Debunking The Myth That 30 Is Too Late To Start Traveling

Are you in your 30s or getting close to your 30s and wondering, is 30 too late to start traveling? I’m here to tell you….hell no! In fact, it’s the perfect time to start.

Would it have been nice to start traveling when we were 18 or 20? Of course. In fact this is something I often ruminate on…wishing I would have started sooner. But to be honest that is such a horrible way of thinking because we can’t do anything about our past. All we can do is focus on our present and our future.

I didn’t go on my first solo backpacking trip till I was 27. Then I finally embarked on a long-term travel adventure when I was 28. I haven’t looked back. 6 years later I am 34 and I am STILL traveling. I’m here to tell you that you are not too old for this. In fact, I feel like I’m still getting started!

Life In Our 20s

Our 20s are meant for all kinds of things: going to university, trying a bunch of different jobs, dating different people, moving around, going out; basically just fucking around and finding out.

Some of us end up backpacking at this age and that’s fantastic, we love that for them. But some of us get caught up in doing all of the things we’re “supposed to do” and we just never get around to it. Others might have wanted to pursue it but worried about what their friends and family might think. Or some of us may just have downright not been able to afford it.

Societal Expectations On Is 30 Too Late To Start Traveling

For some reason we all grow up thinking that 30 is old. In fact, I just watched a Tiktok where a bunch of 2000s babies were interviewed and asked what’s old to them, and they legit said everyone born in the 90s is SO OLD. Like excuse me? I’m still 21 over here, okayyyy.

Or that 30 is some magical number where we are supposed to be “all grown up”. With that mindset comes all of these expectations for what we are supposed to have accomplished by this age as well:

A marriage, kids, a career, a house, a car, etc etc.

Times Have Changed

All of these things are based on our parents and grandparents because of what they were achieving at this age. Times are different now. We are living longer, we are having kids later, and we are fulfilling our lives with things other than jobs and families.

My grandma was married at 15 and started having kids. That was normal back then, in the 1930s. But here, in 2024, we are doing things much differently. I couldn’t even fathom being married now, let alone at 15. We all just do things at a different pace.

Figuring Out What You Want In Your 30s

Sure a lot of us have these things mentioned above. And there’s a lot of us who don’t have those things that are still actively working on achieving them. There’s nothing wrong with that. But there’s also a lot of us who are looking at ways to live life differently. We want a life of adventure, exploration, and new experiences. If you’re one of those people, let me tell you, there is NO age limit to start.

I’ve met many people on my travels of all ages. Some super young, some old, and a lot of us in between. Some of us have kids, some of us don’t, some are married, some are divorced, and a lot of us are figuring life out as we go. I always emphasize that you do NOT need to have life totally figured out. The beauty of life is in the journey, not the destination. Remember that. 

Why 30 Is The Perfect Age To Start Traveling

Travel In Your 20s

Backpacking in your 20s is a wild experience. I got to enjoy that aspect of it when I was in my 20s but to be honest you really focus a lot of your attention on the wrong things. You’re wanting to party at the party hostels, go on bar crawls, hook up with foreigners, try all the drugs – basically doing all of the things that aren’t focusing on the the other parts of traveling. Such as getting to know the locals, experiencing the culture, and appreciating the history.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like my 20s were full of learning. Learning about who I am, what I like, what I don’t like, and figuring out how to be an adult. I made a lot of mistakes and I really grew into the person I am today through trial and error and a whole lot of fuck ups!

Vs. Travel In Your 30s

Your 30’s is like your 20s, but better. You are mature, you’re experienced, you have confidence, and you know who you are. And most importantly, you have more money (usually). This really builds an incredible foundation for you to be able to travel intentionally and appreciate the moments.

I’m not saying you can’t do all of this in your 20s because you definitely can, I just think that starting something in your 30s really gives you an advantage with the added emotional intelligence and maturity.

Plus, being able to properly afford trips is a nice bonus too. Now you might not have to get the cheapest hostel, eat instant noodles for dinner, or walk everywhere toting your 20lb backpack. Perhaps you are able to afford a private airbnb, top rated restaurants, and an uber.

