Travelling vs Saving in early 20s, what would you do?

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deppyjon@reddit

Your work and career will always be there, opportunities to travel are harder to come by, it never feels like the right time as long as you are on the career path you won’t want to veer off it.

I’m 28 and haven’t really properly travelled but think about it often!

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Substantial-Bug-4998@reddit

You will never regret travelling. You have the rest of your life to earn money but the time you have free of commitments will be fleeting.

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Particular-Quit-630@reddit

I traveled and worked abroad for around 7 years in my 20s. I certainly do not regret it but it did leave me behind my friends when it comes to career and house buying.

What I would say is that when you’re older it is extremely difficult to get 3-6 months off to travel properly.

Now I have a wife and kids a 2 week holiday costs the same as a 2 month solo backpacking trip.

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TaraVelvet@reddit

I spent four years living abroad, and earning abroad, in my early twenties. It doesn’t have to be either/or.

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I have no regrets about spending a chunk of money backpacking in my early 20s. When else in your life do you have the opportunity to take that time and make that kind of trip? It changes you, after taking myself around some pretty remote bits of SE Asia alone there isn't much that phases me now, it was a huge boost to my confidence and independence. If you do it when you're older it's with a different mindset and I'm so glad I went when I did.

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lavayuki@reddit

Travelling for sure. I travelled a lot in my 20s and also spent a few months living in Japan. It was a great time.

Im in my thirties and never got married or had kids and don’t plan to, but if you have the opportunity travelling is a great opportunity when you are young fit and well without medical problems and the like getting in the way

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Street-Function-1507@reddit

I aquired a mortgage at 23, when others were travelling. I never went to university and got a job at 18 with a pension.

I now own my own house and am retired earlier than my peers. Granted economics worked out for me and I have the time and finances to travel now, but as things are different economically in 2026 I think you should 💯 travel for 8/12 months.

Please open a pension now or even an ISA/LISA, definitely do it. These savings are tax free and long term definitely worth it. Put in whatever you can afford to start.

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CMR1891@reddit

I started a bit later in life, but I love to travel. The thing that has worked for me is that I bought my own house and now I’m saving to travel. I only do European travel on the cheap at the moment because I’m still paying my bills. My bills are a third of what they would be with a mortgage than what they would be if I was renting. Whilst I’m paying my bills, I’m gaining equity and the house prices have risen a lot. I have a lot of priorities now, but if I was to sell the house that I bought 5 years ago, I’d have at least a 50k lump sum. If I didn’t want to sell, I could rent it out for £700 a month

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ar2002-@reddit (OP)

Slightly off topic, but, European travel can be quite affordable too, in some ways. You’ve just gotta look for cheap flights and not be too fussy on accommodation. Luckily my girlfriend loves weekend trips like me, so we often get away for a couple days.

My dad thinks it’s stupid, going away on a 2/3 hour plane journey, for 2-3 days. And some friends say it’s a waste of money. Bearing in mind, we visited Bucharest for £46 return flights PP, and accommodation £80 for two nights (£40pp). That alone is a meal out and drinks after in most uk cities now.

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apple_kicks@reddit

Look at eurosnap. If you have time for last minute bookings the tickets for rail can be cheap

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CMR1891@reddit

Exactly, I’ve had some really good deals on European travel. I’ve never done a weekend because flights and everything that comes with it just panics me, but that’s a me problem. I’ve had plenty of amazing European trips in cheap Airbnbs. They aren’t dirty, but nothing fancy.. but you’re only in it to sleep anyway if you do it right.

As someone who’s done both, I’d much rather spend £200 on a weekend away than in my local pub getting smashed.

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ar2002-@reddit (OP)

I’m with you on that! And honestly, a 2-3 trip anywhere in Europe, actually doesn’t feel too short, I’ve never reflected after and thought, that was way too short, you’ve just gotta be efficient, plan the day, and get up early.

