you have time to travel. no excuses.

"I don't have time to travel this year."

People gawk at me they hear I went to Mexico earlier this year and will be in Ecuador for 18 days this December. "How do you find the time?" they ask. I promise - I'm busy, too! I work in a 9-5 (okay, 8:30-4:30) career, work on the side as a freelance travel writer, take on more social obligations than I can sometimes manage, hike, cook, workout, walk and play with Theo, and try to find time to catch up on my DVR TV shows. It's not that I don't have a life, it's that I choose travel.

At this point in my life, travel isn't my career - though I would someday love it to be. Just like any passion or hobby, I make time, space, and dedicate my money towards it. If travel is important to you, or maybe something that you want to introduce into your life, you can do the same thing. But you have to choose to make it happen and then act on it.

Utilize long weekends

There is a common misconception that to travel you need to have weeks off work and away from obligations. That's not the case. A long weekend makes for a perfect trip to a nearby destination. If you're in the U.S., a 3-4 weekend is a perfect time to visit Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, or the Caribbean. When I lived in Japan, a 4-day weekend meant a potential trip to South Korea. Instead of waiting for x time off to fall into your lap to travel, actively plan shorter trips to a place you'd like to see.

Additionally, build on long weekends. A few years ago, the company I worked for gave employees paid vacation time for Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after it. I took off the preceding Monday-Wednesday, combined it with the weekends on either end, and spent 9 days in Turkey and Greece. I only used three vacation days instead of five by utilizing a long weekend.

Travel around holidays 

Being willing to travel around holidays allows you more paid time off without needing to use the potentially limited number of days you have to take yourself. Sometimes traveling around holidays can be more expensive, but it can often be cheaper. On that same trip to Turkey and Greece, I bought a multi-city ticket from DC to Istanbul and Athens, Greece back to DC for under $600 - that's nearly unheard of! Because the weather is cooler in that region in November, it's considered off season, making plane tickets and prices in country far lower than in other seasons.

Plan for this year, not in five years 

Europe will still be there in five years, you're right... I hope. But why wait that long? You'll have more gray hairs, obligations, and excuses. If you put off travel until everything - your budget, the timing, your career goals - are just right, you'll never go. Or you'll go! Once. You'll make that trip once every five years. And one trip every five years means you'll see 10 new places or so in your lifetime. The world is too big for that.

Plan ahead, and pen it in 

I plan to take a long weekend trip to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls in September. I made that decision this month. I have Monday off for Labor Day, and I will take off the Friday before, allowing for a four-day weekend. I have it penned into my calendar, and I plan to book lodging this week. Penning it in my calendar is a stamp of validity - of this is happening, this weekend is booked. By planning ahead and penning it in, you get more excited about the trip - ensuring that you'll go, have ample time to budget, and get better rates on lodging and transportation.

There are circumstances that prevent people from traveling - destitution, unemployment, physical and mental handicaps. Time should not be one of them. You have time to travel! No excuses.

What tips would you add to this list on making time to travel?