Why It’s Time to Break Up With Your Fear of Travel

You break up with an unfaithful lover because their betrayal disrespects you and eliminates the trust in the relationship, leaving you unhappy.

You divorce a spouse because for reasons only you and your spouse know, the marriage just isn’t working out anymore and leaves you unhappy.

You break up with a commitment-phobe boyfriend/girlfriend because they’re holding you back from moving forward and achieving your relationship goals: marriage, a more stable relationship, main squeeze status or having children.

Fear personified is no different than the three situations above. Now is the time to deal with your fear of travel the same way and kick that worthless harbinger of stagnation to the curb. Here are three reasons why:

1. You Want to Be Happy

And you won’t be as long as you have an itch to travel that you’re not scratching because of fear. You will forever be that bitter person hating on everyone who shares their travel stories with you, like the person who scowls at happy couples because they’re too fearful to end an unhappy relationship.

If your fear stems from a phobia of air travel, seek help from a professional or check out my tips on how to combat the fear.

Break up with your fear

2. You Want to Move Forward

Are you sick of saying “I really want to visit Paris this year” or “One day I’m going to visit London” and never follow through with your plans? Think about what’s really stopping you. Is it money? Cut back on unnecessary expenses and save a smaller amount over a longer period of time. Is it your job? No one says you have to quit your job to travel. Put your vacation days to use and plan at least one trip per year; it’s the perfect way to build up your travel tolerance and scratch that travel itch.

3. Claim Your World Citizenship

Do you really want to leave this world in old age without really seeing it? Just because you were born in one part of the world it does not mean the rest of the world is off limits to you. Ease yourself into it. Start by traveling to different states, Canada, the Caribbean and then maybe Europe or South America.

Life is short and now is the time to live it. Don’t you want to experience being hit on by a hot guy in some café in Paris or Buenos Aires? I can tell you from experience there is nothing sexier than being wooed by a guy who speaks in a foreign tongue.

Don’t you want to make unforgettable friendships all over the world and learn about different cultures?

Don’t you want to have stories to share about the amazing adventures you had while abroad?

Don’t you want to be able to give travel advice to your children or grandchildren if they decide to study abroad?

Fear is robbing you of all the amazing things travel has to offer. Try to think of fear as the lesser mate, the one you had to date in order to appreciate travel. I dumped my fear of travel 9 years ago at the age of 19. And I never looked back.

Is fear of travel holding you back from reaching your wanderlust goals? I want to hear from you—comment below.


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