And yeah, why spend £100 on a meal and a night out when you could spend the same £100 on a 2/3 day trip to Warsaw, Plovdiv, Lisbon, for me at least, it’s a no brainer

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apple_kicks@reddit

I did kinda both. I did nice short trip to venice after saving up. I had enough to pay my next deposit but enough for a short city break

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Lazy-Limit-8684@reddit

Travel. It might change your entire outlook and alter the direction your life takes. You should travel as much as you can while you’re young.

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ar2002-@reddit (OP)

Just randomly, what countries would you recommend most?

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Yorkshiremoneysaver@reddit

Vietnam was an amazing experience and you can immerse yourself into their culture very easily by booking home stays

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Hefty-Egg3406@reddit

Whatever one’s interest you the most. I think the backpackery places are good to experience once or twice - but ultimately it’s quite defined and scheduled and everyone is just doing exactly the same. There is no opportunity for you to really have a meaningfully spontaneous experience.

Follow whatever truly interests yourself

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Yorkshiremoneysaver@reddit

Money will always find its way back to you. We earn money literally to live our life and while it does not seem it and sounds so cliche life is short. Grab every opportunity you can with both hands to experience and live it to the fullest.

You can still travel and experience it by living thrifty. Could ever look at earning while you do with something like being an online ESL teacher if you are really torn :)

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himit@reddit

I'm 40 and travelled. if I could redo it, I'd work, save, get a mortgage, rent it out and then travel.

If you're working class and don't have family support to fall back on when you return, you're setting yourself back years and years. You need a foundation to build upon, and it's much easier to build when you're 25 and childless than when you're older and settled down.

I can tell you fantastic stories. I've done many cool things. I'm also renting at 39 with three children in a two bed flat, and I secretly wonder if I'll die at 50 from the stress of being poor. How I wish I could sit in my own house with meagre savings in the bank and wistfully regret not travelling in my 20s.

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Odd-Paramedic-3826@reddit

depends on what you want for yourself. Travel can be an amazing way to broaden your horizons and build life experiences, and in the current economy and job market back home you might as well just go spend a few years somewhere else.

You just gotta ask yourself, what do you want to see? What do you want to get out of a travel experience? Personally, I found that the usual areas in asia or australia that people my age are going to for months on end didn't really have anything that interested me so I've stayed at home but spent money on city breaks and cheap ryanair flights all over europe. Thats an option.

There's also ties to home. One of the biggest things that put me off going further afield long term was that if something bad happened I wouldn't be able to just dash home at the drop of a hat. I have a lot of family members with poor health so thats a legitimate concern for me. You might be fine with that.

and do your research. travel is wonderful, but it can also be expensive, chaotic, a lot of stuff can go wrong, and depending on where you stay you could have next to no privacy (hostels can be 6 people to one room).

TL;DR: do what feels best for you! just do your research first

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rositree@reddit

'(hostels can be 6 people to one room)'

You just reminded me of a place I stayed in Panama with a dorm, 5 bunks high, 4 stacks, 2 of which were double-bed wide so max 30 people.

Not ideal if you get vertigo. Or like privacy and quiet.

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RelationshipLife6739@reddit

Idgaf about “backpacking across Asia”. I’m doing uni and career and saving and all the life shit with my partner rn. Instead we just scour Ryanair an all sites 24/7 to find cheap holidays. We’ve managed to go on all sorts of different trips to: Mallorca, Cyprus (3 times as she’s from there and has family so it’s much cheaper as we only have to pay flights), Malta, Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, Mainland Spain, Ibiza, Italy and Poland. We’re 23 and about to get into our careers so likely won’t be able to go on nearly as many but even the odd weekend away for 2-3 days is fully possible on a budget. My friend on the other hand travelled for the past 4 years and is only starting his degree now. By the time he finishes his undergrad and integrated masters he’s going to be 27 or 28 and will only then start his actual career and life. Everyone does what they want and goes at different places but I believe he’s gonna be vastly behind compared to the rest of our friend group. Another one of our friends did a foundation year and another one did a 1 year travel before going to uni. This one guy basically spent 4 years working 6months across 3 jobs then going to Asia to backpack to come back and so it again as a cycle.

