Using "SMART" Goals To Take Action Toward Your Travel Dreams

When I was working at a leadership conference recently, I was introduced to the SMART goal system. Basically, using SMART goals turns a vague goal into something more specific. A detailed outline of your goal will help you reach it faster by putting a reasonable plan into action. Last year when I was still in college, my travel goal was: "Go back to Europe."

"Going back to Europe" is extremely vague. When would I go back? How would I do it? For how long? What would I do to make sure I made this happen? How would I evaluate whether I had achieved this goal or not?

This is where creating a SMART goal really helps you define what you want and how you will achieve it.

"SMART" stands for:

SPECIFIC: A goal needs to really focus in on the specifics. Think of the who, what, when, where, and why.

MEASURABLE: Establish criteria for which you will measure your progress on your goal. Often the measurable part includes numbers - think, How much? It also answers, How will I evaluate if this goal has been met?

ACTION-ORIENTED: How are you going to reach your goal? This is where you put your action or steps toward reaching the goal in place.

REALISTIC: This is where you need to be true to yourself on the work you're motivated to and willing to put in. You're much more likely to achieve your goal if it's realistic.

TIMELY: Set an attainable time frame to meet your goal. When are you going to start acting toward your goal? What specific date do you want to reach your goal by?

Now let's tweak my vague example of "Go back to Europe." Here's how I could've turned that into a SMART goal:

"Go back to Europe for at least one month starting in August 2013, by applying to 2+ jobs per week based in Florence, Italy from May-July 2013 and networking with individuals involved with international travel through email or LinkedIn. Follow up with employers directly after any interviews and again every two weeks until I found out whether I have an offer."

Budget is also a huge part of travel goals, especially with flights. Here's a SMART goal I could've made for saving up for that long-haul flight from Seattle to Florence:

"Save x amount of money per week from my summer job to pay for round trip flights to/from Italy on the dates I will fly in/out on. Track savings using my banking app and check balance weekly to ensure I'm saving enough."

Setting SMART goals are especially great for taking action on your travel goals, though SMART goals can be applied to any aspect of life. I encourage you to come up with some SMART goals, and if you have some you'd like to share, please post yours in the comments below.

9 Reasons For 20-Somethings To Travel Now Instead Of Later

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Traveling internationally is such an eye-opening, growing experience that I believe everyone should do it at least once in their lifetimes, and in their 20s if possible. If you're considering traveling in your 20s but still haven't booked your flight, here are nine reasons that will hopefully give you that final push.

1. You have time

You're young. You want to go. Go now. Maybe you're still in college. Maybe you have a job. But there will be breaks or time off eventually - use those breaks and plan your travel accordingly.

2. If there's a will, there's a way

The top two excuses for not traveling are 1) time and 2) money. They say you have either have the time to travel but no money to do so, or have the money to travel but no time. Trust me when I say that if there's a will, there's a way. If you want it bad enough, you will make it happen. Yes, you may have to make sacrifices, or set up a tighter budget, but if you truly prioritize travel, you will make it happen. Period.

3. You have a number of options if you're still in college

Studying abroad is one of the most unique ways to travel. You get to live in a foreign country, take classes, have a routine, travel on the weekends, and have a home base to come back to. You'll meet new people, make new friends, and have a much different experience than if you went there on vacation with family or with a group of friends.

If you don't study abroad, take advantage of all the time you have off: spring break, summer break, and winter break are all great times to travel abroad. And those three-day weekends? Well that's enough time to explore your city, do a quick road trip, or spend a weekend somewhere new.

4. You have even more options after college

After college graduation is the only time you're not tied down. This is the perfect time to travel and/or work abroad prior to settling down to an apartment, bills, job, etc.

Krka waterfalls swimming

5. Because you can change the world

Well you can change the world at any age,  but what better time than now? Look into Peace Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corp, or other ways to give back abroad. Who knows, maybe it'll change you for the better, and I haven't met anyone who has regretted something that changed them for the better.

