Why do I keep putting off trips for later?
Saving desired travel plans for an ideal future milestone often leaves people feeling anxious that commitments, changing priorities, or health issues might prevent them from ever going. This constant deferral can lead to a depressing sense of missing out, even when trips are planned years in advance.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1travelling most of the year by house and pet sitting to stay longer in destinations
- 2choosing trips strictly based on opportunity and combining work travel with personal holidays
- 3booking trips now rather than waiting for an indefinite future
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“As the thought of not going away is too depressing?”source ↗
“I have trips planned for years in advance.”source ↗
“I also sometimes tend to put off trips “for later”.”source ↗
“And recently a friend asked if I wanted to join him backpacking around France, but I just got back from Europe 3 trips ago (I always like to juggle between continents/regions to avoid feeling overwhelmed). So I told him I’m saving that for “later” when I really feel like I’m missing Europe.”source ↗
“But on the other hand I am also afraid that “later” never comes. Commitments add up, priorities change, health may get in the way, etc.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5Is a wedding venue with a two-hour drive too far for guests?
- 103How to plan a road trip itinerary without packing in too much driving
- 2Feeling guilty about cancelling plans at the last minute
- 4How to extend an international trip with visa and school conflicts
- 24What to do when flights are canceled at the airport
- 3How to find a last minute honeymoon destination