Why You Should Travel After Graduation - Travel Like Anna

If you care about why should travel after, this guide gets straight to the point. We break down what actually matters, skip the fluff, and show you how to put it to work today.

Key Takeaways

• For my college graduation trip, I spent two weeks island hopping in the Caribbean.
• Last year in Argentina, I met the Lacksen sisters who were on a six-month graduation trip through Latin America.
• Their trip put my graduation trip to shame.
• They are the perfect example of numerous of the pointers I shared in my How to Find the Time to Travel post.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Worth noting: the girls tells us about their travel budgets, highlights and how the trip affected their relationship! Sisters Elizabeth and Katherine Lacksen started their epic graduation trip in Mexico City.  Name: Katherine Lacksen (age 25) & Elizabeth Lacksen (age 23) Hometown: Sparta, GA Country count: Katherine - 17 countries; Elizabeth - 20 countries Instagram: @klacksen & @elacksen 1.

• How did you begin traveling?
• EL - Our parents taught us the love of and importance of traveling at a young age.
• More importantly, we grew up in a rural part of Georgia.
• Almost each summer, the whole family - Mom, Dad, Katherine, our two younger brothers and I - would pack up the van or truck with camping gear and leave the Southeast for at least two weeks to escape the hot, humid summers.

Is Why Should Travel After Worth It?

We rarely went to touristy places, but enjoyed exploring remote state and national parks. Tell us about your graduation trip.

• Remember that eL - Katherine and I had been dreaming of taking a “large” sister trip for a few years.
• It wasn’t possible during university due to other commitments and responsibilities.
• Though, when I visited Katherine in Australia over my last Christmas break, we realized we might have window of time for a longer adventure.
• Katherine was finishing a research project in Darwin, Australia, and I was graduating near the same time.

Where the Real Savings Hide

As a rule, neither of us had definite next steps. And, a trip sounded METHOD better than applications and interviews!

• I graduated ahead of schedule and considered this a deserved trip for graduating early.
• We traveled in Central America (Mexico and Panama - three weeks) and South America (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil) together for about five months.
• In short, we have both consistently loved hiking and backpacking so our main goal was to spend time in Patagonia.
• We built the rest of the trip to meet up with family and family friends that lived in South America.

A Closer Look at Why Should Travel After

KL -  Patagonia was a top priority so we just grabbed an atlas and kind of went from there in terms of where we wanted to visit. When our aunt and uncle heard about our travel plans, they invited us to visit them in Panama, which was definitely a highlight.

• Worth noting: we would later connect with a few of their friends in Brazil.
• We try to be flexible as much as possible, and I believe that the combination of having time and that flexible, adaptable mindset genuinely made our overall trip.
• It gave us the chance to say yes to a four-day road trip with new friends near the Seven Lakes’ Route near Bariloche, Argentina and a can-do attitude to go for the ‘Q’ instead of the traditional ‘W’ hike in Torres del Paine National Park.
• Katherine adds a wish to the famous wall of wish ribbons at the Bonfim church in Salvador, Brazil.

What to Know About Why Should Travel After

More importantly, why do you think it’s key to travel after graduation?  EL - Travel awakened me to the kindness and generosity of people. While I’m grateful to be surrounded by friends and family that love me at home, it is an extraordinary experience to be in a foreign country where you do not speak the language or know anyone and receive assist from a stranger.

• KL - I believe traveling is key for so numerous reasons.
• Elizabeth, right, volunteered in Peru in exchange for discount accommodation to assist stretch her savings.
• Remember that how did you fund your travels?
• Did you have a daily/weekly budget?

How Why Should Travel After Really Works

KL - We had a budget for the overall trip, but not for daily/weekly increments. [They budgeted $10,000 USD each for the trip but spend significantly less. Check out this post for my Latin America trip budget.] In general, we could predict our hiking expenses fairly well since of posted camping fees.

• As a rule, even when we weren’t hiking and camping, we ate numerous “grocery store” meals and made sure to keep our canvas food bag stocked with the basics - wraps, peanut butter, cheese, avocado, and granola bars.
• Our savings from not eating out as much allowed us to splurge on bigger expenses such as glacier treks in southern Argentina and snorkeling in the Pantanal of Brazil.
• EL - We’d been throwing near the concept of taking a long trip for about six months before we officially committed which for us was purchasing plane tickets.
• We bought the tickets in October and departed in January.

Getting the Most From Why Should Travel After

In short, after graduation in May, I worked two part-time jobs up until the day we left to fund the trip. Graduation gifts were also helpful!

• I didn’t have a daily budget, but we had goals for how much to spend on hostels depending on the country.
• We consistently looked for places that provided breakfast and tried to take overnight buses when possible to save time and money.
• Worth noting: in Peru, I volunteered at a women’s empowerment center and stayed at the same hostel for one month.
• I worked out a deal with the owner so that my rate was reduce for each week that I stayed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I save money on why should travel after?

Compare prices across a few retailers, look for active coupon codes, and time bigger buys around sales events. Sisters Elizabeth and Katherine Lacksen started their epic graduation trip in Mexico City.  Name: Katherine Lacksen (age 25) & Elizabeth Lacksen (age 23) Hometown: Sparta, GA Country count: Katherine - 17 countries; Eliz....

Is it worth shopping around for why should travel after?

Usually yes. How did you begin traveling?.

Smart Ways to Save More on Why Should Travel After

• Pair cashback with a coupon so you save twice on the same order.
• Stack a coupon code with an existing sale whenever the store allows it.
• Sign up for the retailer newsletter to catch first time and seasonal discounts.
• Compare the final price including shipping, not just the headline number.
• Check for student, military, or first order offers you may qualify for.

Final Thoughts

The bottom line on why should travel after: a little research goes a long way. Compare your options, watch for seasonal offers, and never pay full price when a better deal is a click away.

Originally published at savingswitch.com.