6. Because your job will still be there when you get back

If you have free vacation days, use them! That's what they're there for.

7. Traveling will give you life experience that will make you wiser beyond your years

By exposing yourself to new cultures, you learn a lot about the world and how the world works. You become more open-minded and tolerant of other people. These are all qualities that we hopefully all possess as we get older with time, but by traveling to foreign places, you'll realize these qualities sooner.

8. You'll learn a lot about yourself

...And in your 20s, which are arguably our most identity-making years, it's a good thing to know who you are and who you want to become.

9. Because you want to

That travel bug will keep bugging you until you take action and just go.

You Only Get Ten Years To Be In Your 20s

Lemon Groves in Positano

I believe everyone should travel to a foreign country at least once in their life, no matter their age. But I don't think you need to (or should) wait until you retire to do so. Society often tries to push the idea that you must "earn your right" to do anything fun by working all day, every day, for years before you deserve to do anything for yourself. When you're in your twenties, you generally have less responsibility and more time for yourself. It's okay to be a little selfish and book that trip you've been dreaming of, even if it's just during your weekend off work. There are ways to travel and still hold a full-time job, but once you get older and have more responsibilities (a spouse, kids, etc.) your priorities will shift. That's okay, however, your priority until you have those responsibilities should be you.

Dalmatian Coast, Croatia

Your twenties are a very interesting decade, often filled with college graduation, truly being out on your own in the "real world," and figuring out who you are.

If there are things you want to do, then do then. Turn your dreams to reality (especially travel dreams!). If there's a will, there's a way. Sometimes you have to think outside the box and get creative. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices. Ask yourself if it's worth it - and in most cases, it will be.

When I was about to graduate, my main goal was to travel after college. My travel bug was acting up like crazy and I tried thinking of ways to go to Europe for a couple weeks with a friend. However, my budget didn't allow me to travel for even a short trip. And, my friend ended up having other commitments and could no longer go. So I got creative - I looked into travel jobs where I could live in Europe and also get paid.

vespas in italy - go seek explore

With hard work, a lot of determination, countless emails, and an interview later, I got a travel job and was able to turn my dream of going back to Europe for a couple of weeks into living in Europe for five months. I had the opportunity to see so much more than I originally planned, got to live in Italy when I wasn't traveling for work, and met a ton of people that I wouldn't have met otherwise.

Instead of being a dreamer, be a do-er. And once you accomplished what you've wanted to do, dream up new dreams and do them too. By pushing yourself out of your comfort zone you will learn and grow so much. By continuing to do this throughout your twenties, you'll gain more life experience than you ever would have had you not at least tried to make those dreams happen.

Krka Waterfalls

Now that I've returned from my job overseas, I'm about to leave in a few days for another quick trip to Europe. I'll be working short-term for a couple weeks at a different company and I am beyond excited. I'll have a weekend of solo travel before I begin work (my first solo trip ever, and man am I nervous). I wouldn't have had this opportunity had I just sat there waiting for my dreams to happen. I had to make it happen! And it all started with a simple job application...

Whatever it is - taking that trip you've always wanted to go on, moving to a new city, or switching career paths to get your dream job - take action! And take action now. You only get ten years to be in your twenties. Don't waste a single second.

8 Majestic Time Lapse Videos: Beauty in Nature

Over the past couple of weeks, I've posted 8 Majestic Time Lapse Videos of the USA and another one of World Cities. To complete this series, I've compiled eight videos of nature in time lapses. The world is a beautiful place, and if we stop to take a look around, we'll see that some of the most breathtaking places are in nature.

El Teide, Spain

This was filmed over seven days on Spain's tallest mountain. Noted as one of the best places in the world to photograph stars, the photographer captured some breathtaking footage while in the Canary Islands.

Yellowstone National Park, USA

The footage of the world's oldest national park is stunning. Scenic views of the park and wildlife are shown through time lapse and make you wish there was more to see than the five minutes presented.

