Comments on: 7 Common Travel Myths That are WRONG

By: Vivian Chong

Vivian Chong — Sat, 23 May 2020 14:24:09 +0000

It is so frustrating to hear people not wanting to travel stating excuses like too expensive, no time etc. Travel is one the most beautiful thing to do in life. Thank you for your blog!

By: Elita Goldin

Elita Goldin — Thu, 21 May 2020 08:09:09 +0000

Hey, thank you so much for clearing all the myths.

Great post indeed, and keep writing like this, love you.

By: Megan Indoe

Megan Indoe — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 03:27:05 +0000

Some people use fear as an excuse not to do things, especially when they read or hear something that goes against what they always believed. I can’t agree more with Myth #1, I was one of the people who thought travel was way out of reach because of cost, but you nailed it on the head. People have huge misconceptions of traveling only being for the rich at nice resorts and straight out of a travel magazine or ad. There are so many more options and resources available out there.

Also, your myth about hitchhiking was really interesting! Who would have known the fear of hitchhiking goes all the way back to the FBI in 1950s!

Thanks for sharing!

By: Mariellen Ward

Mariellen Ward — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 01:10:32 +0000

Hi Matt,

Great post and I especially liked the section on travel for women. I am a long time, strong advocate for female solo travel. I founded the #WeGoSolo movement online to promote female solo travel. And I publish Breathedreamgo.com a travel blog that promotes female solo travel to India. I have travelled safely across India for a total of 2 years, and though I am cautious, I have rarely felt unsafe, if ever. The media sensationalizes and over-hypes the fear factor!

By: David Smaller

David Smaller — Sat, 12 Sep 2015 15:34:00 +0000

Thank you, Matt, for fighting the good fight against cynicism. Cynicism is like the flu; if you don’t stay healthy and protect yourself, you might catch it! I have been doing most of what you suggest here for years. It always takes me by surprise whenever I encounter people who angrily respond to this as a challenge to their comfort zone – which is all too often…

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 02:45:51 +0000

First, a HUGE congratulations on having George Takei share your post. That’s amazing! I run 2 blogs one is about Colorado and the other is personal finance and lifestyle. A lot of what you talked about in that post is discussed often in the personal finance blogosphere. It is not uncommon for people to: travel hack (open cards for mileage) coach surf, stay in hostels, use AirBnB, work abroad, and travel with kids. I think that there are a lot of people who lack imagination, may be fearful, or can’t imagine themselves doing what you do. I just returned from a 2 month trip to Australia and Hawaii I: stayed in hostels, churned credit cards and have mileage points for several trips (including another one to Hawaii with a ticket for a guest), cooked my meals, and stayed with friends. I also took buses interstate between Melbourne and Sydney (much nicer than in the States). In fact, I’ve traveled all over the world in this way and will continue to do this with some tweaks once I add a family. I would say that I’m leery of hitchhiking but other than that, I’ve had a phenomenal time traveling the world as a single (black) woman!

By: Jessica Griffin

Jessica Griffin — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 19:14:34 +0000

Thanks Matt! As always, great advice! I resonate most with #6. I’m 42 and married with kids. When I tell people I quit my day job as a dental hygienist to pursue traveling the world and blogging about it, they think I literally lost my mind or am going through a midlife crisis. Maybe I am? lol Either way, I plan on making it work mainly traveling solo, but when my husband, kids or friends can join me, even better! I’m very new to all of this and hope to learn more and make some connections this weekend at WITS Boston. Happy travels, to everyone, no matter who you are 🙂

By: Nita

Nita — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 10:23:58 +0000

Fantastic advice! If you believe everything you hear and are that gullible, you’ll never truly enjoy any experience or accomplish any goals or fulfill your dreams. Travel is one of the best ways we can learn about the world and ourselves as well. An open mind and a good attitude are key to being happy. Great post!

By: Nazmadic

Nazmadic — Sat, 21 Mar 2015 17:06:48 +0000

Working holiday visas are open to some countries, not all, so finding job overseas might be easier for westerners, but it’s pretty tough for people from some country, like for instance, Singapore, where there’s only 1 country open for WHV, which is New Zealand.

By: Pete

Pete — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 11:19:01 +0000

Some really useful links on this post Matt. Thanks. I must confess I was a little worried about Couchsurfing. I’ve probably watched too many horror movies.
Sometimes it’s hard to unlearn stuff we’ve been programmed with. Travel certainly helps us see the real picture.