Traveling round the world often sounds like a romantic adventure of exploration and discovery into the unknown. Often it is, but there are some people who are just not cut out for spending long periods of time away from home, away from what they are so familiar with.

For many people traveling is an amazing experience and for some even a life changing one but there are those people who don’t fit in to either of these two categories. Some people just have a need to be in a familiar place, with friends or family in a situtaion that feels secure to them.

It is usually these people who may leave home to go traveling only to find a few weeks into the trip they’re itching to book a return flight home. Stepping out of the “comfort zone” is not as easy for some people as it is for others.

It is important that you think long and hard about whether you need your “home comforts” and all the security that a familiar place and people bring before you embark on a long trip away to foreign shores. It is often friends who convince others that they would enjoy the trip as much as themselves if they came along, but the truth is not everyone can handle being away from home for so long.

There are many articles suggesting the many reasons to “go traveling”, but very few stating some reasons not to go.

Here are five reasons worth considering:

1.Are you running away from something?

By going traveling it will not solve your problems and issues at home, they’ll still be there waiting on your doorstep and probably a lot worse than when your set off. It is a good idea to ensure your “house is in order” before embarking on a long trip. Remember, traveling isn’t a solution to your problems. Traveling can be an amazing experience but it is best to have a clear mind with no outstanding issues or problems at home before you leave on such a long journey.

2.You Don’t Have Enough Time

OK, we could all go around the world in a month but honestly what would be the point? You wouldn’t really get to know a country and its culture at all. You would probably see a lot of airports, buses and taxi’s. There are people who travel around the world for 3 months, while this isn’t a big task it really just seems a bit of a waste to me. Why not take that 3 months and stay in one or two countries and get to know the culture and people? Far too often it seems that people just want to be able to tell people how many countries they have set foot in, when in reality they really haven’t experienced that country at all. I am a firm believer in making sure you really have enough time to do your trip justice, not just enough time to see the tourist hot spots then jump on a plane to your next destination.

3.You Don’t Have Enough Money

If you haven’t got enough money for your trip you should think about getting a second job or raising the money from another source. Taking out loans is a bad idea you’ll always have to pay it off at some point, usually when you get back home when you least want to face it.

By sorting out your finances and cutting down on your out goings such as mobile phone bills, gym membership etc you can begin to control your cash flow and in turn start to save decent amounts of money for your trip ahead. Going away without enough money will usually lead to a early trip home unless you can find work out on the road. If you don’t have enough money without working you may find yourself working for a lot of your time away, this in itself is not always a bad thing. The biggest element to try and avoid is getting into any amount of serious debt which can usually be avoided if you sort out your finances and save well before hand.

4.Your Friends Are Begging You To Go Traveling

If your friends are begging you to go away with them and you kind of want to go but are not too sure, then maybe it isn’t for you?

You could have an amazing time but equally you could hate it and want to go home as soon as possible. You should really want to go away for yourself, to see amazing new things, to experience new things and to meet new people. If you have to be dragged along by your friends then traveling probably isn’t your top priority and maybe you should think long and hard about whether this trip is for you.

5.Your (Ex) Boyfriend or Girlfriend Is Going Traveling

If your girlfriend or boyfriend is going away traveling, does it mean that you have to go to?

If it wasn’t for this person would you even be going traveling?

I always think it is a bad idea to tag along with a girlfriend or boyfriend because you fear if you don’t go away with them then the relationship will end. On the other hand traveling with a partner can usually make or break the relationship and is often a very good test of how compatible you really are. You should really make sure you are going travelling for the right reasons such as seeing new countries, cultures and experiencing new things not just trying to keep a relationship alive.

Most people have a fantastic time away traveling but a minority of people do have issues unsolved at home which can lead to a lot of distress and pain whilst on the road, or in some cases a flight home.

Making sure you are in the right frame of mind for a big long trip and that you have no unfinished business at home can ensure you are in the best mental shape possible to take on the world.