I still budget travel even though I’ve been at this for 6 years fulltime. I will say though that the standards of my traveling when I started vs. now have improved. I used to literally eat the 7-11 ramen noodles regularly and now I don’t even skip my daily oat latte. See? Progress from being 30 and boujee. Haha.

Choosing your own travel style in your 30s

Being in your 30s will generally afford you the option to travel the way you want to. People in their 20s normally are on a tighter budget and are a bit inexperienced in general with life so they may feel intimidated to travel a certain way.

But with having the finances, confidence and maturity you can choose to travel the way you want to. You’ll know exactly what you like. Whether that’s solo travel, group travel, slow travel or going off-the-beaten path. And if you are someone who doesn’t know what you like – well don’t worry, you’ll quickly figure it out!

The Benefits Of Travel In Your 30s

Health & Wellness

Health and wellness is a booming industry right now. As more and more people are becoming aware of their own personal wellbeing, I think we are looking for ways to improve our personal health. The benefit of traveling in your 30s extends beyond just seeing pretty places.

Fitness

You’re going to be doing a lot of exercise, even if it’s simply just walking. I guarantee your step count will increase once you start galavanting around new cities, climbing mountains and swimming in the oceans. You’ll also probably eat a bit healthier. It’s no secret that the food we eat in the U.S. is basically poisoned with a lot of our ingredients being banned in other countries. The food tends to be fresher and made with a lot more simple ingredients.

Mental Clarity

There will also be the chance to spend a lot of time thinking as you’re exploring, allowing you to decompress from your daily life and let the stress melt away. People feel recharged and refreshed when returning home from a trip. Think of it as almost a forced meditation.

Slow Down Time

Another health benefit that I recently learned was that it can help to slow down time. I heard that the reason time feels so much faster now compared to when we were kids is that we have a lot less synapses being created. Basically when we were kids, every day was new. We were doing different things all day everyday and our brain was firing creating these new synapses.

Yet as adults we spent a lot of our days, weeks, months, years, basically on repeat. Your brain isn’t creating new synapses to separate all of this time so it blends all together. I find that interesting because when I’m traveling, I am doing something new every single day that by the end of each location, it feels like FOREVER because I’ve accomplished so much! So how about that. Start traveling and make your life feel longer, that’s a win-win.

Maybe you take a gap year to reset and re-adjust your mindset and goals and help you make that leap to start over. And if you are someone who has NO idea what it is you want to do still, traveling might provide you with the experience and clarity to help you figure that out.

Travel is one of the most eye-opening things we can do to help us understand our purpose and to really learn who it is we are inside at our core. It’s easy to get caught up in society’s expectations that we mold to what’s expected of us. But when you strip all of that away, you’re left with the real you. And a mind free of all of that outside noise – and that’s when you can hear your inner voice the clearest.

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Let’s Debunk The Beliefs Around Traveling After 30

You’re too old to start or you need to wait till you retire

30 is not too old to start traveling. In fact, no age is too old to start traveling. The perfect time to start traveling is now if you aren’t already. Life is so short and no one is guaranteed to live a long, healthy life. So many people wait to pursue their dreams and in the end they never get to achieve them.

My brother’s aunt told me when she had cancer, that she always dreamed of traveling. And that now she is in a position where she has enough money in the bank to travel anywhere she wanted to, but now she can’t because she’s sick. And now she’s passed and she never got to fulfill that dream.

Don’t let that be you. Don’t wait until you retire. Don’t wait until you have “enough money”. Don’t wait for someone else to go with you. Realize that YOU are capable of doing it now and that you and only you can make your dreams come true.

You’re too old to stay in a hostel

Again this is just absolutely not true. I have met so many people of all ages in hostels. Literally, people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, hell even 70s! Of course there are going to be some hostels that will literally ONLY be young people. Those are going to be your party hostels. Believe me, you’ll know which ones those are because they advertise as such. You will find those to be full of 18-24 year olds and yes you might feel out of place there.