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RelationshipLife6739@reddit

We did all of these in the last 2.5 years.

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Forward_Opposite_789@reddit

Definitely save to go travelling 😂

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Salty_Nothing5466@reddit

We didn’t travel when we were in our 20s, we both went straight into apprenticeships / work at 17. I am an accountant and he works in commercial tech. In 2024, age 33/39 we quit our corporate jobs and went travelling for 8 months. We had a mortgage so had to save to cover this while we were gone too as we didn’t want to rent it out for various reasons. It was one of the best experiences of my life!! Came back, both fell into the same jobs we were doing and this year sold our house so we can downsize mortgage free and spend more time travelling and less time working!

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UltraFab@reddit

I kind of did both - rather than travelling for an extended period to one or 2 places, I studied, got a pretty good job, and then went on 2 or 3 holidays per year. Some solo some with friends. I'm quite proud of how much I was able to see and do using my annual leave

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durontochele@reddit

Travel in your twenties. You don't know what you're health and physical ability will be like in the future

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doc1442@reddit

What are you saving for? Unless it’s for something, use it. *Generally* as you get older opportunities to go travelling for a decent chunk of time will reduce - so enjoy whilst you can.

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Luke808R_@reddit

I’m 24, and currently 6 weeks into a ~6 month trip, so I’ll give you my view on this.

I always said I wanted to see the world before life gets in the way. We’re on this planet for 80ish years if we’re lucky, I want to see as much of it as possible, and it’ll only get harder to do so as you get older. Half-way through uni my girlfriend and I decided that we would get jobs after graduating, live in a cheap flat, save for a couple of years and go travelling.

Once we’d saved up and booked our first flight, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think if it was the right thing to do. We had essentially saved enough for a deposit on a house, and both had gotten promotions at work in the first 12-18 months. I did wonder if it was the right thing to do.

But I realised that we’re still so young, with nothing tying us down, and we will still be young when we get back. Think of it this way, I’d much rather delay stuff like house/family/career by a few years and have the most amazing experiences and memories behind me, than to quickly get to a point where you’re unable to have those experiences. You’ve got the rest of your life to save for those things.

So we quit our jobs and got on a flight to Brazil. We’re doing 3 months in South America then 3/4 months in NZ/Aus and potentially somewhere in Asia. And we don’t regret a single penny we have spent.

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IntelligentCitron917@reddit

If I had my time again I would have travelled the world instead of marrying, having a child, divorcing etc.

Would I regret not having my child, yes but I wouldn't have known about them.

Health and finances prevents travel now. Enjoy experiences while you can. You can always make money later. Or even vlog it, make money as you go

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ar2002-@reddit (OP)

Honestly, I am really starting to lean towards this position. It’s just that whenever I tell people about this, many people, especially elder family members and work companions kinda bring me down and say things along the lines of “you can’t be travelling again can you? You’ve gotta save up your money”

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CMR1891@reddit

I commented a bit further down about having a mortgage. I stand by what I did, but I also really dislike people that talk down on what you want to do. Those people that tell you ‘you can’t be travelling again’ are either bitter because they never did it, or they have no motivation to do so. I’m with you, though. We have a short life, I want to experience as much as possible

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ar2002-@reddit (OP)

100%. Honestly when someone speaks another person down for travelling, or honestly anything, I reckon it must come from jealousy or envy.

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Hefty-Egg3406@reddit

You can do both, the saving will just take a little longer. My only regret is not utilising proper ISA accounts and their additional interest (that’s my top tip).

Travelling when you are young is mostly a lot cheaper than non-experienced older holiday makers. Also as I have gotten into my 30s I want extra comforts that I didn’t care about before. I think the people saying it to you imagine the cost to be what their overpriced package holiday will be.

I took advantage of opportunities that were only available for young people (they were age limited) to work abroad in places most people would never go. I would 1000% recommend this - it’s different life experience and you have gotten paid to travel.

