Everyone loves good travel quotes. Hopefully, these will inspire and motivate you just as much as they do me.
It doesn’t have to be oceans. It can be countries, cities, deserts… You won’t discover anywhere new unless you have the courage to expand your comfort zone and go looking.
Before I got fully into mountaineering, I was pulling the whole, “I’ll start next year” routine. I was still traveling elsewhere, but this specific sort of type-2 fun was constantly tickling the back of my mind.
One night I was actively dwelling on where to go next, and then I saw this quote pop up on GearJunkie. I said out loud, “Oh wtf…” took it as a sign, commented about it, then booked mountaineering and crevasse rescue courses the very next day.
If you follow the set path or routine too closely you’ll never know how much you’ve been missing until you step out of line and see things for yourself.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I think I made this one up.
It’s true though. Something about a new beer in a faraway land just hits differently.
When I’m traveling I always get the local beer and it always seems to taste way better than it should.
Or an even better example, there was the time I had the freshest Budweiser of my life… in Canada. Yea, we thought we were being funny by ordering it (“I want an import.” Har Har) and instead ended up with a pleasant surprise.
I’ve heard and made more excuses than I can count over the years. It may take a while, but excuses eventually lead to regret. “I can’t do X because Y.”
You might not regret it right away, but 15 years down the line when you’re no longer able, you very well might find yourself regretting not having taken that step.
I have several regrets. Had I not made an excuse, those regrets would instead be memories.
Marc-André Leclerc was one of the top alpinists in the world. This dude was the literal definition of full send. He did things that left the global community in awe.
I know this one is a bit long, but if you haven’t already, check out his documentary, The Alpinist on Netflix. It’s where I pulled this from.
Unfortunately, he didn’t live to see the movie as he was tragically caught in an avalanche at age 25.
People who know me often ask why I work so much.
I work to travel…
Or occasionally they complain about them and yell at you!
I love exploring new cities, but I’m not big on repeats or wasted time. When I feel like I’m done, I can’t wait to move on and get started exploring someplace new. There’s way too much out there to see!
Another line I came up with. I often have people telling me that their trip doesn’t compare to what I’m doing.
“You’re going to Namibia? Oh, I’m only going to Myrtle Beach.” I always stop them and tell them not to think like that before dropping the above wisdom.
You can’t/shouldn’t compare like that because traveling is personal and different for everyone. Just because one location is farther away doesn’t make it any better.
Adventure is all about the new.
Hmm… did I just come up with another line for my next list?
Someone once asked me what I was running from. People like that make me roll my eyes. They’re always looking to justify their own inaction or pull others down with them.
While I’ve worked hard to get where I am, I’m extremely happy with my life.
Lady, I’m not running from anything. I’m running towards my next experience. Life is beautiful and I don’t want it to escape me.
This specific climb didn’t hurt, but I have done others that quite literally kicked the crap out of me.
I’ll take the pain and struggle of fighting my way up a mountain over the monotony of a beach any day.
Except for while on a mountain. If you go where there’s no path you’re greatly increasing the odds that you’ll fall into a crevasse!
Also, I’m a major proponent of leave-no-trace principles. So if you are leaving a trail, be sure that it’s nothing permanent!
I have a really good memory, so I remember all of my trips quite well. Putting them in order is where I have a bit more difficulty.
When someone asks me where I went “last year” I’ll occasionally draw a blank and have to think about it before I get the order straightened out in my head.
Remembering more than you’ve seen though… well, I’m not particularly prone to exaggeration where my travels are concerned.
I made you a promise when I started this blog. If something rips, I’m gonna tell you. If it underwhelms, I’ll let you know that as well. Some may think it’s complaining, but I think you’d prefer honesty over sensationalization.
I don’t want you to go somewhere and be like… “Wait! Pat said this is awesome but it really sucks!”
I only posted this one because I disagree with it. Travel can bring wisdom to anyone. Travel is also great at dispelling ignorance, not building it.
Sure, there are some people who will always remain thick-headed, but many ignorant will rethink and reevaluate things when faced with the reality of someplace new.
Also, I’m not fond of your books, Joe. I gave First Law 1 star on Goodreads.
Or you could find yourself traveling while carrying someone else’s bag in addition to your own. In that case, I suppose this would become, “He who would travel annoyed, must travel heavy.”
I don’t need to be traveling to speak to my soul, I can do that anywhere. Exploring is definitely where it’s happiest though.
I suppose this depends on your definition of great, but the meeting of man and mountain takes a bit more grit to overcome and stand on top.
While I love this quote, I feel like people pigeonhole themselves with some of these statements. Adventure doesn’t have to be limited to something unexpected. Who is anyone to tell another what is or isn’t adventurous?
I detest the existence of clocks. I don’t like a clock dictating how and where my trip is going. The only exception would be something that requires a set departure, like my recent Antarctica expedition.
Though even while there I found myself frustrated with the limited time spent on land.