But to be honest, that’s just a personal thing. I have a good friend of mine who is 35 and parties like the best of them and she fits right in with those 20 year olds. It all depends on you and how you feel. If you’re wanting to stay in a hostel with a bit of an older crowd, just choose one on the bit of higher end budget and read the reviews. I guarantee you’ll find people in your 30s there.

You won’t fit in or make friends

I stay in hostels all the time and I meet people my age. And guess what, I also meet a lot of people who are younger than me. I still befriend them and we get along fantastic! A lot of my travel besties are like 4-7 years younger than me. We often forget because we vibe so well.

Age is truly just a number when you’re traveling. Everyone around you has the same thing in common and that’s what bonds you. You have the same interests and are like-minded. This will lead you to having the most amazing conversations and making incredible friendships with people no matter their age.

However if you’re someone who doesn’t want to stay in a hostel, you can still absolutely make friends if you’re going to be staying in a private hotel or airbnb. That’s when facebook groups will become your best friend! I make friends ALL the time through facebook groups. It’s literally one of my favorite ways to meet people. Solo travelers are all around the world and there’s lots of us. Never feel as if you won’t be able to make friends, because you still can.

This is when we have to try really hard not to compare ourselves to someone else. They also had to start somewhere. There’s nothing wrong with starting later in life. Imagine if you start now, how far along you’ll be when you’re 40? 50? And believe me, the more you travel, the more you realize there is to see. The world gets bigger and bigger no matter how many places you tick off. So I say, start the sooner the better. That means now. Start now!

You’re too old to “backpack”

When you hit 30, all of a sudden you start to feel crack, snapple, pop in your joints. You can hurt your neck by turning it too fast and hurt your back by bending over. I know, what the hell is that shit. So a lot of us don’t want to carry around a 20lb backpack, sleep in a cramped bus, or party all night at the fullmoon party. That’s okay!

You can still enjoy the joys of backpacking without of all that. Bring your suitcase. Book that flight. Choose the spa day instead. No one will judge your travel choices, because at the end of the day it’s going to be your trip.

However if you ARE someone who is like hey I really wanna backpack and get the full experience and party all night long at the fullmoon party in Thailand, go ahead. You won’t be the oldest one there, I promise. 

Tips To Start Travel In Your 30s

Start small

Start out by traveling locally. Do weekend trips nearby or fly to cities that you’ve been wanting to explore. If you’re ready to branch out of the country, make a list of your top destinations and start working through them one by one.

Work Remotely

If you are someone who works remotely, you can start to do longer trips perhaps by taking your work with you. You can become a digital nomad and earn money while traveling. This is the dream.

Learn how to plan

Getting accustomed to budget travel, planning your itineraries, and learning travel hacks can help to make your adventures more enjoyable. If you’d love travel tips, you can hop over to my instagram where I share tips on how to travel on a budget, how to travel cheaply, solo travel tips, etc.

Join travel communities

These are my favorite. It’s important to surround yourself with like-minded individuals. As much as I love my friends at home, we live completely different lives. It helps to be in contact with those who think like you so that you constantly feel motivated and supported.

This life can sometimes be lonely if you aren’t strategic when it comes to making connections. Look for facebook groups and local meetups for destinations that you’re going to join. If you’re single, you can even consider dating apps to meet people. Just always be sure to stay safe!

Focus on YOU. What YOU want to be doing. How YOU are feeling at this stage in life. If travel is something that calls you – because believe me, it doesnt not call everyone – then that means it is meant for you. You should pursue it because I genuinely believe there is a story out there that is waiting to happen for you. The next chapter in your life that is just dying to happen, but it can only happen if you take that leap.

I’ve put together a few resources to help you start your journey, you can access them at the links below.

1. How long should my first solo trip be?
2. Where should I travel solo for the first time?
3. How to plan your first solo trip

I hope I was able to inspire you to dare to live life differently. Remember that we grow the most when we are outside of our comfort zone. I can’t wait for you to dive into this life and fall in love with it like I did. Let me know when you finally make the leap – I’d love to hear about it!

xx, Christine

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