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Sometimes I worry about the narrative that we travel publishers put out there: “Quit your job, travel the world, and all your problems will be solved.”

Almost none of us actually say that — or imply it. but when you add up all the travel memoirs and travel blogs and travel-filled Instagram profiles, that’s the dominant narrative. Travel? Leads to great things. great things? reduction in problems. Ergo, traveling should lead to your problems being solved!

I mean, I understand why that’s appealing. many people who are wanting to travel the world long-term aren’t doing so because everything is going perfectly in their home lives. For all the people who travel because they want to see the world, at the same time, you’ve got a number of people who are using travel as a implies of escape.

Travel can be a fantastic tool — but it’s not a cure on its own.

Sometimes experiencing a new destination can completely change your worldview. If you combine that with a concentrated effort to change your life, amazing things can happen.

One example I love is how writer David Sedaris used travel to quit smoking. He realized that his smoking practices were routine-based, so he chose to travel to Tokyo, an environment that couldn’t be much more different from his home in new York, and kick his smoking practice while he was handling a completely different routine. and it worked! The whole story is in his book When You Are Engulfed in Flames.

Did travel help Sedaris change his life? Absolutely. but it wasn’t the travel exclusively — he pursued conventional ways of ending his addiction as well. He didn’t coast along and let travel do all the work; he worked hard on his end as well.

Here are several common problems that people expect travel will solve:

1. You don’t know what you want to finish with your life.

Most of the readers who email me are at a crossroads in their life — they don’t know what they want to finish with their life, either career-wise or life-wise. maybe they aren’t living the life they imagined they would at this age. maybe they’re ready to start over.

If you’re searching for a new career, traveling the world isn’t the most efficient way to figure out what to do next. Sure, meeting people along the road will give you ideas of different lifestyles and ways to earn. but unless you make an effort to figure out what you want to do, you’re going to end up best back where you started.

I feel like numerous people set off to travel assuming that the best plan will just manifest itself at the best time. Well, it’s not that easy! things aren’t just going to happen without an effort on your part.

If you’re major about making a profession change, but also want to travel, just travel to take a break and delight in yourself. While you’re away, spend time making a profession plan or list of ideas to try once you return home. If you happen to run into a new career idea while traveling, that’s wonderful! but don’t go in expecting it in the first place.

2. You’re not sure whether college is right for you.

I’m divided on this — part of me says get your degree as soon as possible and then do whatever you want! but the other side of me knows how financially crippling college can be, particularly for Americans.

Here’s the truth: a college education is never a waste of time. in some cases it can be a waste of money if you choose an overpriced school or underpaid field of study, but it is never a waste of time. You will have so numerous much more profession options with a degree than without one.

Yes, you can be successful without a college degree, but the truth is that unless you’re self-employed or exceptionally skilled in a sought-after field, you’ll be facing an uphill battle throughout your career.

A lot of readers come to me telling me that they’re not sure if college is for them and they don’t know what they want to finish with their lives except travel.

If I were to give guidance to future college-goers, it would be to get the many inexpensive quality education you can find. maybe that implies going to a state school or starting at community college; maybe that implies going to the safety school that gave you a scholarship instead of the reach school that just barely accepted you.

You can still incorporate a ton of travel into your college years. You can study abroad — even multiple semenullnull