5 Signs That You Need to Travel, Now.

1. You’re stuck in a rut.

You wake up, go to work/school (or both), come home, eat dinner, go to bed. Get up the next day and repeat. If your life is strictly this “routine”, and you feel like you’re lacking a bit of adventure in your life. It’s time to take a trip. 

2. Anyone else’s travels make you insanely jealous. 

You see your friends and family posting pictures of their vacation, and instead of feeling happy for them, you feel nothing but envy. Don’t just stare at their photos and feel sorry for yourself, get up and go!

3.   The last time you heard a language other than English was on the Tri-Met.

Lacking a bit of culture in your life? If the most recent “cultured” experience you had was that Thai takeout or watching Amelie on Netflix, it’s time to explore more of the world. 

4. You’ve spent time looking up your dream trips.

If you’re like me, you’ve sat at a meaningless job, reading travel blogs and planning fake trips on Expedia, rather than working. If you know roughly how much it would cost to get to your dream destination, and you’ve planned all of the things you’ll do when you get there, it’s time to go.

5. You’re reading blogs like this and thinking “Check, check, and check.”

If you read any of these and thought to yourself “Yep, that’s me.” then you already know that travel is calling your name. It’s easy to make excuses for all of the reasons we can’t travel, but if you want it badly enough, you will make it happen. Save, budget, plan, and as soon as you possibly can, just go. 

5 Travel Accessories You Need

     1. Joby Gorillapod

If you aren’t familiar with these little buggers, get on board! Essentially it is a tripod with flexible limbs, and you can wrap it around anything! It stands up straight as a regular tripod, or you can bend the legs to wrap around just about whatever. I took this photo by wrapping mine around a tree branch in the backcountry.

They range from teeny tiny to huge. They make them for go-pros, DSLRs, small point and shoots, and even have an attachment you can buy for any smartphone.

2. Buff

These things are great. There’s nothing I love more than a product with multiple uses. You can use this as a headband, hairtie, neck scarf, balaclava, etc. They are wind and sun resistant so you can product yourself from sunburn or cold conditions. Some even include insect repellant. Plus, they come in a lot of awesome designs and colors.

3. Passport Cover

Assuming that your travels are of the international variety, you’ll have a passport, and I definitely suggest a passport cover! You can find anything from a really cheap one that’s essentially an plastic envelope, to the more expensive leather varieties. You can find them on Amazon, and some particularly adorable ones (like the one shown above) can be found on Etsy. They’re great for keeping the edges of your passport from getting bent, and they’re also more discreet if you’re traveling in an area populated by sticky fingers. 

4. Digital Luggage Scale 

If you have ever had to pay extra for your checked luggage being over the limit, you know the pain, and you know that this little guy is necessary. Instead of having to guesstimate how heavy your bag is, you can simply hold it up with the hook of this scale and get an exact weight. It will save you the trouble of moving things from your checked bag to your carry on, and it's small enough to take with you so you can use it on both ends of your trip. 

5. Phrase books

Again, if you're venturing far enough that the locals will speak a language other than your own, phrase books are amazing. My favorites are by Rick Steves. They're specific to travel, so they tell you all you need to know to book hotels, find train stations, etc. Not only do they give you the English sentence with the correct translation, but they sound it out for you in parentheses so you don't completely butcher the pronunciation. Plus, they're pocket size! 

My Travel Bucket List

Although my real travel bucket list consists only of "explore every corner of the world", I was afraid that may be a bit too vague. I'm sure this list will only grow with time, but for now, here is my ultimate travel bucket list. 

1. Row a boat across Lake Bled in Slovenia.

2. Eat pasta and gelato in Italy.

3. Go to Harry Potter World in Florida.

4. Times Square in New York City. (check!)

5. See the Northern Lights in Alaska.

6. Go on Safari in South Africa.

7. See the Grand Canyon in Arizona. (check!)

8. See the Redwoods in California. 

9. Take a train to Canada. (check! 8/16)

10. Niagara Falls! (check!)

11.Stay in an over water hut in Bora Bora.

12. Ride a gondola in Venice.

13. Set foot on all 7 continents. 

14. Hang out with dolphins in Hawaii. (check!)

15. Gum Wall in Seattle, WA. (check!)

16. Explore the Swiss Alps.

17. Walk the Great Wall of China. 

18. See a koala in Australia. 

19. See the pyramids in Egypt.

20. Explore the Acropolis of Athens.