travel envy

How to Deal With Travel Envy

Nobody’s perfect. Even I (or especially I). We all have our flaws and having these imperfections is absolutely normal. But oftentimes when you passively scroll through social media in the morning, you can see smiling faces of people having a cool and seemingly interesting life. Have you ever wanted to toss your phone across the room in those moments, quit your job and set off on a trip? If you do, check this post because travel envy is a real and toxic emotion. Determining which emotion you are feeling and turning travel jealousy into something better are the first steps on your road to success. And in this article, I’m going to show you how to deal with travel envy.

It is always difficult to write about negative emotions. While we all experience suffering and stress, travel envy is something that makes things even worse.

About a year ago my best travel buddy was leaving for Rio de Janeiro to attend an IT conference and then fly into New York to spend an awesome week exploring Manhattan and the outer borough. I’m not saying that I’m jealous but, hey, who wouldn’t want to spend some time at Copacabana Beach while sipping Caipirinha?!

Of course, it’s quality, not quantity that matters. Having several half-finished projects going at that time, I had way too much time before my next trip. So I decided to plan everything in advance and make myself happy.

1. Plan Your Next Trip

Like I said, planning trips even if I don’t take them is one of my favorite ways to deal with travel envy. This is perhaps the best and the easiest way to get over it too. Searching for cheap flights, planning my packing list and thinking about destinations I want to go can be very satisfying.

It is very important for me to have something to look forward to. Instead of wasting time watching videos and photos from other people’s trips, I created Pinterest boards with practical tips on the destinations I might want to visit.

Read More: Why Do We Travel

2. reality may look skewed on social media.

Nothing is perfect. We are so obsessed with how we appear to others that nobody seems to notice how much effort people put into making photos on social media look so cool. It takes a lot of determination and skill to make them look perfect but people often take it for granted.

What is worse, they start thinking of traveling as something that requires no preparation and mostly about having fun. It is definitely not the case. Travel can be fun but this is fun well-earned. It’s important to remember that while your friends, classmates, or strangers’ trip looks like the once-in-a-lifetime experience – it’s not all perfect.

3. Explore Your Own Country

Chances are you are living in a beautiful country.

I used to live in Germany for a long time and it rocks! You just can’t visit Europe without paying a visit to Germany. Located in the very heart of Europe you can reach the Baltic Sea Coast within a few hours. If you depart from Dresden, you’re only 30 kilometers away from the Saxon Switzerland – one of the most beautiful national parks in Europe with more than 700 summits available to hikers. By no means, I’m upset to have been living there.

Unless you’re locked up in a prison or reside on an uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific, there’s always a chance that you can find something special in your hometown. I can’t recommend doing quick research highly enough because you can find adventures in your own backyard.

Look at things from a different perspective. What could you suggest people doing if they were to arrive in your hometown? Where are the best pizzerias? Where’s the closest, most accessible national park? Check for things that you’ve never noticed before. When you start searching for things to do near you, you’ll realize your adventure is just as unique as anyone else’s.

Read More: How To Stop Procrastinating When Trip Planning

4. stop envying others.

Yes, I know it might sound weird and unavoidable when everyone’s on holiday except you, but feeling happy for family and friends is actually the key to overcoming travel jealousy. I made this my number-one rule in traveling because I know that negative thoughts swirling around in my head will do no good to me.

So how can you actually stop envying others?

If you just don’t know how to do it, think of it as a motivation to reach your travel goals. Since you want to hit the road so bad, why not chatting with people away from home to learn from their experience. This is another great way to deal with travel envy and one of the most effective so far. Fortunately, I have a lot of friends living abroad , thus I’d prefer asking them what should I visit the next time I’m there to experiencing self-pity.

Read More: Things to do in London in Three Days

5. get busy.

You can do more than you imagine. No matter what your aim is; what IS vital is how you perceive your dream. Instead of asking yourself why everyone is more successful than you and seemingly has everything (are you sure?!) and digging yourself deeper into the sump hole of self-pity start acting now.

I was there too. Wondering why people are living their lives doing what they want. And you know what? I was waiting for a miracle. It is funny to read this now but it felt as if everything should change in just one day and get me to the top. Nonsense! It is always OK to have a dream but it is even more important to have a clear plan to achieve your goals.

So I changed the way I look at things and stopped being bored by my daily life. I joined a hiking club and became obsessed! I discovered numerous hiking trails near my home and hitting them was like a breath of fresh air. Suddenly I realized that I killed two birds with one stone. I crisscrossed the country without breaking the bank and managed to satisfy my wanderlust.

Read Next: Traveling With Kids

6. find a job to make money travelling.

While a lot of employers offer perks of taking extended business trips, more and more people today make a leap and become a freelancer. I know what you’re thinking. Is it about a fear of failure, right? Fear not. Yes, it may take a little bit more time to find a freelance job that best matches your particular skill set but it totally worth it! You don’t even have to quit your 9-5 (or 8-6?) job at first. Take your time, grow your freelance business and quit the full-time job when you’re ready.

