Daunting. If I had to sum up what I thought about travelling when I was 18, that would be the word. I had dropped out of university, gone from part-time to full-time in my job at the cinema, and had no clue what else to do with my life. Sound familiar? I’ve always known I wanted to travel the world, you may be the same, you may be looking for a way to spend a gap year, or you may just be looking for somewhere a little further afield to spend your holiday from a full time job. Whatever the case, this little guide is packed with info to help appease that wanderlust. 

The Travel Squad

The first thing I’d like to introduce to you is a UK founded travel group called The Travel Squad. This community was created by a lovely guy named Alex Merrit who wanted a way to bring together people who want to travel but don’t have people to go with them – we all know how hard it is to get the same days off work as your friends or to align your schedules to plan a holiday. The goal is to connect like-minded travellers who can then plan trips based on location, common interests, sports and pretty much anything else you can think of. 

I found TTS through my TikTok algorithm (of course), which prompted me to have a mosey through their other socials and eventually join some of the group chats in my area. Looking back, TTS was absolutely the catalyst for my wanderlust; after joining this group my summer was filled with hikes, camping trips (all over the UK), beach days, club nights and a week of surfing in Portugal! It was an amazing opportunity to start building my confidence when it came to meeting new people, exploring new places, and it was on these trips that I realised travel is not nearly as daunting as I had first thought.

Since then TTS has massively expanded to have groups all over the world, a support and welfare team and more big trips in the works as well as having just released an app. The best thing about this community, for me, is that anyone can organise a trip and get people involved and it is all completely non-profit, the only requirements to join are that you obey the guidelines and are a member of their facebook page!

“Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance”

This is one of those things my dad always says – you know to the point when I can recite it before he gets there! – but it is so so right. Travel nowadays is portrayed online as completely adventurous and often spontaneous, which is all well and good if you’ve done your research. As much as the internet is full of exciting reels of far off lands it also contains a world of knowledge (get it;)) about everything else you may need to know, so make sure you use it.

From my experience, the most useful website to find things like entry requirements, visas, vaccinations and customs is the .gov website here. It lays everything out clearly, and is the most up to date travel advice you’ll find. For inspiration on what to see and do, safety tips and genuine reviews of a particular location, I would recommend making the most of social media, google reviews and blogs – like this one!

I am a firm believer that planning and preparation will become your new best friend as you travel more. In my next article I will explain in more depth how to save effectively and how to budget while you’re away, so stay tuned for that.

Volunteer Abroad

While TTS I think is more beneficial for those wanting to make connections in their local area, there are a number of volunteer programs that will connect you to various experiences abroad. All of these organisations provide affordable volunteer opportunities in various different countries for safe, structured and social travel. They have support teams there for the whole process from application to when you return home from the trip, and the only requirements are a good level of spoken english! Here they all are, along with what makes them each stand out:

There are of course many more organisations that run similar volunteer programs as well as individual charities, these are simply the best I’ve found but always do your own research too!

Travelling has, and will continue to, open my eyes to the world around us. It gives a richness you cannot gain from anything else and I think the curiosity sparked helps keep your inner child alive.

All said, your first trip doesn’t need to be a month long backpacking trip, start small and work your way up, any experience you gain will be just as rewarding. The hardest part is always going to be taking that first step!