I prefer for my travels to unfold organically and without time constrictions.
Had a bad trip? Pick somewhere else and do things better next time.
Maybe you over-packed and lugging that giant bag around ruined the experience. Well, now you know better for next time.
Reaching a hard-fought summit is an experience that’s difficult to describe. The harder the battle, the greater the victory. You’ll never forget it.
Those emotions will forever cling to the back of my mind and make me want more.
As soon as I started traveling, I knew there wasn’t much that would stop me from continuing. I’m fine with that.
I’ve gotten plenty of pushback for traveling too fast or for not spending enough time in one place.
People have things they want to see, you have things you want to see.
There is no hard rule that says you need to see every single thing in every single location.
This travel quote really hits home. I had soooo much trouble getting to Hallstatt. (pictured)
Wrong trains, stranded overnight in the middle of nowhere, inclement weather, a tree that fell on the tracks and shut down the entire railway.
The story of getting there was more interesting than the town itself, but those obsticals just made me more determined to get there.
Can confirm. Unfortunately, you may not like the reason why.
Some of the times I feel most alive are when I’m pushing things to the extreme.
I may be hating life at the immediate moment, but it’s never long before I’m looking back fondly.
I’ve been on trips with people who complained about the quality of things. Said country doesn’t exist for you. Not up to your standards? Maybe you should stay home or a nice 5-star resort.
You are safe sitting at home and watching TV, but what is life without a few scraped knees?
Professional mountaineer Andrew Hughes dropped this line on me one day while we were talking gear choices. He’s not wrong.
Please allow me to tell you about this cat I once saw in Chefchaouen…
The thought of wanting to go somewhere and not being able to sucks.
I’m trying to not disappoint myself because living with regret is difficult.
Needless to say, this doesn’t exactly help my dating life and is part of why I’m single lol. I’ve had past significant others tell me I couldn’t go somewhere for XYZ reason.
Note that I said “past.”
I work as much as I do to travel. Where I am currently concerned, there is no reason beyond that.
Another thing I like to tell people…
I’ve heard it so many times. “I’m scared to go by myself.”
Trust me, traveling solo is easier than you’d ever expect. Once you start, you’ll see that it is all in your head.
Peru was my first TRULY solo trip. No group tour, just a flight and a place to stay.
And I still haven’t figured out why the Peruvians were so obsessed with that hat. To this day it remains the only thing I’ve had people offering to buy from me.
This goes back to my traveling fast and why I don’t do repeats. I can’t limit myself to one city when there are thousands of others, each with their own stories to tell.
Speaks for itself. Time well spent isn’t something to regret. Time wasted is.
A wise man once said…
You never know what will happen tomorrow or a year from now. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Without any skin in the game, it’s much easier to change your mind and do something else.
I talk about going to places and doing new things all the time, but my plans change so fast that trips don’t start to feel real until I’ve started actually booking them.
This is a type 2 fun mindset. My most fulfilling trips are almost always the most demanding or challenging.
A quote from one of my favorite books. We all dream big when we’re kids and it’s easy to stop when you get older. It might be hard, but don’t stop.
I’ve been on trips to places where people complain about the conditions for whatever reason. What you’re really doing is insulting someone else’s home or livelihood.
Instead, be thankful that you’re in a position that allows you to go there to begin with.
Do you ever feel like a fish out of water? Maybe you just haven’t found your people yet. Don’t stop looking, they’re out there.
If you won’t go somewhere or do something because you think it might be too risky, are you really living? Or are you merely existing while wasting your time?
I wouldn’t say that things have to be going wrong, but it can definitely add to the moment.
Generally, I’d agree, but I can clearly remember taking this exact picture.
This moment was the first, and possibly only time where I thought to myself that it would be nice to have someone there with me.
An overused quote, but yes, everywhere is in fact on my list.
On one trip my gf at the time was freaking out because we had gotten stranded in a remote town. As a result, we were going to miss our bus. She couldn’t get over how nonchalant I was about the situation and traveling in general.
This continued throughout the entire trip. After we got home she told me how traveling with me was freeing in a new way because it helped her stress less.
While you’re traveling, don’t sweat the small stuff. You’ll enjoy yourself so much more if you just roll with the punches.
Yes and no. While traveling can be far cheaper than most people think, I won’t pretend that money can’t be a factor that prevents some from doing it.
Fifteen years ago my “grown-up” job barely paid me enough to break even. The thought of ever going somewhere like Antarctica or even the more reasonably priced Caribbean was such a pipe dream. Now, I’m able to go for it, so I do.
So when you want it, can afford it, and still don’t go… What’s holding you back?
There are far too many people who are dug in on their points of view on XYZ matters. I invite you to travel somewhere that will open your eyes and expand your view on said matters. You may just find that you have it far better than you think.
Hopefully these travel quotes will inspire and fuel your wanderlust as well!
Do you have any favorites of your own?
Let me know your favorite travel quotes below!