About ten years ago I grew tired of dreaming of a job that pays me to travel. I took advantage of using technology that made finding freelance work way easier. You can do it too. Check this post if you want to know how I’ve afforded to travel to over 20 countries .

7. Share Your Own Experience

When you’re talking about your own travel experience it helps you relive vacation memories of your past and overcome travel jealousy. Tell stories about your trip when you are asked to. Don’t neglect those informal conversations leading to your travel as a topic of discussion and take advantage of the situation when people want to listen to your stories.

When you avoid conversation about trips you’ve taken, you might sound haughty and that you don’t want to share your experience at all. Try not to focus on yourself but on people and their emotions. That is really cool because it allows you to relive those memories once again.

8. Remember Why You’re Travelling

Travel changed my life. Before I started exploring the world, I spent too much time focusing on my career and too little time hiking, kayaking, and cycling. While work is important, it is also important to realize why you need to take a break. Whether it is a gap year or a month-long trip to Thailand, you should feel happy doing it. Travel isn’t about making your friends envy you but about satisfying your inner wanderlust and keeping an open mind about different ways of thinking. My first trip introduced me to adventure and my own happiness. The world is too big to stay in one place and life is too short to do just one thing.

9. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Let’s face it – a lot of people compare themselves to others and often feel drained. You may also have heard that it can be counterproductive too. Indeed, glancing over to where other people travel can bring us down only because we don’t know their behind-the-scenes. We often tend to focus on the ultimate adventures of others without knowing they’ve been planning it for weeks. Instead of letting other people’s trips cause feelings of envy, try to turn them into your inspiration. While we all different, you never know what’s going on in someone’s life and probably there is little sense in knowing that.

Read Next: Whirlwind 7-Day Sri Lanka Itinerary

10. take notes of your own travels.

I have never made it to Madagascar yet but it is on my bucket list. Taking notes of your own travels is a cool and effective way to deal with travel envy. Even if you’re a novice traveler I bet you have had some incredible experience you may want to share with others. Just because a trip has ended doesn’t mean it’s not still a part of your life. I’ve actually written down the names of guest houses, travel agents, villages, and other titbits of information from my trips to different parts of the world just to remember these amazing travel experiences.

Now it is your turn – what is your favorite way to deal with travel envy? Do you think it is inevitable? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments section below or on my Facebook or Twitter pages. If you love what I do and what I write about, please share this post on any social media. You can also subscribe to updates via email in the box below.

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12 comments.

Stephanie Rumore

Exploring your own country is the best tip you can give… I made a pledge to do that myself once I returned home to australia from living in Europe (Everyone kept talking about their ‘east coast road trip’ and i realised I had never made the effort to explore my own backyard!)

This is a very interesting topic that many people do not admit it or want to talk about, especially when they feel jealous about friends’/relatives’ travels! Keeping ourselves busy and exploring the place we anyway live are the best tips! Thanks for your thoughts!

alison netzer

I have travel envy ll the time. Thank you for taking the time to write this as I feel like I’m the only one. Great tips on how to overcome it. Also staying busy and starting to plan your next trip helps. I guess it’s like when FB first came out, we all had perfect life envy!!!

I haven’t really experienced Travel envy. I am happy for my friends/family to travel and then enjoy their pictures. I am probably more of a travelphobia. I love road trips and driving, but leaving my country sounds scary – maybe I’ve seen too many episodes of Border wars. But this is a great post for methods to deal with Travel Envy. Thanks for sharing!

Such valuable points. I can relate to travel envy. At times I feel like I could travel more, particularly when I have to do my day job while others make money traveling. But then, tips like planning the next travel – however ahead in future it might be, exploring new places right at home or in neighborhood are some which have helped me cope with travel envy really well

Sandy N Vyjay

This is a subject that is close to most of us and not many want to talk about. Yes, travel envy is very real. Blame it all on social media and those surreal images that crowd Instagram. The best way to combat this is to be grounded and look at one’s own resources and circumstances. Also, it is prudent to realize that what you see on social media is not always reality and in fact as you mentioned a skewed version of reality.

Jessica Ourisman

This is SO relevant to me right now! I am honestly considering buying a plane ticket to Paris spontaneously to go meet up with a friend. It’s intense!

Thank you for this thoughtful post. I feel as if so many of these tips could apply to other areas of life, as well. It’s hard to remember that we’re in control of our own lives sometimes, and your post really puts that in perspective. I look forward to reading more tips like these!

Great post! I think one should take the positives from a friend’s trip and help themselves to get to a realistic goal or a trip and enjoy their emotions on a trip. I just hope social media can communicate the right vibes and not spread jealousy

Kathryn King

Planning your next trip is almost as good as going! They reckon 85% of the enjoyment is in the ancicipation! 🙂

Cynthia Crosby

Pingback: should i take a gap year - travel ji.

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7 ways to deal with travel envy

While most of us haven’t had a chance to travel much in the last 15 months, stirrings in the tourism industry are starting to awaken our wish list and as some folks begin to dust off their passports, an old enemy returns too: Travel envy. We’ve all been there, turning green at seeing another’s holiday photos and desperately wishing we too were there. So what can we do about it? Here are a few of the ways I’d suggest on how to deal with travel envy.

