Why You Need To Never Stop Traveling (Even Once You’re An ‘Adult’)

Spring Break was always a spectacle when I was in college. I did it all: I drank beer in Boston. I brewed coffee in Seattle. I beached in Charleston. I ran from the cops in Atlanta.

Then I graduated and the real world shattered its porcelain baseball bat against my forehead. I was told left and right, “you won’t be able to do this in the real world,” or, “enjoy the freedom while it lasts, because vacations don’t happen when you’re older.”

Why?

Why is it unheard of to treat yourself? I treat myself every week. Whether I buy myself a beer or bake a cake or drop $14 on a movie at the upscale cinema, I make certain to treat myself every week. And I still went on Spring Break, a full year out of college.

How?

“How do you have enough vacation days?”
“Isn’t it way too expensive to do anything like that?”
“What will your boss think?”

Our obsession with the future can be great, but it can also hinder our sense of wonder. Why is it that the day you become a “real adult” the fun stops? It’s kind of like the year you stop believing in Santa Claus – the wonder disappears and suddenly you’re only able to get socks and boxers under the tree.

Our generation – snake people, millennials, generation y, the demise of our great planet – is statistically more likely to be ashamed about treating ourselves than any generation before us. We shame each other for going on vacation, or for making a big purchase. And for what? Is our obsession with – and fear of – the future really going to stop us from living?

Go. I don’t care how old you are, how much you think, “I can’t do that!” Go on Spring Break. Go to the beach, to Europe, to the big city, to the farm. Go to the movies, to the mall, to the ice cream parlor. Treat Yourself. You’re worth it.