Fast 5 Travel Tips: When to travel

I had a friend pose this question earlier today. "When is the best time to travel?"

I'll answer this a few ways:

1. When you need to escape! When you need a new perspective and a breath of fresh air, you should travel.

2. When others aren't! If the questions infers "when are the best deals?" then the answer is definitely in September and early January. When the rest of the world goes back to work, you should travel if at all possible. If you travel immediately FOLLOWING a major holiday, (summer break etc) then you can travel for about 40% less money.

3. When you really need to celebrate! Milestone anniversaries and graduations should be savoured. A trip can help you do that.

4. When something new comes on-line.  A new airline? A new hotel? A new shopping district? They are eager for business and want to please you. You'll get great value if you're an early adopter.

5.When your children are young.  Time is precious and you've heard it a million times, but they grow too fast. Kids are considered Disney adults (price) at 10. And by the time they're 16 and can drive, they won't go anywhere willingly with you. The years that follow are boldly independent and often centred on friends and girlfriends/boyfriends.  By the time your kids want to reconnect and travel with you again, they could be 30 or 40 and it might just be too damn late for you.  So travel while you're both young and able.



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I love this picture. Ok, I was somewhat nervous about handing my iPhone to a camel attendant, but he insisted.  (Ok, I was kinda freaking) But the point of the story is.... my son and I were on a camel!  In my entire childhood and adulthood, no one had ever offered me a camel ride. And here I was, on holidays with my son, in the middle of California and there was an opportunity to ride a tame camel. And it was $5.  FIVE BUCKS?!! I pay more than that for a coffee!  And my son said, "no thanks. We can do it another time."  That's when I went into my "live in the moment" speech and carefully explained that this was likely the one time in our lives when we would be together and actually have the chance to do something as cool and unique as ride a camel. And to shut me up, he agreed to get on a camel. And it was awesome!

My point is this.... if there is an opportunity to travel with your kids, do it. Leap! And with enthusiasm. Travel anywhere and everywhere and leap at the corny opportunities to laugh together and take 1000 photos, because time is precious. And time with your kids is the most precious of all.

So, when is the best time to travel? Now. Do it now! Your trip can be to the next town over, and cost nothing more than a tank of gas, or the trip can take you halfway around the world. Cost is really irrelevant. Your enthusiasm and your time together is THE most important thing.