Skip to content

22 Comments

  1. oyekanmi
    March 30, 2014 @ 1:10 am

    As for me” fear is the burial place of giants”. Nice and well written post. its a must read article for all the travel fearful chicken hearten being…

    Reply

    • Ali Garland
      March 30, 2014 @ 1:41 pm

      Thanks! Fear, unfortunately, stops lots of people from doing lots of things, travel being one of them.

      Reply

  2. jill
    February 8, 2013 @ 12:38 am

    All I know is that I almost didn’t go for my scuba certification because I was afraid I’d drown 🙂 – it was a very major ‘what if’ for me since I’m terribly afraid of water. But I’m glad it didn’t stop me. Thanks for the great post.

    Reply

    • Ali Garland
      February 8, 2013 @ 11:45 am

      Thanks Jill! I’m so glad you went for it, good to give yourself a push sometimes. I love snorkeling, but I’m sure scuba diving is awesome!

      Reply

  3. Stephen S.
    February 3, 2013 @ 7:30 pm

    Great post. I use “what if” in the opposite way. When I’m not sure if i’m on the right course I say “what if’ I don’t travel or “what if” I settled down. Then I look around and get my ass back in travel mode.

    Reply

    • Ali Garland
      February 4, 2013 @ 12:32 pm

      Thanks Stephen! Asking yourself “what if I don’t do this” is definitely a great way to motivate yourself to go for it. I’d hate to miss out on a great experience because I was too scared.

      Reply

  4. Kim
    February 1, 2013 @ 3:41 pm

    I worried *A LOT* about getting sick while traveling. But now that I’m out here I see how easy it is to manage. Of course people get sick in other countries (slap my forehead) and when they do they go to hospitals that are generally a lot more affordable than they are in the U.S. I’m glad I didn’t let this fear stop me, for sure.

    Reply

    • Ali Garland
      February 1, 2013 @ 5:07 pm

      I’m glad it didn’t stop you either! And I do love how much cheaper medical care is in most of the world compared with the US. “What if” can stop you from doing a lot of things that are worth going after, as you’ve definitely proven!

      Reply

  5. Jade Johnston
    February 1, 2013 @ 5:31 am

    Great post! I think one of the biggest “what if” fears that hold people back though is what if I kill my career prospects by taking significant time off… would love to see you address that one in your series.

    Reply

    • Ali Garland
      February 1, 2013 @ 11:04 am

      Thanks Jade! I’m mostly trying to encourage people who haven’t traveled much or at all to travel even for a week or two, so I wasn’t even thinking about that angle. But yes, I’ve definitely seen how taking a significant amount of time off or quitting your job to travel does NOT mean you’ll never find a job again.

      Reply

  6. Andrea
    January 31, 2013 @ 2:18 pm

    I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that, in my experience, bad stuff can happen when you travel. You could have a negative experience, or not like it, or have a rough time getting back into the swing of things when you decide you don’t want to be nomadic anymore. But not only can bad stuff happen when you’re at home in your day to day routine, really awesome, life-changing stuff can (and does, in my experience) happen when you travel. And that makes it all worth it. Frankly I’d rather have taken the chance than not challenged myself to the new experiences…and never having to say, “What if I HAD gone travelling?” is also wonderful for peace of mind.

    Reply

    • Ali Garland
      January 31, 2013 @ 3:38 pm

      Bad stuff can definitely happen when you travel, or at home. But I completely agree with you, that wonderful life changing stuff that can happen while you’re traveling is so worth it. I’d rather take the chance too! Thanks for the great comment Andrea!

      Reply

  7. Neil Barnes (@packsandbunks)
    January 30, 2013 @ 11:10 am

    Cool article! I can understand why people ask the question, but if you want to make a change in your life its all about taking the plunge, no matter what if.

    Reply

    • Ali Garland
      January 30, 2013 @ 12:45 pm

      Thanks Neil! Exactly, sometimes you have to just go for it, and that’s certainly true with travel.

      Reply

  8. Jennifer
    January 29, 2013 @ 7:42 pm

    Another great tip is to also scan copies of your credit cards, front and back, that way if your wallet is stolen you still have the numbers and telephone contact numbers to take action.

    Reply

    • Ali Garland
      January 29, 2013 @ 10:12 pm

      Definitely, I made sure to do that before my round the world trip last year. Luckily never needed it though! Thanks!

      Reply

  9. Debbie Beardsley
    January 29, 2013 @ 6:58 pm

    When it comes to travel, the “what if’s” don’t win out! Now in other areas of my life I do succumb to them but am getting much better at placing them on the table to deal with.

    Reply

    • Ali Garland
      January 29, 2013 @ 10:44 pm

      I know what you mean Debbie! It happens to all of us, but as long as we keep facing “what if” head on, we’ll keep getting better at going for it anyway. Thanks!

      Reply

  10. Josh
    January 29, 2013 @ 6:12 pm

    “What if” is the worst. Just do it. Just GO.

    Reply

    • Ali Garland
      January 29, 2013 @ 10:12 pm

      Exactly! Thanks Josh!

      Reply

  11. George
    January 29, 2013 @ 11:27 am

    Great little article and often pointed out. The only thing really stopping people from travelling is themselves, but it’s hard for them to see that.

    Reply

    • Ali Garland
      January 29, 2013 @ 3:08 pm

      Thanks George! I think sometimes people get stuck. It’s hard to see that they are fully capable of doing things even if it’s different or doesn’t fit their routine, and that breaking out of your comfort zone is often a wonderful and rewarding thing.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.