I’m the youngest person in the room almost every time I travel. In every instance where I had a chance to chat with older adults, I found them asking many questions about my travels and my story. Almost every person I chatted with, from my food tour group in Naples, Italy to the staff at Atlantis, the Palm Dubai, found it enlightening to see young people traveling internationally.
This begs the question: Why is it less common to see younger people traveling? Is it the lack of money associated with youth? Is it the ‘hustle’ culture that doesn’t allow enough PTO time to travel the world? Is this the ‘wait for retirement’ myth so many boomers fell into? This mindset of waiting until our older years to begin really living is one I don’t subscribe to. Instead, I made 2025 the best year of my life — experiencing new cultures, places, and sights that made me see life in a whole new light.
The ‘wait until retirement’ myth
“The idea that travel should wait until retirement [to travel] comes from an outdated model of life and work, where people assumed steady careers, guaranteed pensions, and predictable health,” says Linda R. Jensen, an expert in wealth management for individuals & business owners. “In reality, time, energy, and opportunity are often more available earlier than money ever will be later. From a financial standpoint, the real flaw is framing travel as an all or nothing luxury. When travel is planned intentionally, it can coexist with saving, investing, and long term security. Good financial planning is not about delaying life until retirement. It is about building a life that can be lived along the way,” she shares.
While I fully understand both sides of the “wait until retirement” philosophy, the concept of waiting for a day that may never come is one I can’t seem to wrap my mind around. This assumption of guaranteed health, time, and desire may sense in the mind of a 30 year old, but what if life gets in the way? I don’t believe in saving life for a version of yourself that may never exist. 65 year old me may not want to (or be able to) climb Mount Vesuvius or trek up the stairs to the Acropolis in Athens.
“From a financial perspective, delaying travel assumes continued health, mobility, and time later in life, while ignoring the compounding value of experiences earlier on: cultural fluency, adaptability, expanded networks, and even clearer career direction. From a human perspective, it often postpones joy, curiosity, and learning in ways that are never guaranteed to be available later,” says Luther Yeates, Head of Mortgages at UK Expat Mortgage.
Why I travel now and don’t wait for later
Traveling young may come with sacrifices. Maybe you can’t be away as long, as you have a family or a job waiting for you back home. Perhaps you have a budget to stick to. For me, these small sacrifices are worth the reward for the amazing benefits you get from experiencing new cultures and ways of life.
In 2025 alone, my experiences have completely shaped how the way I see the world and how I’ve chosen to live the rest of life. I will continue to travel for as long as I am healthy, willing, and able, but I am especially grateful for the memories I’ve made so far. From exploring the Berber villages in Morocco to the fortified walls of Malta, traveling has given me a gift that no physical item can provide: perspective.
Targeting specific types of travel
If this year taught me anything, it’s that travel isn’t one-size-fits-all; it means something different to everyone. This year, I found myself enjoying all of the places social media told me to stay away from, such as Malta, Dubai, and Morocco, and feeling underwhelmed by the hyped up destinations like Amalfi Coast, Italy. Every traveler is looking to get something different out of a trip — and this same theory applies to the ‘wait until you’re retired to travel’ concept.
Whether you choose to travel while you’re young or wait to travel when you’re retired (or both), should depend on what you’re looking to get out of a trip. While waiting until retirement to travel could mean you have more time, freedom, and money for luxury travel, it could also mean you don’t have the physical energy and health needed to tackle things like a 30,000+ step day in Rome.
Either way, the choice is deeply personal. I recommend you consider what you really want out of travel. Is it the thrill of riding in a hot air balloon over the mountains in Marrakesh as the sun comes up, or climbing to the top of the Acropolis for the views? Or is it the 5-star luxury beach hotel or fancy all-inclusive resort you’re after? I believe there’s a time and place for every type of vacation. For me personally, splitting my travel between now and retirement makes sense. Right now, I’ve chosen destinations that are harder to get to or require more physical exertion to explore. But this doesn’t mean it is the “right” way to do it. Every traveler’s needs and preferences are different and there’s an argument to be made for both approaches to travel.
