Has the Economy Affected your Travel Decisions?

With the current global economic crisis, it's sometimes hard to think about taking a vacation now or anytime in the near future. One way or another, the economy has affected us all. Even I, a travelling enthusiast, have to opt for a shorter, more frugal and practical trip this year.

Most people go through life putting off the things that they want to do until they are in a better financial situation. But when they are in a better financial situation, guess what happens? They get more bills, more stress, and the things that they put off two or three years ago, they continue to delay indefinitely.

A few days ago, I ran into an old classmate of mine. She told me that she was going to Scotland in October to pursue her MBA. My first impulse was to ask her why she would incur such a large debt just to go to Scotland, especially during the recession. She enlightened me with some very wise words.

She said, "Debt and financial imperfections will be there at every stage of your life. When you go to school, when you buy a car, when you're ready to buy a house and so on. At what point do you start living your life, in spite of all this?"

Though I don't think she meant that we should be irresponsible when it comes to handling these economically uncertain times, I do believe we can all take a page from her book and live a little.