Travel envy in the pandemic

Even before the big C event that stopped travel in its tracks, I’ve always felt travel envy. A yearning to also visit extraordinary places and see for myself the wonders that others can experience.

Since leaving Perth after a year of living there , I’ve certainly found it hard to see friends and a number of Australia-based folks exploring some of the incredible places I was lucky enough to visit as well as the places I didn’t yet have the chance to see.

Similarly, seeing the activities and adventures of others in New Zealand was particularly hard. I have such bad FOMO when it comes to NZ! It was particularly challenging while I was in the UK, stuck in a never-ending lockdown cycle, and my partner Kaz was able to roam free through his home country (not helped by the inverted seasons – watching summer while suffering through winter will test anyone’s patience).

So you see, even when we can’t go anywhere (and I still personally am not planning any overseas travel just yet) travel envy has still been present. At least, for me. What about you?

Jealousy vs envy

I don’t think I am the jealous type. But I do get envious.

Although often used synonymously, jealous and envious feelings have a crucial distinction as defined by Psychology Today :

Envy is a reaction to lacking something. Jealousy is a reaction to the threat of losing something.

Envy occurs when we lack a desired attribute enjoyed by another, but jealousy occurs when something we already possess is threatened by a third person.

I will admit, I’m the worst for wanting what others have, thinking the grass is always greener. Perhaps there are some deeper questions that need answering here, but so often I’m easily sucked in when I see somewhere new and exciting that just looks so enticing.

Typically, I don’t feel travel envy when I am on a trip myself. This leads me to think that my envy is born out of seeing someone travel itself, not always the destination. It always just sounds so much more fun than whatever I’m doing at home!

I think we can all feel travel envy to some degree. However, there is a point where it perhaps becomes unhealthy. This could look like obsessively stalking someone’s trip, extreme negative feelings about yourself or others, taking drastic actions to avoid travel envy such as getting into debt or over-compensating in other areas of your life.

How to deal with travel envy

So, how can we deal with travel envy? Should we just accept the feelings and hope they go away? I’ve tried a few ways to help myself feel better when travel envy is spiralling into a far more negative place than merely wishing away a rainy day.

1) Look through photos from past trips

There’s nothing like a photo album of happy memories to cheer you up.

If you can’t take a trip right now, the next best thing is a trip down memory lane to good times in new and exciting places.

When I’m feeling low about all the places I wish to go and seeing others getting to enjoy those places, I flick through an old album from a favourite trip. I’m immediately reminded of how lucky I am to have been. I’ll chastise myself for feeling ungrateful and give myself a stern talking to about privilege.

2) Try to feel inspired rather than demoralised

How many times have you visited somewhere because a friend recommended it, or you saw it on social media? I’m betting more than you’d think. That’s because word of mouth is a fantastic marketing tool – and a great source of inspiration.

Whenever the little voice inside says “Ugh, I wish I was doing something as cool as hiking through the rainforest in South America” or “Wow, that restaurant in Paris looks phenomenal. If only I could be there!” I try to tell myself that I CAN and WILL get to experience these things. And you know what? I have! I’ll bookmark, save, or make a note of that place and I have used this when planning my own trips.

That’s not to say it’s easy, or that it’s even possible every time envy whispers in your ear. But it can help to try and turn that envious feeling into something to aspire to.

3) Plan your ideal trip to that destination

When seeing someone have a whale of a time, this is the perfect chance to steal all their hard work and plan your own trip. Like the look of their dinner? Add it to the itinerary for when you can finally go.

Better still, if you’re feeling envious ask yourself why that is. Are you just feeling despondent, or is this a place that you really want to visit? If it’s the latter, start researching your own ideas and get planning!

There are so many great blogs, YouTube videos, and resources out there so when you finally can visit for yourself, you’ll be having the best time. Even if it’s a place you’ve already been, you could look into what’s changed or places you’d like to revisit or see what else you might have missed. The possibilities really are endless, and the niggling feelings of envy could be a sign to start planning a trip.

4) Think of what you’ve done instead

Travel is not the be-all and end-all. I KNOW, terrible advice from a travel blogger. But there are sooo many other things that can be done with your time and money. Two hugely valuable resources that travel can take a lot of if you allow it to.

Sure, you might not be sleeping in an over-ocean hut in the Maldives or scuba diving with turtles, but what other achievements can you account for? It might be a different trip you’ve taken, the ability to save up for your dream trip of the future. Both are great in moving forward with your own travel goals.

Try not to let the presence of someone else’s situation distract from your past or future.

Or maybe you’ve reached non-travel goals such as buying a new car, starting a new job, maybe redecorating your home or focussing on your relationships. These are also incredibly valuable things to work towards. There is so much to find merit in, but you may not always see it at first glance. Particularly the more untraditional signs of success are worthy of celebrating just as much (don’t even get me started on that one).

If you’re someone who’s brushed over an achievement, I’d like to pause and say Go You! You deserve to feel proud and take this moment to enjoy it.

I’ve said it before on this blog and I’ll say it again. A friend once said:

Don’t let the achievements of others diminish your own accomplishments. 

I don’t always remind myself of this when I should, so I’m sharing it with you now in case you need it.

5) switch off

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Whatsapp, TikTok… It feels like there is an endless stream of smiling faces doing awesome things, doesn’t it? If it’s all getting a bit much, it’s time to turn off the apps.

 The internet is a curse for comparison and peeking into the lives of others. There is no shame in shutting the door and taking a break.

I’ll admit I’m terrible at taking my own advice here, but do as I say not as I do, right?

If your source of travel envy comes from overstimulation and excessive scrolling, it’ll certainly not be helped by more time online. I’ve made the mistake in the past of thinking I’m fine and that my increasingly low feelings are nothing to do with the millionth time I’ve picked up my phone. You know what usually helps? Getting outside, talking it out, cooking a meal. Heck, even doing the dishes or taking a bath can be the cure I need.

I get it, though. Switching off is hard – it’s what we’re used to. Here is your friendly reminder that it’s ok to take a break from it all when it’s feeling overwhelming. Feelings of envy might be just one way your mind is saying hey, I need a timeout!

6) Work on improving your mindset

As the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy. It certainly is a catalyst for envious feelings.

Recognising your comparison triggers is a good step to working on your mindset.

Have a think about the topics and themes around what gets your envy flared up. Is it a particular person (either in your life or outside of it), destination, activity? Dig into how you can better handle encountering those topics. Whether that’s avoiding them altogether, giving yourself a pep talk, or finding some external help to improve that mindset.

Try a different perspective

The funny thing about comparison, is that other people probably look at you the same way! You’re someone’s greener grass. Someone sees your adventures and thinks “wow, wouldn’t that be amazing?”.

Perhaps try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. It might just help you get out of the rut you’ve dug yourself into.

Could you see it from:

• Their position – it was probably not their intention to make you envious of their trip.
• An outsider’s take on it – other people may not feel the same way you do.
• A loved one’s point of view – is the way you feel a help or hindrance to those around you?

A big element of comparison online is that someone else’s reality is not what you are seeing. They might not always be having as much fun as we think, or have various other challenges they’re not sharing. We hear about it all the time: social media is the highlights real – not real life . We all know it, but do we ever really acknowledge it? Reminding yourself of other perspectives could settle your travel envy.

Remember to take ownership of how you feel

On occasion, I’ve not felt good enough. Been mad that I’m not living life as fully as others. Wondered why my life doesn’t look as fancy-free and full of incredible experiences. But that is not their problem because how I feel isn’t directly related to their actions. They have no responsibility for making me feel good or bad about my comparison triggers. That is down to me. Not feeling good enough is not on them, it’s on me and my sense of self-worth.

I am by no means an expert on comparison, I’ll leave that to life coach and comparison guru Lucy Sheridan who has even written an incredible book all about changing your comparison mindset. Highly recommend giving her a follow and a read, as there are lots of really valuable pieces of advice if this is your main cause of envy.

7) Sit with the feeling

I mentioned earlier that I’ll often feel bad about, well, feeling bad. What a fun cycle ( read: sarcasm )! Sometimes, I just have to let the feeling pass. That usually looks like have a good rant or moan to Kaz or a close friend who understands. Reminding myself that a bad day doesn’t define me – I can feel bad about this and still recognise an immense amount of privilege and fortune.

Leaning into how you feel doesn’t mean trying to enjoy feeling bad. It means listening to yourself and not shying away from how you really feel. Trust me, I’ve tried that one too and I always feel worse. Pushing aside a feeling usually results in it growing and bubbling over at a later date.

Addressing the feeling face-on tends to mean I feel travel envy in a short, sharp, burst rather than letting it fester in my mind and causing greater harm.

Can you relate to any of these tips to deal with travel envy? Do you have any of your own suggestions to add? I’d love to hear them if so.

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Welcome to Suzy Stories! I’m Suzy, a gal from London exploring the world one story at a time.

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Why You're Really Feeling Travel Jealousy, And The Best Way To Deal With It

With the state of travel now nearly at its pre-pandemic levels, so is the resurgence of travel envy. Wait — say, what now?

Picture this: you're doom scrolling through Instagram and TikTok as you normally do, and you come across photos of your pal traversing through Sicily. And before you even think about hitting the like button, a thought pops into your head: "Weren't they just in Barcelona a couple of months ago?!" So you forego liking the picture altogether and begin sleuthing for more information about your friend's trip. You then start feeling pangs of jealousy because, well, why are you stuck at home, and your friend is living it up thousands of miles across the world? What do they have that you don't? How can they even afford it? And how on earth did they manage to take time off work?

That, my friends, is a classic case of travel envy, and it's a real, valid feeling — and phenomenon. Lots of other people also roll their eyes at their family, friends, and colleagues when they see them going on fun vacations while they're stuck at work, hacking away at a job they wish could pay them enough for a lengthy time off at some tropical island. Social media has a way of turning us into sad, jealous monsters , especially when it comes to travel and life achievements. But as with all things (and feelings), there's a way to manage your occasional bouts of travel jealousy.

Travel envy is basically just FOMO

Travel envy, at its core, is technically just a form of FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out. Per a  study  published on the Computers in Human Behavior, FOMO is defined as "the uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you're missing out – that your peers are doing, in the know about, or in possession of more or something better than you." And apparently, just because you have FOMO, it doesn't mean that you're already a bad person. FOMO, in whichever form it manifests in you, is an entirely human feeling, with psychologist Aarti Gupta telling NPR that it's rooted in humans being innately social. We all "rely on each other to survive," she said, "and being left out or not being in the know could have, once upon a time, been a matter of life or death."

Being struck with feelings of FOMO is even easier now that technology and social media exist. Everyone with an online presence is accessible, so you can keep tabs on what your peers are doing and achieving. Giving into the feeling, though, is dangerous, as it can affect your mental health and make you feel depressed and anxious. When that happens, it's time to re-evaluate and manage your feelings.

How to get over travel jealousy

Since travel envy or travel FOMO is technically just a form of jealousy, you manage your feelings similarly to how you would with "normal" envy. For starters, you may want to focus on yourself rather than other people and their experiences. "Focus on your unique strengths, skills, abilities, experiences, and dreams," Amber Trueblood, a licensed marriage and family therapist, told Real Simple . "Chances are, you don't truly want exactly what someone else has. Uncover your dreams and build on your own unique skillsets, because no two people have the same composition of qualities and gifts." You may also want to remind yourself that you have traveled somewhere amazing sometime in the past and can do it again when you get the chance to do so. Plus, you never really know what goes on behind the scenes of a person's Instagram Story. 

Remember that they're posting highlights, which may not necessarily reflect their actual travel experience. "Especially in the age of social media, it's important to remind ourselves that other people's lives aren't as exciting or perfect as they may seem," Dr. Erin Vogel, a social psychologist, shared with Forbes Health . It's also worth trying perhaps the oldest trick in the book — limiting your social media use. There's merit to the saying "out of sight, out of mind," after all. If you do less scrolling, you may find that you'll also experience less travel envy-ing.

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Deal With Your Travel Envy In Healthy Ways

Let’s just get it out there.. everyone has an opinion about everything and travel is no different. The question becomes: how do we avoid travel envy? (Especially during this pandemic!)

First things first: Let’s take a look at ourselves. You see a blogger or someone you know hopping on a plane to the beach and although you want to go.. you snidely share their post with your friend and talk about how they edited their photo or how they shouldn’t be traveling… Or maybe you’re telling yourself that you have a moral objection to traveling – while you trash talk Becky from the Block for heading to a socially distanced cabin for a weekend? These comments are discouraging and in reality – most-likely baseless. You have no idea what kind of trip Becky’s taking or who she’ll be around or what precautions she took.

Let me be the first to tell you: I have had major jealousy of other people’s travels. I remember thinking that only rich kids got to travel and see the world and that I would never have a part of that life. Then when I started getting questions like:

“It’s not safe for women there.” “How do you even afford to travel?” “Do it while you can! Once you have kids you won’t be traveling anymore!”

You know what I realized as soon as I started getting questions like this and snide comments..?

I MADE IT!!!! Lol, I have a life that others are jealous of and that’s the only reason people talk about other people’s travel’s negatively. There is no other reason. I know this because I HAVE DONE IT. So how does one overcome travel envy?

Travel In Your Own City or Country

Regardless of your limitations – there are probably quite a few adventures you can have in your own backyard. And when i say backyard, I mean your town or your country.

If you haven’t heard of it – the concept of micro-adventuring is one of my favorite ways to view trips . Micro-adventures are basically any adventures within 6 hours (half a day’s drive). You don’t have to take time off work, or plan any big packing days. You just need to pack what you need for the day’s advenures. If you have a partner you’re going to go with you – remember than one of you can drive there and one can drive home! (Leave early – come home late.) If you find yourself wantign to adventure more – try doing one mini-adventure a month!

During the pandemic.. things become a little tricky. Out of the country travel is too hard for most people to contemplate and there are A LOT of rules for every different country. However – IF someone you know is travelling locally – don’t judge the situation. Recognize that you really don’t know anything about it or the precautions they’re taking. If you reallly can’t contain your travel envy in seeing other people’s travels – do yourself a favor and unfollow them. ; ) Yes. I said that.

Remember Your Own Travels to avoid travel envy

September is the anniversary of our Italy trip! It’s our goal to every year go-over our photos and memories from the trip with the people we went with. We met the blonde in this photo (M and her boyfriend at a vineyard that was probably one of the best days we ever had! These are the memories you want to remember. Reminiscing helps us not feel so forlorn about being locked in our hometowns.

We’re incredibly grateful we got to go on these trips and we know we’ll go on many more!!

Think about your travels in the same way and it’ll keep you from comparing your travels to other people’s travels. Even small adventures can be more rewarding than other people’s big adventures. I know this for a fact because I’ve been on big trips that were incredibly memorable, and I’ve been on trips that sucked. (Only been to Disney once and it absolutely sucked because of the crazy group I chose to go with. Pick your travel groups wisely lol… a subject for another time!!)

Consider Changing Jobs to avoid travel envy

Seeing everyone out living their best lives may be because of a ridiculously over-curated Instagram feed- but it may also be because they’ve figured out the secret.

The secret is a work-life balance!

Perhaps other people have a job that allows them to travel? If you really want to travel and you never thought you could- consider a career change. Here are a few careers that allow you to travel:

• Teaching English Abroad – You could live somewhere for 6 months and teach English to make money! (Would keep you from having to save like crazy before traveling!)
• Online Translating Jobs – Could be done from anywhere. This one is harder to come by if you don’t speak another language – but in a world that’s more connected than ever – it would probably be a good idea to learn another in general. I know American’s aren’t really taught that it’s necessary to learn another language, but it’s uncommon around the world to not know another language.
• Website and Graphic Design – Start learning coding at FreeCodeCamp.org and you’ll have a new potential career opportunity for an in general ever changing market. The great thing about this option is that more and more people are turning to online sources for information and there are a lot of REALLY bad websites out there. HELLO JOB SECURITY!!!

All of this to say – don’t assume that when other people travel it’s because they don’t have any responsibilities or goals. They just made their goals around what they wanted to do in life.

Tighten Up Your Budget so you can travel more

There are a million things you can do if you set your mind to it and one of them is saving money. Even if it isn’t for travel- there are unnecessary expenses that everyone has. Cable, disposable home goods, eating out too much. We’ve all been there in this glutenous Western culture.

Ev and I realized how much we were eating out and I have to say – It makes me unwell seeing those numbers. But if you don’t know you don’t know. Now that I know though – I’ve made a special effort to cook at home and put more money back into our savings, and not buy junk at the grocery store.

Another big way we save money is by buying things used. From second hand clothes to second hand home decor – we prefer to call it ‘vintage’ and save around 40% on items most people buy strait from the store.

All of this to say – if you’re jealous of someone else’s travels and you’re thinking to yourself that you could never avoid it- the truth is that you could. You just have to want it. Where there is a will -theres a way. (See teaching English abroad section above!)

Focus On Your Dreams instead of your jealousy

What is it that you reallllyy want to? Do you like your job? Do you dream of doing something different? If you want to be living out your dreams and you see someone else living theres – it’s bound to bring about some jealousy. The coronavirus has brought out the worst in us as far as ‘envy’. Even newspapers are writing about it recently:

Essential workers envy those working at home. People who were laid off envy those who weren’t. Those home-schooling young children envy those who aren’t. We all envy the rich. Those studying the topic find the reaction understandable. – The New York Times

If you really want to travel – remember that that’s 100% up to you. You can change your life in a day by applying to a new job or starting a new business. If you have dreams that you’re accomplishing and your life is going somewhere – you’re much less likely to be focusing on other people!

Also keep in mind that the hustle you’re going to have to put in to accomplish those dreams? The person you’re jealous of now has probably already put in the hustle. THAT’S the reason they are where they are now. Not because they have a life you can’t have. There’s a great book out there called The 10X Rule and I think it’s a must read for anyone looking to change their life!

Plan Your Next Trip

The best way to avoid any and all jealousy of what other people are doing is to focus on what you’re doing! This means planning your own trips. If you want to get out and see the world – GO!

Starting a bucket list is the best list and figuring out how where you really want to go are the first steps.

Figuring out transportation, where you’re staying, top attractions in the area. The anticipation of something amazing coming around the bend not only motiavates you to be happy in your own triumphs, but it allows you to be happy for others.

You’ll find a huge community of people out there that love traveling and love finding the best deals. Your circle gets bigger and bigger the more you reach out for recommendations and travel hacks!

‘Mind Ya Business’

In a study from Tilburg University, it was found that some envy an actually have positive benefits.

‘..the experience of benign envy leads to a moving-up motivation aimed at improving one’s own position’ – Niels van de Ven, Marcel Zeelenberg, and Rik Pieters

The good the bad and the ugly that comes with jealousy is this: it can spur you to do great things as long as it’s in a healthy place. The second you let it get out of hand and you don’t control your emotions – the negativity is going to eat you alive and keep you from accomplishing your dreams.

As a person who didn’t know how to travel until I was well into my 20’s – I’m here to tell you that you can do it too. You just need to want it in a healthy way. Evan, (hubs), is always fond of the saying ‘mind ya business’ and it’s so true. Work in silence towards your goals and let that be your focus.

Thanks for sharing!

Evan and Shelby

Sharing beautiful places, sustainable & slow living tips, + good food from across the globe. You can probably find Shelbs creating a new playlist or editing photos, and Ev researching the latest and greatest in all manner of travel gear and tech. We're so happy you're here taking a moment to read and slow down a little.

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5 Simple Steps For Overcoming Travel Envy

By Amanda Kendle —I love to hear about the travels of others but I have to admit that there are times when a touch of travel envy makes me want to stop listening. And recently I had an extreme example: I was teaching a community education class on travel writing as a hobby. I asked the participants to introduce themselves by telling about their favorite trip and the next travel they had planned. Since the typical student in the class was both retired and wealthier than average, you can imagine the kind of responses I received. Numerous tales of Antarctica, of long, leisurely trips through South America and of exciting African safaris surfaced. If envy really made you turn green I would have been Kermit-colored by the end of the introductions.

But I soon decided I need to turn this travel envy into something better. If you need help to get out of a similar situation, here are my five steps for getting over travel envy:

1. Remember Your Own Travels

Sure, I have never made it to Antarctica (yet). But I have traveled to some amazing places that not many people have visited: I've backpacked around Tunisia; I've lived in a small German town; and I've ridden the Trans-Siberian train across Russia. I tried hard to remember these travel experiences, some of my favorites, in the face of hearing all the amazing travel plans of my writing class students.

But what if you haven't been able to travel as much as me—yet? Consider some of the unique trips you've taken and unusual places you've seen that others haven't—perhaps in your very own backyard? I grew up (and now live again) in Perth, Western Australia, a city famed for being the most isolated in the world. That means that the weekend trips we used to take to a spot south of Mandurah (about ninety minutes away) took me to places that hardly anyone in the world has ever visited.

2. Take Notes

The next best way to deal with travel envy is to realize that these people are offering a wealth of information, if only you tap into it in a way that can help you out. I've actually written down the names of hotels, tour operators, towns, and other tidbits of information about trips to Africa when I've chatted to people about their experience, because of course getting recommendations first hand from someone who's been there is far superior to blindly searching online.

RELATED: 4 Different Travel Perspectives & What You Can Learn From Them

3. Adopt Other Travelers for Future Advice

You can also take the "taking notes" strategy one step further and use the people you meet for future advice and consultation. The smartest travelers keep in mind where the people they meet have been and then, when they start to plan a trip there, know exactly who to call or email.

I'm hoping to make it to Hong Kong in the next couple of years. Just as I was planning this trip I had two friends head over there, and most significantly they both went with young children—putting them in the same boat as me. As soon as they returned I emailed them for tips and advice (while it was fresh in their mind) and have filed this away for future planning.

Of course, asking them later on is not bad either. But I figured that since I was already making a draft plan in my head, I'd strike while the iron was hot, before they forgot all the details.

4. Write Your Life Travel Goals

I'm not suggesting a "bucket list". I'm suggesting a concrete plan for what places you could reasonably expect to visit, and when—taking into account all kinds of things like work, marriage, having children, retiring, your health, and so on.

I once had a very long list of places I wanted to visit—or ideally, live in—but I soon realized this bucket list of sorts was impractical and therefore somewhat depressing. (After living in a few different countries, I realized that I'd want to live in new places for two years to really get a feel for them—and that even with long-living genes on my side, there are only so many stints of two years you can fit into a lifetime).

So instead, think about travel goals for your life in a practical sense, and try to lock in the next couple of trips, even if they may be four or five years away. Get concrete enough for the near-future goals to look up important dates—school vacation times, for example, or festivals that you want your trip to coincide with. Narrow down your goals to the places you really, really want to visit rather than a list of all the famous places you can think of.

5. Plan Your Very Next Trip

An extension of your travel goals, of course, is to get your very next trip planned out. It's much harder to be envious of other travelers when you know you're soon to get the chance to travel yourself—even if your trip is only a few days in a neighboring country rather than a month-long cruise to the Antarctic. Sitting down and researching some of the exciting things I'll be able to do on my own trip always helps to make me feel better. –

This story originally appeared on Vagabondish .

Matador Original Series

How to deal with travel envy, 1. take a break from the travel blogs..

Ugh. Admit it: you only look at most of them for the pretty pictures, anyway. Most of the content is trite, lacking, ridden with self-aggrandizing language, and the more-than-occasional typo. They’re the Facebook of the travel industry and sometimes you just need to take a break for a while. If you’re really addicted, switch to plain ol’ international news outlets, literary travel writing, and commercial websites. They’re less personal and more educational — and therefore more likely to fuel the fires of motivation instead of the fires of jealousy.

2. Start planning a trip now.

It doesn’t matter if it’s never going to happen; just do it. Go on airfarewatchdog.com and find the cheapest routes out of your preferred airport. Once you find a couple of destinations you wouldn’t mind going to, research them. Find reviews on non-shitty hostels or respectable but out-of-the-way boutique hotels, what hot spots you want to be seen drinking mojitos in, what tattooed characters you want to make out with in which sleazy dive bars, and what photos you just have to take for your blog because if you didn’t, you’d hate yourself. Get it down to an art. Maybe you’ll go, maybe you won’t. But you’ll probably go.

