"Why Are You Traveling During a Literal War?!"

That's how some people reacted when I shared that I was traveling overseas in April. I've been in India for almost three weeks, and next up is France! I don't even have a return flight booked, yet.

The short answer to why I came is: because I can! As 2020 showed us, this is not always the case; the world can shut down at any time. As long as there are flights available (and I'm not going to a country that's directly involved), I'm not cancelling any travel plans. And BTW the U.S. is directly involved (as we have been for decades), so wouldn't leaving actually be safer?

The crazy thing is I was actually supposed to begin my trip in Dubai to catch up with some local friends before heading to India. However, with the attacks in the U.A.E. that happened in March, I was more than ready to cancel my flight coming up in mid-April. Of course, the airlines were stalling for as long as they could with cancelling or issuing refunds.

After some discussion with the Dubai group chat, and friends having to evacuate the U.A.E., I cancelled my Dubai hotels (this is why I ALWAYS book with free cancellation). And, before flight prices could rise any more, I went ahead and booked a new flight from NYC to India, as my friend in India had already secured most of our bookings for our tour around India, some of which were not refundable.

My hope was that either the airlines would cave and cancel my flights through Dubai or my credit card company would offer a "one-time courtesy refund" as a long-time customer. Luckily, with some pushback, I was able to get that courtesy cancellation a week before my first flight (although I'm still waiting on those points to hit my account...).

Dubai has never been top of my travel list anyway. I always thought it's probably better done when I have more money, and it'll always be there.... Now, I can only hope that'll still be the case. In fact, this turn of events reminded me of the exact lesson we should've learned from C*VID. Your whole life can change at any moment: wars erupt, airlines go out of business (*RIP Spirit Airlines*), and while tomorrow is not guaranteed, we are guaranteed to die one day.

And this is exactly why I'm still traveling!

As someone with no family to care for, no pets, no full-time job, and a decent savings, when else will I have this type of freedom? While this lifestyle doesn't come without its own struggles, I've never felt more free! But, after one and half years of essentially being nomadic, I do desire to settle down in one place, establish a routine, have a place to call home, a stable income, and health insurance — and I know I'll get there one day. For now, I'm just making the most of this current phase in life that I may never have again!

In October 2024, I quit my job to travel full-time for up to one year, and it's still the best decision I've ever made! I won't be daft and say "quit your job with $50 in your bank account and go!" especially in this economy. I took methodical steps to prepare for this, which I shared in a previous blog post. But my advice today would be to hold onto that job for as long as you can stand it, have a long-term plan, save, and invest! Use that money to fund your passion (a side hustle, business, travel, etc.) until you can fund your lifestyle without that full-time job.

However, if you want to take a vacation right now, and you're financially able, don't let fear or others hold you back, especially not the actions of Cheetoh man and his puppeteers. Of course, given the political and economic climate, flights are more expensive than usual, and you should be aware of the risks of flight cancellations. But if not now, when?

Use these tips to ease your mind while on vacation:

*Includes referral links

1. Add travel insurance to cover costs of trip cancellation or disruption. This can be added on when booking a flight, or travel credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred,* often have extensive built-in benefits when you book your travels using it. But always check the coverage policy. Strangely, "acts of war" is often cited as NOT covered by travel insurance.

2. Book hotels & tours that offer free cancellation. I usually use Trip.com* or Booking.com,* and I never book anything that doesn't allow me to cancel at least one week ahead of time.

3. Register your trip to the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) so the U.S. Department of State can assist in the event of an emergency.

4. If you can't afford to miss another day of work, book your return flight for two days prior to when you need to return to work (if you work Monday, return on Saturday). In case your flight is cancelled, you may be able to still catch a Sunday flight.

But I don't have anyone to travel with!

Well, I am a huge proponent of solo traveling —I've been to 20 countries solo! I get it...it sounds daunting. Most of my family thought I was insane when I did my backpacking trip because they weren't exposed to that lifestyle. Meanwhile, I follow so many solo travelers on Instagram and have a few women in my own family who HAVE done it / do it now. If you haven't thought about it or are on the fence, perhaps you just need a little push; this blog post I wrote can help you weigh the benefits of solo traveling.

Now if you feel mentally ready, I've also written some tips to help you take action to start solo traveling! These are small steps you can do right now at home to prepare yourself mentally and financially to solo travel one day! Hopefully, "one day" is soon, especially if traveling is high on your priority list.

Finally, if you need more help planning your trip, I offer personalized travel consultations, travel guides, and travel planning services! Reach out to me to get started!

Let me know: Have you ever solo traveled? If so, where, and how did that go? If not, what's holding you back?