The Travel or Material Possessions Debate
At this point, I’m sure everyone in their 20’s has heard from multiple people, “You need to travel.” It is an accepted fact that traveling when you’re young is the best time to do it because it’s when you have time and the energy, although admittedly, probably not the money. From what I’ve heard though, not having (a lot) of money is what actually makes it fun because you have to stay at hostels where you can meet other people your own age from all over the world who are in the same situation you are.
Full disclosure, I have not traveled outside of North America/the Caribbean yet, so my viewpoint may not be as open minded as it could possibly be.
So here’s the conundrum I’m facing as I’ve just turned 25: I have certain things that I want to purchase because of the experience that I’ll have with them. But I also am hearing more and more that I need to travel to get life experiences. So which do I do, given a budget?
To give an example, one of the things I want to purchase is a Jeep Wrangler. I live in Arizona so it’s a perfect fit of being able to drive with the top down for most of the year and then explore up in the mountains and go camping in the summer with friends when the valley is too hot. I’m positive those will be experiences that I’ll always remember. It’s true that I could probably have these same experiences without buying a Jeep but for some reason, the Jeep is key to the experiences.
On the other side, I could not buy a Jeep and go travel to Australia and New Zealand or Europe for a few weeks. I’m sure it would be an amazing trip and would grow greatly from spending the time overseas. The struggle is determining which option would ultimately provide the optimal experience.
It’s tough because buying material possessions and creating memories using them is what I’m, along with most Americans I would imagine, used to doing. From talking with some of my friends, this is a feeling that resonates with them as well.
I think I’ll eventually be Team Travel once I do it once or twice (and will look back on this blog and think, “What an idiot!”. But for those people who are Team Materials-Driving-Experiences, know you’re not necessarily wrong. As one of my favorite memes would say:
