I’ve booked my holiday!!!! I’d been psyching myself up for it for quite some time and finally did it this week. Well, I kind of felt that I couldn't really show my face here until I'd done it. And you’d think that booking a holiday was something you couldn’t wait to do but this one was a bit trickier than that.
The holiday in question is a hiking holiday in North America. They don’t exactly come cheap, in fact this is the single most expensive holiday I’ve ever booked. So there’s the money aspect. Also some of my seemingly minor health problems might spoil things a bit if they flare up while there so that’s a bit of a risk and combined with the cost, it does make you think twice. But if this year is to count then I need to firmly put any negative thoughts aside and believe in a positive outcome.
But it made me think how easy it is to put off doing something that you really want to do because it costs so much and how difficult it can be to justify spending a lot of money on something that’s not exactly essential, no matter how much you want it. It would have been so much safer for me not to spend the money on the holiday, but then I would be without the experience. So how to find a balance between the two?
Well, as one of my lovely and encouraging workmates put it, you can’t take your money with you when you leave this world. You can have money in your bank account and feel safe or spend it on something that might seem more ‘sensible’ but the bank of your personal experiences that stay with you till the end will be emptier. ‘Book it!’ she said. ‘You’ll only regret it if you don’t.’
I knew she was right (although it was easy for her to say, it wasn’t her money!). I spent the Christmas before last in the Caribbean. That too was quite an expensive holiday but I realise now that not once have I thought back to how much it all cost. Instead, I often think back to those two lovely, relaxing weeks in the sun reading, sunbathing, swimming, exploring and having fun with my friend.
I won’t be travelling with a friend this time, I’m going on my own but joining a group of people who also want to get that particular experience. It’ll be exciting. A bit scary too at this point but that's a good sign. It means I'm pushing myself out of my comfort zone. That's where the best experiences often are.
The holiday in question is a hiking holiday in North America. They don’t exactly come cheap, in fact this is the single most expensive holiday I’ve ever booked. So there’s the money aspect. Also some of my seemingly minor health problems might spoil things a bit if they flare up while there so that’s a bit of a risk and combined with the cost, it does make you think twice. But if this year is to count then I need to firmly put any negative thoughts aside and believe in a positive outcome.
But it made me think how easy it is to put off doing something that you really want to do because it costs so much and how difficult it can be to justify spending a lot of money on something that’s not exactly essential, no matter how much you want it. It would have been so much safer for me not to spend the money on the holiday, but then I would be without the experience. So how to find a balance between the two?
Well, as one of my lovely and encouraging workmates put it, you can’t take your money with you when you leave this world. You can have money in your bank account and feel safe or spend it on something that might seem more ‘sensible’ but the bank of your personal experiences that stay with you till the end will be emptier. ‘Book it!’ she said. ‘You’ll only regret it if you don’t.’
I knew she was right (although it was easy for her to say, it wasn’t her money!). I spent the Christmas before last in the Caribbean. That too was quite an expensive holiday but I realise now that not once have I thought back to how much it all cost. Instead, I often think back to those two lovely, relaxing weeks in the sun reading, sunbathing, swimming, exploring and having fun with my friend.
I won’t be travelling with a friend this time, I’m going on my own but joining a group of people who also want to get that particular experience. It’ll be exciting. A bit scary too at this point but that's a good sign. It means I'm pushing myself out of my comfort zone. That's where the best experiences often are.
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| Image courtesy of puttsk / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
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