Anyway thank you for reminding me that I have to write a job application to work abroad again this weekend (I was feeling lazy and didn’t want to do work over the weekend).

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CMR1891@reddit

Sorry to tag on again but I’m really surprised about you saying in your 30’s you wanted comfort. I went the complete opposite way. As a single person, I decided I was wasting my life waiting for someone to come along and enjoy it with me. Since I’ve been in that mindset I’ve visited three countries by myself, my first festival, and I’m about to visit my next festival when summer is in full force, again by myself. I’m such an anxious person but if I don’t do it now, I never will

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Hefty-Egg3406@reddit

I did make a generalisation that was about the average person. Also people who are telling a young person that travelling is a waste of money aren’t gonna be backpacking at 40.

I was also talking about physical comforts. I’m not going to get the cheapest flight anymore that’s at a really inconvenient time to save £20 because the knock-on effect of not sleeping is not worth it.

Also all the firsts I did when I was very young. I’ve travelled alone extensively. There was a point where it got boring because I realised I could kinda have whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It became purposeless.

I took a break from it and did a lot of hiking instead. Again, after one too many gruelling hikes, you do think to yourself “why am I putting myself through this” and I did some things more comfortably.

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CMR1891@reddit

Yeah, it’s not for everyone. I can’t wrap my brain around it, but I can sympathise. The only people I’ve ever met that spoke against it were people who are married with children. Nothing against that at all, but if you’re free to do so, do it whilst you can!

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StarlightZing@reddit

Honestly sounds like you already found the balance. You’ve got savings and you’re still making memories. A lot of people grind for years just to realize they forgot to actually live a little.

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apeliott@reddit

My mate invited me to travel the world with her for a year when we were in our early 20s. She really wanted me to go with her, but I turned her down because I had started work in the civil service and was being all sensible and saving.

She found someone else to go with and had a great time. Eventually, she settled down in Australia, got Australian citizenship, and became successful in sports. Meanwhile, I got a promotion and saved some money, but I was getting bored and wanted to do something interesting.

In my mid-20s, I visited my mate and loved Australia so much that I quit my civil service job as soon as I got home, then flew back to Australia to live.

I spent a year there, got a job selling Aboriginal art, met a hot Japanese girl on a trip to New Zealand, flew to Japan, where I met a karate master who offered to teach me, got married, found a job at a private high school, and bought an apartment in Tokyo. Meanwhile, my mate split up from her arsehole Australian boyfriend, flew back to the UK, and got a high-paying job at a bank.

I can't say what is going to be best for you, but this was my experience, and I have no regrets. My mate is also settled and happy now.

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ar2002-@reddit (OP)

I think it most circumstances life always has a story planned out for you, essentially like a chain effect. I’m glad you, and your friend both worked out well on your own separate life paths.

PS, I can’t wait to visit Tokyo later this year.

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apeliott@reddit

I'm sure you will enjoy Tokyo. Just make sure you don't come in summer.

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Kvark33@reddit

Couldn't afford to save, couldn't afford to travel, but boy do I wish I had more money saved now

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atzucac_fill@reddit

Take advantage while you're young. You can push it in terms of staying on the cheap and maxing out energy in ways that either aren't desirable (the former) or possible (the latter) when you become a grizzled old man of 41 like myself.

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Hefty-Egg3406@reddit

Yeah I am tired mate! I’ve decided to stop going straight to the airport as soon as I log off and landing at 8am the day I am back in work. Gotta have some buffer days to sleep and unpack now.

Young people should be using their enthusiasm to white knuckle through the jet lag and back to back activities. Also take all the beachy gorj pics while you are young!!

Each stage of life is different and we have to appreciate each one. My friends who didn’t travel and didn’t go to university have all expressed that they missed out.

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atzucac_fill@reddit

I need the buffer days getting back to rest up, depending on the holiday, but especially for mental wellbeing. Trying to get back to work 12 hours after returning from abroad lead to a highly unpleasant feeling of emotional whiplash and feeling suddenly totally untethered from both the holiday and work.

