Okay this isn’t necessarily true. I’m just going to lay this out because people have a gross misunderstanding of how cheap international travel can actually be and it stops them from even trying.

I’m 23, live in LA on my own (moved from NY so I’ve never lived anywhere with a lower cost of living), make $20/hour, have a hefty car note to pay every month because I got a 2016 after having two lemons, have an iPhone X, et cetera. I’m by no means giving up anything by traveling...

In the past 2 years I’ve gone to 9 different countries + Hawaii/Puerto Rico, all on my own dime. Next month I’m headed to Europe for two weeks and I’ll be hitting France, Germany, Amsterdam, and England. Round trip my ticket cost about $550. I either stay in AirBNBs or — and I’ve never used this — couchsurfing is a popular site. Hopper is a great app to use that tells you when your plane tickets will be cheapest. As long as you plan ahead and look up local travel you can swing a trip like that for under $1k, easy. I don’t eat a lot so food never costs much, maybe one meal a day, plus a small emergency fund? Totally, entirely doable for someone my age with a tight income.

I know it’s different flying out of places in the midwest or south where airfare costs a lot more so the entire price tag goes up but that’s my experience with travel.