I know that I have a passion for travelling and travel writing because I am saving whatever little money I have leftover to pursue it.

I have written previously about reigniting my fire for travelling in previous articles. You can check them out here and here. Perhaps it’s because this COVID nightmare is finally turning for the better that I am getting back into writing about travelling, but I know that the desire was always there. However, during the lockdown of the pandemic, my dreams of seeing the world and moving down south seemed to be drifting further and further away.

Now, there is hope for all of our travelling dreams. We aren’t quite there yet, but if vaccination rates keep increasing, many countries should be achieving herd immunity and fully opening their borders soon.

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However, while the idea of not being confined in my own country (let alone my own house) is part of the reason I am excited about travelling again, it is not the sole one. There are many reasons.

I love to travel. I love to see new places and do new things. I love the smell of the airport as I await hopping on a plane destined for parts unknown. I love grabbing a backpack and a pair of shoes and aimlessly wandering around a new city, taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells that I can. I love meeting new people and seeing how they live in their normal. And I love writing about it.

“Travelling — it leaves you speechless, and then turns you into a storyteller.” — Ibn Battuta

I have known how strongly I feel about travel for quite some time. Besides all the ones above, another reason I know this is because my saving and spending habits haven’t changed. Even when I wasn’t able to travel and didn’t know when travelling would be possible, I still kept my savings for travelling going.

I don’t have a lot of money to save, but I noticed that what I do save, I save for what I really want.

A recent Facebook post by a friend caught my attention this week. They posted about how much life costs in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where I live. The post and the comments that followed spoke of how much of their hard-earned money went to rent, bills, groceries, childcare, and other necessities, followed by how little is left over for whatever they want. Many others commented and chimed in on how much money they have to spend every month and how much they have (or don’t have) leftover. Most said at least 90% of their paycheque was gone just to stay afloat.

The comments were eye-opening, to say the least. Many people are working solely to pay the bills and put a little food on the table. I am one of those people, too.

I make a decent amount of money, but I live in a costly city. I have to pick and choose what I spend my money on. I don’t buy expensive clothes, I am not saving for a fancy car, and I only have a couple of hundred dollars left over at the end of the month — much like the commenters on the Facebook post.

However, what I do with those few precious hundred dollars is how I know I am on my right path.

I take whatever money I have, and I save it for travelling and a house down in Panama.

I have been saving my precious few dollars a month ever since I got myself out of debt. It may not be much, but it’s going toward my passion, and I will do whatever I have to do to see it through. That is how I know I am on the right path to finding my dream job of either working in the travel industry or working while I travel. There are lots of things I could buy with my savings now, but I choose not to. I choose what I love.

If you are in the same financial situation as I am (and many others are), consider yourself lucky: you can easily see what matters most in your life just by checking your bank statement.

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” — Anonymous

Travel is expensive. For most, prohibitively so, and that is unfortunate. Seeing how other people live, especially in poorer countries, provides a real sense of gratitude for what we have.

I have been fortunate to see some of the world already, and it has changed me for the better in many ways. I think most people would be a better version of themselves if they could travel in some capacity. I think people would be more compassionate and understanding to one another.

Travel and learning about other cultures is a great way to bring people together. Respect is learned, given, and received. So are empathy and compassion, and understanding. Travel provides knowledge that no book can teach.

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”— Gustave Flaubert

Little by little, I am getting closer to my dreams, and this is the work and time that I have to put in to get there. And that’s fine by me. I am happy in my little rented paradise with my girlfriend and our cat. I am working toward something now. Something bigger.

I have gratitude for my life right now because I am saving for my future dream life. Life is balance. I am happy and full of gratitude in the present while saving and planning for a “better” life in the future. Balance.

Michaelangelo said that he didn’t sculpt David and other fantastic works of art. He said they were already there underneath, and all he did was clear away the pieces that needed to be cleared. My masterpiece and my great works are just underneath the surface, and right now, little by little, written piece by written piece, I am clearing away what doesn’t need to be there to reveal my future.

I feel great about pursuing my passion now. With the pandemic (hopefully) coming to a close, everything feels like it’s falling into place. All I have to do now is have the courage to keep going and to have the fortitude to grasp the right opportunity that comes along.

One day, I will be writing and working and travelling all at the same time. That is my passion and my dream.

What are your passions and dreams?

If you haven’t figured them out yet, ask yourself what you spend your money on. What are you buying and why? Does it fulfil you? Does it make you happy? Maybe you can find a way to make a career out of what you are spending money on?

Every little bit counts when we’re talking about your dreams. Even if you aren’t making the kind of money you want right now, your actions with what you do have will go a lot further to reaching your dream life in the long run.

I am lucky. I have found my passion and I am pursuing it. I am dedicating what little time and money I have leftover at the end of the day to achieve my hopes, dreams, and goals, and one day, they will come true. I know that.

I wish the same for you.

“The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself.” — Wallace Stevens

Please stay safe and travel when it’s safe to do so.

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