Where do you dream of vacationing?
We all have different ideas of what the perfect vacation is and what our ideal pastimes are, but according to multiple polls nearly every single vacation spot has nothing to do with accommodations and almost everything to do with the natural environment.
Even the world’s elite choose environment as their number one deciding factor when they decide to kick up their feet.
Yes, the accommodations matter and so does the food, but overwhelmingly everyone chooses the natural beauty as the priority when they choose to spend their hard earned money.
Walking on the beach, hiking in the mountains or swimming in a lake are the activities that everyone looks for, regardless of social status or bank account holdings.
Many people pay big bucks to go to places just to enjoy the outdoors because they value those experiences more than anything else that they can buy.
But, doesn’t it seem quite ironic that everyone spends money to enjoy things that are essentially free? Pretty much every natural resource that our world provides is free to enjoy. Going to the beach, laying in the sun, walking in the snow, whatever it is, we can all enjoy those things for free.
Yet, many wealthy people work hard all year long just to enjoy small moments of paradise.
Is their trade-off worth it? Working long hours, stressing about deadlines, commuting in traffic – all so they can spend money on something that is free.
There is a saying in Panama that the locals use, “We live where you vacation.”
It’s a quick laugh when you first hear it, but wait until it fully sinks in.
“We live where you vacation.”
If you really think about it, it’s actually a devastating thought.
I often wonder, “Why am I wasting my time doing something that I don’t like in order to spend money to experience something I love? There has got to be a better work/life balance.”
And there is. We just have a very tough time finding the courage to pursue that balance.
The importance of sacrificing our time on useless crap has been so overly drilled into our minds by today’s society that we have lost sight of what is actually important.
Go to school, get a job, get married, buy a house, put money in a retirement account, have a baby… it’s become a cycle that is so standardized that it is actually the only route that is acceptable – in our peer’s eyes.
But who are our peers? Who is expecting us to do certain things? Who are these people?
Are they your friends who are stuck in some job where they work 50 weeks a year just to enjoy 2 weeks at the beach?
Are they the people with an enormous home mortgage, two car payments, credit card debt and who are overweight?
Are those the type of people that are influencing what decisions you make in your life?
Yes. Yes, they are.
Maybe you’re different. Maybe you don’t let those types of people guilt you into living a lifestyle that doesn’t require tremendous sacrifice.
So, if you’re so different and have the ability to not let other’s expectations pressure you, then why aren’t you living on some tropical island where all you do is drink coconut water and take naps in the sand?
Well, maybe that’d get a bit boring, but I’d bet that all of us spend too much time on things that we don’t enjoy versus spending time on things that we cherish.
There is certainly a balance to everything, with most of us focusing much of our time on obligations that don’t ultimately lead to more enjoyable experiences – both personal and social.
And don’t think that it’s too expensive and out of your reach. Just ask any of the locals living in the ‘worlds most beautiful places’ how much money they make. You know, the locals who say, “We live where you vacation.”
Traveling and enjoying those things that you like is much more obtainable than most think. In fact, I find it cheaper to travel than to remain in the United States – something I will lay out in detail, showing where and how you can do it. Sign up below to subscribe…
