Travel inspiration is everywhere. Some of us find places to go on social media, others read books, some get their inspiration from art or history and others are inspired by looking for travel deals.
For me travel inspiration is everywhere, I want to travel to so many places in this amazing world. Art, culture and learning how other people live are the things that inspire me to travel and are what I look for in planning my destinations. I love to find off the beaten path things to do at my destinations too and the thought of finding those inspires me as well.
Because we all inspired by different things, I decided to ask the travel bloggers from our Not So Young Female Travel Bloggers Facebook Group, what’s their travel inspiration them. Here are their answers:
Nicky from Above Us Only Skies
I’m Nicky, one-half of Above Us Only Skies and my travel story began many years ago when, in my early 20’s, I headed off to backpack India. That firmly sowed the wanderlust seed and had me hankering to see more of the world.
Fast forward to 2015, married and with a corporate career that was no longer pleasurable, my husband Ian and I decided to sell our worldly belongings and travel the world….slowly! Since then we’ve backpacked, housesat and road-tripped our way through fifteen countries to date, immersing ourselves in the local culture wherever we can.
As self-confessed foodies, we love experiencing local delicacies and discovering new flavors. And we’ve found that meeting new people, sharing stories and discovering shared interests is truly empowering.
Our travel inspiration comes from the fact that we’re certainly not getting any younger! Even though we’re now in our 40’s and 50’s, travel has become a way of life for us and it’s something we’re eager to continue for as long as we possibly can!
You can follow our adventures, discover itineraries for slow travel, and learn more about housesitting over on our website www.aboveusonlyskies.com Please stop by and say hello!
Nicky & Ian
Jan from Budget Travel Talk
I love experiencing different cultures, the more different to my own, the better. Airbnb is one of my loves. To lessen the burden on local communities, we stay with host families instead of having an apartment to ourselves. As a bonus we’ve developed a love of these experiences. We’ve met so many delightful hosts from different walks of life, it has become a highlight of our travels.
As we get older I personally crave going to places that some might feel are dangerous to visit (but are not). Marty is a little more conservative and the mix we come up with is perfect for us. Turkey and Istanbul are my favorite country and big city respectively. Their friendly people, exotic sights, fabulous architecture and eating cheaply in a down to earth Locanta (local café) are a shining example of what inspires me to travel.
Jan
Sue from Travel For Life Now
My first trip out of the country was to Nicaragua in 1985. I went there as part of a gay and lesbian group to support the Nicaraguans who had just ousted President Samoza, a violent dictator. I was 24. We met with gay men and lesbians, as well as many grassroots leaders (gay and straight). We heard their traumas. And we heard their hopes and dreams for a better world. This was during Iran-Contra and it would have been understandable if they had been yelling at us about US policies. Instead, they welcomed us and shared their homes and bread. It was a beautiful humanizing experience.
About 15 years ago, I was in the Sinai desert with a Bedouin guide when the US invaded the middle east. Again, the human connection outweighed the politics of being a US citizen. Travel, for me is about touching the lives of people all over the world, learning the culture, eating the food, hearing the sounds and experiencing their lives. Whether it is seeing the impact of microfinancing on women in Oaxaca, Mexico or visiting a school for visually impaired children in Tibet or seeing young people performing in Kisumu, Africa, I feel more connected to humanity as a traveler. That’s why I travel.
Sue Davies is a native New Yorker and independent political activist. Her partner in life and travel, Regina Ang, is from Singapore. Together, they write the travel blog: Travel for Life Now where they share their experiences viewing temples, wildlife, culture and having affordable off-the-beaten path adventures. Favorite experiences include kayaking in Antarctica, chasing the Northern Lights in Norway and camping in the Sahara Desert.
Sue
Sinjana from Backpacknxplore
The easier question is-“what inspires me to work?”, the answer being “travel”. I work, so that I can fulfill my travel desires without giving up on my happy family life. My husband and I are a team, and travel is our way of trying to understand life and the essence of our existence. That’s why historical places allure me, the ruins of an ancient fort in some remote place attracts me more than a Zara sale. Other than history, I love everything that is natural- mountains, oceans, forests, wildlife, rainbows and waterfall – need not be famous, in fact it rather not be famous.
I wrote my first travel blog after an all girls Bhutan trip five years ago and got a great response. But being the procrastinator that I am, I stopped completely, and wrote my second blog in May this year, after returning from my long-planned Europe vacation. Since then I have written several blogs about places I have been to with travel tips based on my experience to encourage people to go out there and discover the world. This time, I am committed to keep this going and hope to inspire you too.
Sinjana
Linda from Linda On The Run
I’m Linda, a 66-year-old vegan and triathlete/marathon runner. My website is Linda On The Run is where I share my travels while hoping to inspire others to fulfill their own travel dreams and desires.What inspires me to travel? Our world is big and beautiful. It’s full of wonderful people and different cultures that I want to experience. New cities, beautiful vistas and good food. New friendships enrich me and have made me a better more understanding person. Broadening my horizons with unique experiences has opened my eyes to how much we all have in common rather than our differences. I strive to find restaurants, shops, and locations where the “locals” eat and shop, in order to meet others unlike me and to experience their culture and lifestyle first hand.The thirst to see more and do more outside of my “comfort zone” always fuels my inspiration to travel! The desire to experience the unusual and learn about others’ history fuels my travel dreams and my goal of sharing my experiences to inspire others too. Travel has been pivotal in helping me be a better me.Linda
Karen from The Motoroamers
After too many years of stress we swapped it for full-time travel in our camper van, in search of happiness and adventure. We sold up, packed in and hit the road, inspired by the vision of an enriched life that would satisfy our curious souls and feed our creative minds. And we found it all.
Fused with freedom, simplicity and choice we can now wake up in a different location every day if we wish, learn new languages and experience different cultures. These have transformed our life’s canvas into a kaleidoscope of color, tone, and texture. Travel has become our greatest teacher and our best friend, gifting us with riches way beyond the materialism of our corporate existence. So ‘Travel when you can, for as long as you can, and as far as you can – just travel.’
Karen and Myles are a couple of fifty-year-olds who defied convention and bought a camper van. They are currently travelling around Europe writing about and videoing their experiences so that perhaps, just may be, they can help inspire others to travel and live their lives beyond fear.
Karen and Myles
Bernadette from A Packed Life
My nan was the first person to notice my love of the open road. She used to tell a cracking tale of a very small me, packing my copy of Robinson Crusoe and a bag of her gooseberries from the garden before announcing I was off on an adventure. Fifty years later, and I’m still fascinated by what’s around the next corner, how lives are lived differently, and the magnificence that nature creates in her space.
It’s a family thing. My grandad, in his 50s, made the voyage to New York to head up security for one of its prominent families. At a similar age, my mum went off to work in Australia. So never imagine that your life is set to a pattern. There’s a whole big world out there, and I’m still so excited for all there is left to see. A Packed Life is my way of letting that excitement bubble over, one packed bag at a time.
Bernie
There’s so many things to inspire your travels. Tell us in the comments below what’s your travel inspiration?
Come on over and join us in our community group at A Not So Young Woman Abroad Community to join in the conversation.
@ Julie
anotsoyoungwomanabroad
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