Northern Lights, seen from Norway

Seeing the Northern Lights (or "aurora borealis") is definitely something on my bucket list. It's almost unreal to think that natural, colored lights like that actually exist.

The Nile/Egypt

While most of the video isn't time lapse (there's gorgeous starry night sky time lapse footage though), this video shows the inspiring journey of a man who kayaks up the Nile to the pyramids, as well as exploring some lesser-known, remote parts of Egypt.

Patagonia

"The end of world," Patagonia looms on the edge of South America. If you have dreams to backpack Patagonia, this video is sure to feed your wanderlust.

China and Pakistan

Part city and part nature, with snow-capped mountains, rice terraces, and more.

The Grand Canyon, Arizona

One of the seven natural wonders of the world looks absolutely stunning at sunset.

And lastly, Planet Earth

Earth, viewed from the International Space Station. It's crazy to think how much beauty there is within the world, but our little planet is just a small piece of the puzzle.

8 Majestic Time Lapse Videos: World Cities

Last week, I featured eight majestic time lapse videos from US cities. Today, we're going outside America to view eight more cities all over the world, through time lapse. 1. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This one is AWESOME. Trust me.

2. Paris, France

The charming city of light in time lapse.

3. London, United Kingdom

I always wonder what the guards are thinking when people take photos with them...probably something like "Get away from me." Haha.

4. Moscow, Russia

A little eerie at times, but definitely gorgeous.

5. Rio de Janerio, Brazil

The sunrise at 0:40 is incredible.

6. Accra, Ghana

A cool video of the city with narration, too.

7. Cape Town, South Africa

Stunning views of clouds hovering at the top of Table Mountain.

8. Guangzhou, China

Cool intro shots with people/local culture. The time lapsing starts around 0:50.

10 Non-Cliche Travel Quotes

I recently posted 10 Cliche But Inspiring Travel Quotes - the typical "Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer" and "Not all who wander are lost" sayings. While I believe that those quotes are very inspiring and get me amped up to travel, I want to feature some more that are aren't as well-known (or at least all over Pinterest!).

1. "If we were meant to stay in place, we would have roots instead of feet." - Rachel Wolchin

2. “Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun every year.” - Unknown

3. “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money." - Susan Heller

4. “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

5. “The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” – Rudyard Kipling

6. “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” - Aldous Huxley

7. “I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself.” - James Baldwin

8. “Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled.” - Mohammed

9. “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” - Scott Cameron

10. "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” - Mark Twain

You Shouldn't Feel Guilty For Traveling

I've had friends say, "I'm excited to visit you when you move to (insert destination here) because then I'll finally have an excuse to go!" While I'm flattered my friends would take a trip to come visit me, I often wonder why my being there is an excuse to go someplace they've always wanted to go. I do understand that having a friend as an "insider" showing you around is an asset, as well as catching up with your friend. But what really irks me about this statement is the fact that people feel like they need an excuse to travel.

In the US, the culture is generally work-work-work 40+ hours/week to save money for retirement, and when you've retired and "officially earned" a vacation, you take it. Even during paid (or unpaid) vacation weeks throughout the year, some people will only take vacation while feeling the need to justify it in some way. With jobs being scarce these days, constantly overworking yourself often seems like the only way to keep a job and move up with a company. While I don't find anything wrong with working hard or ambition to improve (I definitely value those qualities and personally strive to hold them), I do think it's sad that people feel guilty for traveling when they get time off.

If you have the means and the time to travel, then do it! Even if it's just a weekend away or a few days of your allotted vacation time. Usually the biggest thing holding you back is yourself. Traveling (and even the anticipation of traveling) brings happiness and helps relieve stress. Especially if you're going to a foreign country, you learn so much about yourself and the world. Life is short. If you wait until retirement for a trip you want to take now, you may never do it. Go now while you can.

And don't feel guilty.