Invest in Travelling

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My aunt has always believed that experiences matter more than possessions. When she was thirty, she could have bought a luxury car, but she chose to spend her savings on a year of travel instead. She says it was the best decision she ever made. “I might not have met your uncle if I had not gone to that small village in Italy,” she often reminds me.

Her stories are legendary in our family. She should have been nervous travelling alone, but she was fearless. In Thailand, she must have tried every street food stall because she returned with an encyclopaedic knowledge of local cuisine. In Peru, she could not have predicted that she would trek the Inca Trail during a storm, yet she describes it as the highlight of her journey.

Not every moment was perfect. She should have booked her accommodation in advance during festival season in India, but she arrived without a reservation and had to sleep in a crowded train station. Even that experience, she insists, taught her patience and resourcefulness. “You cannot plan everything,” she says. “Sometimes the unexpected moments become the best memories.”

Now in her sixties, she still has itchy feet. Last month, she was off to a flying start on a walking tour of Portugal. She often tells young people that they ought to travel while they have the energy and freedom. “Money returns,” she says. “Time does not.”

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