When I was in grade school, my dad and I were up in Detroit for a track meet. We thought it would be fun to cross over into Canada. Although technically, it was the first time I had left the United States, it wasn’t until a week after my college graduation that I took my first real international trip.

I did a 4-city stop in Europe and I caught the travel bug. I’ve made a few more trips to Europe, traveled in South America, and expanded my adventures in the United States.

Although I’m not going as far as to say it’s a requirement for a happy life, there are so many benefits of making traveling a habit. It can be a release from the day-to-day grind that life can force us into sometimes. You meet new people, make unforgettable memories, and even improve your communication skills. But what that first trip really did for me was expand my horizons and become more mindful of other people’s cultures and values. I can confidently say that I am a more sympathetic and open-minded person because of traveling.

You don’t have to quit your job today and travel the world, although today’s guest would have a thing or two to say about that but I’m hoping after this conversation I’ve convinced you to pick a spot you’ve always wanted to travel to and book that plane ticket.

Renee Bruns took this piece of advice to heart. She created a career sabbatical to pursue what we’ve all wanted to do at some point in our life: break a Guinness Book of World Records.

Renee is now the record holder for the most amount of countries visited in one year in a wheelchair. In 2022, she visited 66 countries bringing her all-time total to 117 countries including all 7 continents.

In this conversation, I challenge her with 5 common reasons many of us don’t travel. She fires back with reassurance and tangible advice for overcoming these excuses.

Key Takeaways:

• 5 surprising reasons Americans don’t travel
• Ideas for low-risk, high-reward places to travel to
• How to get by without knowing the language
• How to find affordable transportation
• Travel money saving hacks
• The benefits of hostels
• How to ask for a sabbatical at work and offer creative options to your employer
• When it might be time to leave your work to travel
• Why you shouldn’t be afraid to travel

Mentions:

www.HostelWorld.com

www.couchsurfing.com

More of Renee:

www.reneebruns.net

More of The Struggle is Real:

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