Rookie Vagabonders

My friend & I in Athens (3/07)

According to my latest world map (and the STA Travel slogan), there are 193 countries in the world. 193. Just think of what all that simple number encompasses: the people, the food, the culture, the sights! A little overwhelming right? Enter Rookie Vagabonders. Think of this space as a student travel guide for dummies, an insider source of tips and tricks to seeing the world on a budget from one (fairly) inexperienced traveler to another. Because, let’s face it; with the high price of a college education these days, who can afford to fly first class…or stay in a hotel for that matter!

As young people, we might as well take the opportunity to see the world while we still lack those abstract responsibilities we don’t quite understand yet like mortgages, insurance payments and family (eek). Plus, in order to really make a difference as a generation, don’t you think we ought to make connections with the incredible cultures around us? If your answer is yes, then you’re in the right place.

Seeing as this is a travel blog and well, 2008, it seems a little funny to think that a 19th century author would hold any relevance here. But author Paul Richard proved me wrong and I believe he perfectly sums up the purpose of this space when he said:

“The vagabond, when rich, is called a tourist”

Who says you have to be flushed with cash to see the world? In fact, some of my most memorable experiences abroad were the times when I spent no money at all! The best way to experience a place is to become a part of it, to live and experience it the way locals do, and as young people, we’re lucky enough to be able to do this. Not to mention, students don’t have high expectations, so we can easily deal with the occasional bedbug or less-than-pristine bathroom, especially if the hostel offers free food (first tip: definitely take advantage of this).

Just to clarify: This royal “WE” I’m talking about is Generation Y, a population of close to 70 million in the United States who are beginning to make a serious impact as they finish college and enter into the professional world. Although Gen Y-ers, also known as millennials or echo-boomers, generally encompass a wide range of ages, for the purpose of this blog, I’m going to narrow the focus to18 to 25 year olds. Some of the key characteristics of Generation Y are:

• They are very tech-savvy and are master multitaskers
• They are more civil-minded, socially responsible and enjoy volunteer work
• They want to advance in their careers but they don’t want work to be their life
• They don’t like to stay in one place too long, changing jobs, careers and locations often
• They have confidence in themselves and their abilities, but need constant feedback
• Generation Y is the most ethnically diverse generation to date

So what does this mean for travel? Well, Gen-Yers are increasingly looking to travel as a means to both engage in volunteer work and also to escape the confines of the workforce after a few years on the job. Plus, in an emerging trend related to ‘not making work their life,’ a lot of students are choosing to turn what they love to do into a career, whether that means becoming a travel writer or a mountain-climbing guide.

Now that we have a snapshot of who we are and why we’re traversing the globe, stay tuned for how to put those ambitious travel plans into action. So fellow vagabonders, I leave you with this thought: As J.R.R Tolkien once said, “Not all those who wander are lost.” Are you ready to test out that theory?