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icklemiss_@reddit

Travelling. I’m now married with kids and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

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Ok-Sleep-7449@reddit

Sorry to be blunt and bias but nothing in the future is guaranteed. I became severely disabled in my 20s and I’ll maybe never have the chance to see the world how. TRAVEL 100%!!!

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bluejackmovedagain@reddit

What do you want out of life in the long term?

My partner and I focused on saving and building our careers. Now we're a bit older, we're in a (very privileged) position where we have a decent amount of disposable income, and jobs where we can negotiate flexible schedules or taking a month off for a trip.

A big factor in our decision making was that we were both very sure that we didn't want kids. If we did, then we might have been more bothered about having "carefree" experiences when we were younger.

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ar2002-@reddit (OP)

I want to be happy, and of course not too worried financially. I’d like to have a job in which I have a comfortable income, where I am still able to have some leftover money for hobbies or activities.

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bluejackmovedagain@reddit

That's a great way to look at life.

Have you and your girlfriend talked about if you want kids?

Even if they could afford it, my friends with children can't drop everything and go on holiday for a month because that's not compatible with having a child who needs to go to school every day. They had fun in their 20s and then "settled down", whereas I didn't feel the same need to rush through experiences in my 20s because I had no intention of settling down later on.

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1968Bladerunner@reddit

Neither! I lived my early 20s spending my hard earned on rent, utilities, food, entertainment, & synths / pro-audio gear. That left diddly squat for saving, while I'd done enough travelling by 10yo for it not to be an interest 'til much later.

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getoutmywayatonce@reddit

Travel, but try to keep putting aside whatever you can when you can even if it’s not much after travel plans. The little amounts still add to the pile nicely if done consistently. Try and find the balance that suits you, without swinging all or nothing in either direction.

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ar2002-@reddit (OP)

I think this is the perfect balance, travel, but be careful with money and go on a budget I suppose?

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getoutmywayatonce@reddit

That’s what I would do if I could rewind the clock back to my early 20s 😁I spent a lot of money when I was younger on realistically, stupid shite. So it’s quite frustrating to dwell on how much more I’d have if I’d have saved today if I could magically recoup everything I wasted. I don’t think I’d give a flying fish if I’d have spent that money on travel though. Go for it, you’ll never be this young again

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Accomplished_Leg3462@reddit

Travel.... The answer to any questions contain the option of going travelling, is always, travelling.

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Disastrous-Place-846@reddit

Travel, Travel, Travel. (But make sure you're putting into a pension, saving a little bit for emergencies)

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lady_is_a_one@reddit

There literally is no right or wrong answer, OP. It all boils down to what YOU think is most valuable - life experience/travel or career/money.

Of course, you could travel and then come back and do very well, or you could not. But all we can do in life is make choices in line with what we value most at the time … so, go with your heart.

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Extra-Sound-1714@reddit

Travelling

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Revolutionary_Bus833@reddit

I'm only 20 so take this with a pinch of salt. I've got a few friends who have gone traveling and a few have gone straight into careers and all of them are happy with the path they've chosen. It might not be the best advice but do what you want but you only live once. I'm looking at buying a third car (I've got a reliable daily, a project and now I'm looking at buying a Porsche boxter to turn into a track car). Long story short, do what you want and enjoy it while you can.

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ar2002-@reddit (OP)

I think that’s the best way to do it. Good luck on your path!

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Revolutionary_Bus833@reddit

Thank you. All the best to you too. Just think about what each option will give and make a choice. Everything will work out one way or another.

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CheeseusMaximus@reddit

I will never regret not doing uni and buggering off to NZ for a year. I was then home for a couple years saving before hitting Canada for another year. Absolutely made me a better person.

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ar2002-@reddit (OP)

I feel the same about South America, I know it was only 2 weeks, but I loved it. So many people advised me not to go, saying it was dangerous, that they’d scam me etc. But, I don’t want to live in fear, but of course, you can’t be naive either. Either way, I have no regrets

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