Still saving that dream trip for the “perfect time”? Here’s why delaying travel might be costing you more than you think—and how to make joy a priority today.
There’s always another reason to wait for your dream trip.
Wait until the kids are older.
Wait until they’re out of the house.
Wait until you’re healthier.
Wait until you have more money.
Wait until the world settles down.
Wait until your parents don’t need quite as much help.
Wait until... wait until... wait until.
But the truth? When one reason fades, another takes its place—each demanding your time, your energy, and your self.
If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, “I’ll take that dream trip when life calms down,” you’re not alone. But here’s the hard truth: life rarely slows down on its own.
Postponing your dream trip may feel like the practical choice, but it’s not neutral. It can be quietly draining and surprisingly expensive.
Yes, there’s the obvious financial cost: flights, hotels, and experiences are getting more expensive every year. But there’s also the mental toll of constantly putting yourself last. You keep giving your time, your energy, and your money, while opportunities to replenish remain few and far between.
A big part of the problem? We’ve been conditioned to see travel as an indulgence. Something frivolous. But what if travel is an investment?
Travel Is an Investment in You
Done with intention, travel can give back far more than it takes. It broadens your worldview, sparks curiosity, rests your mind, and pushes your boundaries. You return clearer, more energized, and often a little braver. You learn about the people you travel with—your spouse, your kids, your friends—and bring that deeper connection home with you. After swimming at the edge of a waterfall, asking for a raise doesn’t feel quite so intimidating.
Travel lets you break free of your daily confines and rediscover the best parts of yourself. When you treat travel as a way of making yourself a priority, not just a bucket list item, you realize joy doesn’t have to wait.
Another sneaky consequence of waiting? The dream trip can grow so big, so curated, so perfect in your mind… that it becomes impossible to actually take.
You’ve spent years imagining it. Pinning ideas. Following bloggers who’ve done it “right.” You keep adding “must-do” experiences until it seems like it would take an entire year (and half your retirement fund) to do it justice.
And that kind of pressure? It keeps you stuck.
The truth is, it will never be perfect. It never was going to be.
It might rain the entire time. That hotel you dreamed about could get sold to new owners. You might even trip down a staircase on Day One and end up hobbling through museums at half pace. (Ah, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples.)
But if you let go of perfect, and approach your dream trip with openness, you create space for what really matters to unfold.
Recently, my husband and I started prioritizing the farther-flung, more physically demanding trips. Mostly because we realized we are younger today than we’ll ever be again. 😅
So we went. To Cambodia, Singapore, China, the Maldives, the Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls, and more.
Not because the timing was perfect, but because we could. And we’re so grateful we didn’t wait.
Things change—your health, your budget, the global climate, accessibility, political stability. Waiting doesn’t guarantee a better version of your trip. Sometimes, it just means never going.
Our philosophy has become: “If we can now, let’s give it a go.” And we’ve never once regretted it
What If You Took a Smaller Step Now?
Your dream trip doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to happen. What if, instead of postponing for “someday,” you reimagined it for now?
Maybe you scale it down—five days instead of ten. A recharge, not a grand tour. A spark of joy now may do more for you than a long, expensive escape later.
Maybe you break it up. Southern Italy and Sicily this year. The Dolomites and Lake Como in two more.
Maybe you invite in support; a travel coach to help you make the decisions that keep you stuck, and turn all those pinned ideas into an actual plan.
Because every year you wait, the dream stays a dream.
There will always be reasons to wait. Life is full, and timing is rarely perfect.
But the longer you hold your dream trip at arm’s length, the more distant it becomes—not just in time, but in possibility.
You deserve to feel joyful, clear, and restored now, not just someday.
Let’s stop saving our best dreams for a mythical future.
Let’s start planning something you’ll actually experience.