I often have conflicted feelings about the amount Steve and I travel. Sometimes, I’m sheepish when friends or clients ask me, “Where are you off to now?” The vast majority of people in the world never travel abroad. Ever. For some, this is a choice. For most, the resources and life circumstances to travel abroad just aren’t there.
Basically, we won the “life lottery.” The extremely good fortune we had to be born in Canada, into loving families, with access to education, free health care, and a stable economy have greatly enabled our lifestyle. So have life choices we’ve made:
We are not parents
In 2011 MoneySense analyzed the average costs of raising a child in Canada to age 18 and came up with the whopping figure of $243,660. That is a whole lot of overseas trips! As well, although it’s entirely possible to travel frequently with children as my fellow Canadian bloggers the Traveling Canucks continue to prove, I’m pretty certain I couldn’t cope. When I see parents travelling with little ones who are cranky, hyper, loud, and jet lagged, I can’t help but stare in wonder at how they do it. Of course, when I’m old and alone, I’ll have to pay someone to visit me to listen to my travel stories.
We live in Winnipeg
We were born here and we love Winnipeg. But the fact is when we think about moving, what keeps us here in addition to our families is cost. As an example, the average cost of purchasing a home in Winnipeg is $268,382 CDN. That’s 43 per cent less than the Canadian average. Winnipeg’s not the easiest location in terms of getting to travel destinations, but it’s a culturally vibrant, urban centre that makes jetting off affordable.
We work independently
Steve and I both have our own home-based companies and we can work pretty much anywhere with a good Internet connection. This has allowed us to take extended time away while meeting work commitments.
We make travel a priority
We have one car, a 2000 Honda Accord, which we won’t replace when it finally dies. Because we live downtown and walk most places, we use our car about once or twice a week. We try to avoid buying lots of “stuff” – although to the casual visitor it would look like a centipede lives here for the number of shoes Steve owns. Before making a purchase, I sometimes calculate where I could travel for that amount of money (see “We are not parents” above).
We take advantage of corporate travel
Steve’s work travel means the accumulation of a ton of rewards points, which allows me to tag along on his trips for not a lot of cash. We also use those points for vacations and Steve gets immense pleasure from seeking out travel deals online. I personally don’t have the patience to do that, but I’m thankful that he does.
A privilege AND a choice
So I think the answer to my headline is that travel for us is both a privilege and a lifestyle choice. There are travellers out there who say anyone who wants to can travel if they put their minds to it. But you need to have a number of basic human needs met before you can even entertain the idea, so that sentiment has always seemed out of touch to me. It’s a lifestyle choice, but it’s backed by a certain amount of privilege.
Do you agree?
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you are absolutely right with this post. I remember being only 18 years old and taking a summer job in a factory just to be able to go on holiday with a friend. And again saving frantically, eating beans for dinner, just so I could go on a solo trip to Goa. some people want a fancy car, some want stability and a family, I want a plane ticket… Nowadays, we often add a few days on the end of a business trip so at least hubby’s flights are paid for. This helps with the Asia and Australia trips… and our airmiles help with the cost of mine.
To me it’s clear that travel is a bit of choice and a bit of privileged circumstance. You and I clearly make it a priority and we’ve organized our lives accordingly. Wow, 18 years old in Goa. That must have been an adventure!
I definitely agree it is both. I know that there are people in the world who will never have the opportunity to travel as much as they want, or ever, so I am always grateful that it has been an option for me. That said, I think a lot of people could make it a priority like you have and travel way more than they think they can, but it’s a mindset that is very difficult for some.
Also, the not a parent thing. Yes.
Thanks Kacy. We are on the same page. If travel is something you want to do, usually, there is a way to do it.
When we worked full-time my wife and I prioritized travel. We’d combine business trips with vacation and saved (most) of our money for vacation. That was our choice. But we were also privileged with good jobs, no debt (also a choice), no health issues, and no kids. It seems to be that travel is both a privilege & a choice. It does however irk me when people complain they can’t travel; mostly they just aren’t choosing to travel.
Thanks for dropping by Tim. Yes, it is both. If you have the basics in life, for the most part, I think you can prioritize travel if that’s what you want to do.
I think frequent travel is a combination of both privilege and choice – certain circumstances may make it easier for some people, but the choice to get up and go is your own. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for weighing in, Mary! In general, I agree with you. I think there are some situations that make travel very difficult for some (e.g., abject poverty, profound disability, family care commitments). There are some very determined travellers out there, though, and many make a supreme effort to live their dream. I wrote this post partly as a way to acknowledge my extremely privileged place in the world. I never want to lose sight of that.
Preach! I get so frustrated when people assume that I am on a perpetual vacation. We don’t have cable or extravagant expenses and we bought a small home so we can focus on travel. I think traveling is a life choice, not a privilege. Great post!
Thanks for weighing in. I agree to a point. There are a whole lot of people out there who are not even in a position to make a lifestyle choice.