been to Europe and Asia (including both China and India).
So, all told, I think I’m someone who has enough experience to have an informed opinion on the value of travel for the average person. And what is that opinion?
Well, I think traveling is overrated by many. As is being “location-independent” (I’ll get to that later).
Traveling is Overrated
So, if I obviously like to travel, why do I think it’s overrated by some? Why am I bringing it up here in a personal finance-oriented blog?
Well, I think traveling is overrated by certain people because its allure causes people to spend a lot of money they probably can’t afford to. Almost as if some folks think that they become much wiser, more worthy of status by virtue of having seen famous or even exotic locales in the world. I bring this up because so many people either spend a lot of money on traveling, or aspire to live a life full of constant traveling.
Not that there is anything wrong with traveling a lot. Who am I to judge? Again, I like traveling (though I have little time for it now). However, some people seem to view traveling as some kind of necessary expense. As if, everybody deserves a vacation annually where they fly somewhere. No, nobody deserves any such thing. It’s a want, not a need.
Also, traveling is seen by a few folks I’ve talked to as either A) an expense that is different than other forms of entertainment, and B) a status symbol they can brag about. To me, traveling is something done for fun – meaning, it’s done for entertainment. Just like some folks might drop money on seeing movies, buying season tickets to their favorite sports team, or other similar forms of fun – traveling is no different. It isn’t more noble, it isn’t purely “educational”, etc – it’s entertainment.
In terms of the status symbol aspect to traveling, I’ve had a few folks brag to me over the years, with pride, about places that they visited. Almost as if they are somehow more worldly or sophisticated for having gone somewhere. I suspect that there is an element of keeping up with the Joneses when it comes to traveling, where people are willing to spend money traveling in some part (whether they admit it to themselves or not) that they can brag about having been different places.
Bottom line: I certainly like traveling, have done a lot of it, and understand why it is fun to many. But let’s be realistic, it’s purely entertainment, is not truly necessary, doesn’t make us more sophisticated, and is not worth getting competitive over to impress others and say you’ve been places.
Location Independence
Much like with traveling, there seems to be an allure to being location independent. However, this is probably with a much smaller subset of the population. The blogging community seems to have a disproportionate number of these folks. There are many people who make a living online or with jobs that can be done at any location, at any time. Simply have Internet access and make some phone calls, and you’re good to go!
The thing is, when the dream of this type of lifestyle is “sold” or at least popularized, it might not be painting a complete picture. The thing is, if you want to be a parent and have a family, can you really be a location-independent nomad? Really?
No, not really. Kids go to school, have friends, and need to be well adjusted. Spouses get used to an area, make friends, and often work “traditional” jobs. A home might even be purchased. Or not, but is that a realistic long-term life? Having total mobility without any strings attached?
Maybe for some, it just might work. But for most people, I don’t think so.
Bottom Line: So when I read about location independence and the ability to work anywhere and travel anywhere, based on making an online living, I just smile. I hope people think twice about taking such actions. Personally, I would prioritize financial independence over location independence.
My Questions for You
Do you think that traveling is purely entertainment, or do you think that it’s different kind of expense?
Do you see many people trying “keep up with the Joneses” in terms of where they have traveled, getting competitive about it (even if not overtly)?
What do you think about the whole concept of “location independence”?
I totally agree that traveling is entertainment and it does seem to be something that some will do to keep up with the Joneses. I won’t go somewhere I wouldn’t enjoy just because someone else says it is the best place ever.
Location independence seems like a neat idea either before or after you have kids but definitely not while you have kids.
I definitely prefer financial independence to location independence.
Lance – financial independence definitely > location independence. For those who want both, sure that would nice for them. But again, with kids and other considerations, it’s not likely.
These days our office is promoting tele conferencing. We all are givena webcam, LAN speed has been increased by 3 times. We do not need to travel any more.
Man the bag in picture is real vintage!
SB – that’s great to avoid excess business travel, at least in my view!
The only benefit with location independence is you can move at any time for any reason. Need a less expensive place to live? No problem. Just pack up your stuff and go. Got a great deal on a house in another city? Just move. (Of course moving stinks- the packing, the lifting, the hauling, etc.)
However, this is probably only 1-5% of the population. Most people are tied to their job, house, location, etc. and only dream of location independence which makes it seem romantic.
Little House – agreed that it applies to a small percentage of the population. I think the presence of children in the family would make this especially difficult to do.
Short term traveling is purely entertainment, but I think that there is a lot of value in living overseas for a long period of time. Learning another culture often challenges some of our basic values and gives us a perspective other than our limited worldview. With that said, I understand how people brag about traveling and such and it is just meaningless.
20’s Finances – makes sense!
I’ve also traveled extensively through work and for pleasure. I worked abroad for a year and had at least 5 global jobs. Living abroad changed how I view life and work. Understanding cultural differences on how people live and interact with each other was eye opening. Until I worked in the UK, I had no idea that I there was a lifestyle out there that wasn’t high stress and fast paced (the American way). Instead I saw how Europeans worked to live vs the other way around..
If I hadn’t worked abroad, I would not have had that perspective so for me, it was educational and I love working with folks from around the world.
As far as being location independent, well, life’s pleasures to me are all about the people. It’s hard to build those relationships in a meaningful way when you are nomadic.
First Gen – Oh, I do see it the way you do that being abroad and seeing different cultures can really advance personal growth. It can do so in myriad ways. That being said, when people spend money they don’t have to travel for fun, and treat it as some kind of exception to normal spending rules, it’s a different ballgame altogether. Good point, by the way, about location independence and people.
One more spin on the education spin: as with a relevant education, travel can be an asset on the resume. The well-traveled applicant may have an edge over one who doesn’t have a passport.
101 Centavos – true, that’s a good point. It can be a differentiator, depending on the position, though I think that business travel and international experience is what matters as opposed to personal travels.
Travel=fun=entertainment (for me).
Marie – it’s fun, I agree!
I think there is something to be said about being able to work remotely where ever you want. Granted you might not country-hop every month or two, but I think there are a lot of benefits to being able to work from home or work from anywhere full-time. One thing I have been seeing is the ability to outsource some of this work for less. I can’t emphasize the irony enough that some companies are outsourcing overseas before their company culture embraces work from home in the US. It’s kind of funny to see it play out where I am working with people across the globe yet office culture looks down on working from home.
DC – working from home or anywhere can be very helpful and I’m sure has its advantages. It would allow person the opportunity to live based on personal preferences much more so that being influenced by the location of a job, commute time, etc. That being said, I think the flexibility to move from place to place isn’t just based on the job itself. Rather, it’s based on moving kids from one school to another, from one community and set of friends/activities to another. It’s about moving a spouse, possibly away from family. That’s why I think the location-independent concept looks good on paper, but isn’t practical for the vast majority of people.
I’m excited about being location independent so that while I’m being snooty with people about the cool place I’m at, I can also tweet about it.
LOL
I quickly got over the whole lifestyle design thing and the cult of location independent bloggers – although some days the idea definitely appeals. I think I can safely say it’s not for me (I’m also boring and enjoy being an employee).