Travelling allows you to immerse yourself in different cultures and experience all that the world has to offer. Although a massive joy for most people, others don’t fancy traveling and instead prefer staying put in one location. So what can you do if you love traveling but your family isn’t keen on trotting the globe?
If your family won’t travel, you can try involving them in the planning process and even allow them to choose the destination. Understanding their reasons for not traveling might help you address the issue. But if they refuse altogether, you can invite a friend or relative, or simply travel solo.
This article will look at some of the ways to cope with a family that doesn’t like traveling and tips to observe when traveling solo. Let’s get started.
The Best Way To Handle a Family That Hates Traveling
Traveling with your family can be a unique and memorable experience, but it might be impossible if your family members hate traveling. It may seem inexplicable to you, but traveling is not for everyone.
While you’re dying to travel around the country or the world, others may not share your enthusiasm. Whether they hate the transit part, the unfamiliarity, or the thought of being away from home, these people will do anything to avoid hitting the road.
If you want a family trip, but the rest of your family hates traveling, what can you do?
Understand the Motives
Making an effort to understand why your loved ones hate traveling will allow you to either convince them or at least come to terms with the situation. Here are some of the reasons why your family members might not fancy traveling much.
- It’s costly. Generally speaking, traveling costs a lot of money, considering the planes or trains you need to take, accommodation, guides, food, and more. Even traveling in an RV can be quite costly.
- It can be exhausting. While traveling, you’re constantly moving and looking to visit as many places as possible. This can be difficult for seniors or people with disabilities.
- It disrupts your routine. For some people, a daily routine is essential for their physical and mental health. Travel, more often than not, disrupts the routine, which might not be ideal for everyone.
- It might cause a culture shock. If you travel to a foreign country or anywhere far away from your home, you may come in contact with unfamiliar places, foods, and customs, leading to culture shock.
By understanding everyone’s motives for not wanting to travel, you can better understand how to handle the situation. You can then decide what to do: persuade them or let them be and plan the trip without your family in mind.
Try To Persuade Them
If you believe that your family can be persuaded into traveling with you, you can get to work and find the best ways to convince them. In case you’re not sure what to do, here are some tips that can help:
- Start with a nearby destination. You may want to go to a distant continent to explore the unknown, but that doesn’t sound good to someone who only travels if they have to. Look for a closer destination with a culture similar to yours.
- Give them options. Find two or three destinations you think they may like and let them decide. This way, they can get more involved and find something to their liking.
- Send them information about potential destinations. If there’s a place that seems to be the obvious choice as a destination, try to find interesting information or news about it and send it to your family. The more they learn, the more they get curious.
- Give them a taste of the destination. What better way to know a place than to try some of its food? If you can, cook your family a nice dinner with dishes from the destination or show them films or media that showcase the culture of your destination.
Know When To Give Up
If none of the above methods (or any other that you can think of) works, and your family is still adamant that they don’t want to travel, it’s time to consider giving up. You don’t want to insist too much and risk ruffling some feathers if they’re clearly disinterested in traveling.
Let your family be. They may consider going with you the next time you travel, or some might even change their mind. Meanwhile, you can still plan your trip without your family and consider all the possibilities in front of you.
Find Friends or Relatives
If you don’t like traveling alone, you can always ask a friend or a close relative to tag along for the adventure. You can even invite several friends and travel as a group.
Remember that this is not a small thing to ask. The person you choose needs to consider the cost, the time off work, being away from their own family, and many other aspects. Be ready to provide all the information your friends or relatives might need for the trip.
Travel Alone
If you’re okay with traveling alone, don’t hesitate to pack and go wherever you want. Traveling alone is a unique experience that teaches you a lot about yourself and gives you some extra skills you may not have been aware of.
However, it can also be challenging, especially at the beginning, so here are some tips that may make this experience easier for you:
Tips for Traveling Alone
- Choose the right destination. Traveling to a foreign country solo without a tour guide or translator can prove hard. For solo travels, it’s best to settle for locations with somewhat similar cultures and languages.
- Do your research. Try to learn as much as you can about your destination. This means reading online blogs and reviews about some of the popular hotels, restaurants, and attractions.
- Don’t hesitate to ask for help. If you need help, approach someone and ask them for advice or directions.
- Plan well in advance. Traveling solo comes with its unique demands, especially considering you’ll be alone most of the time. As such, it’s best to plan ahead and make reservations weeks, if not months, in advance.
Need some help getting the courage to travel alone? We give you some strategies in this article.
The Takeaway
Being the only person in your family that likes to travel can be tough because it can make it impossible for you to enjoy trips with your family. However, you can try to persuade them by suggesting nearby locations and involving them in the planning process.
If you can’t persuade your family to travel with you, you can always ask a friend or a relative to go with you. You can also choose to travel solo and soak up all the unique experiences alone.
Sources
- VBT Bicycling Vacations: 5 Ways to Convince Your Family to Travel
- Solo Traveler World: The Ultimate Guide to Travel Alone and Love It
- HuffPost Life: Traveling In An RV Is Way More Expensive Than You Probably Think
- The Travel Hack: 8 of the hardest things about solo travel and how to overcome them
- Fit for Travel: Culture Shock