3. Create your travel budget.

This is not a trip budget: this is a travel budget — there’s a difference. One is allotting how much money to spend on what things, and the other is how much money you can cut down . You’ve been spending your money to live, not spending your money to travel. Now that you know there’s someplace beckoning you in your immediate future — or many, many places — it’s time to listen to that and start saving up. You may not spend this money for six months, you may not spend this money for two years — but it’ll be there when you finally need it. Where does it come from? That skipped latte, the move to just Netflix, the weekend-home-cooking vow. It’s not how much money you need, it’s how much money you can save.

4. Start an at-home “around the world” tour.

Sometimes when you’re stuck at home, slaving away at your 9 to 5 saving up, or simply just waiting for the rainy season to pass, you’ve gotta bring the world to you. Document all the interesting types of cuisine in your area — is there an Ethiopian place you’ve yet to try? Maybe Burmese? If you live somewhere with a little less ethnic flavor, consider that an occasion for a dinner party. In this scenario, the internet is your best friend.

But it doesn’t stop at just food. Check out that Czech museum 45 minutes away. Go see that Lithuanian Polka band that you would otherwise never go to. Just because you’re “at home” doesn’t mean you have to do “at-home” things. Your world can be whatever you want it to be if you’re willing to create it.

5. Fill your schedule with “somethings” instead of “somewheres.”

Traveling isn’t just about going — it’s about doing, too. If you simply went to Istanbul and didn’t do anything, that wouldn’t be much of a trip, right? Life isn’t about where you are, but what you’re doing with it. “Exotic” and “adventurous” are subjective, and you have the means to do interesting, write-home worthy things without booking a $1500 plane ticket to Timbuktu. The reason home feels like home is because it’s full of daily routines. When you switch up those routines — when you take a Saturday to go zip-lining or a night to stay at a B&B — home no longer feels like monotonous, run-of-the-mill home. Keep busy and your life can feel enriching wherever you are.

6. Start reaching out to all your global acquaintances.

Keeping busy will feel good, but there will always be that itch to go somewhere you don’t recognize, where your senses are on high alert and your adrenaline is flowing freely. As part of this keeping busy, living-globally-at-home lifestyle, start hitting up all your friends around the world just to say “Hi.” Get back into their good graces, since it’s probably been a while since you’ve had a chat. Drop a convivial, un-needy line now and you can drop the actual bomb later: “Hey, can I crash on your couch in a couple of months?”

7. Funnel your creativity into a project.

You have all this zest, this fire, this drive — why not do something with it? Plan a mystery trip for you and a few friends. Paint one of your favorite scenes. Start writing about the places you’ve been. Heck, this could be the green light for what you’re meant to do: selling your baklava to local bakeries, planning local tourism events, or heading up a language club. And who knows? It could be your ticket on the next train out whether it’s through meeting new people, hearing of new opportunities, or just getting you closer to where you want to be. And even if it doesn’t, your schedule will feel worthwhile, productive, and feel like a step in the right direction.

8. Remember your hometown is a destination to someone else.

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5 Simple Steps for Overcoming Travel Envy

I love to hear about the travels of others but I have to admit that there are times when a touch of travel envy makes me want to stop listening. And recently I had an extreme example: I was teaching a community education class on travel writing as a hobby. I asked the participants to introduce themselves by telling about their favourite trip and the next travel they had planned. Since the typical student in the class was both retired and wealthier than average, you can imagine the kind of responses I received. Numerous tales of Antarctica, of long, leisurely trips through South America and of exciting African safaris surfaced. If envy really made you turn green I would have been Kermit-colored by the end of the introductions.

Vagabondish is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Read our disclosure .

But I soon decided I need to turn this travel envy into something better. If you need help to get out of a similar situation, here are my five steps for getting over travel envy:

#1: Remember Your Own Travels

Sure, I have never made it to Antarctica (yet). But I have traveled to some amazing places that not many people have visited: I’ve backpacked around Tunisia; I’ve lived in a small German town; and I’ve ridden the Trans-Siberian train across Russia. I tried hard to remember these travel experiences, some of my favourites, in the face of hearing all the amazing travel plans of my writing class students.

But what if you haven’t been able to travel as much as me — yet? Consider some of the unique trips you’ve taken and unusual places you’ve seen that others haven’t — perhaps in your very own backyard? I grew up (and now live again) in Perth, Western Australia, a city famed for being the most isolated in the world. That means that the weekend trips we used to take to a spot south of Mandurah (about ninety minutes away) took me to places that hardly anyone in the world has ever visited.

#2: Take Notes

The next best way to deal with travel envy is to realise that these people are offering a wealth of information, if only you tap into it in a way that can help you out. I’ve actually written down the names of hotels, tour operators, towns, and other titbits of information about trips to Africa when I’ve chatted to people about their experience, because of course getting recommendations first hand from someone who’s been there is far superior to blindly searching online.

#3: Adopt Other Travelers for Future Advice

You can also take the “taking notes” strategy one step further and use the people you meet for future advice and consultation. The smartest travelers keep in mind where the people they meet have been and then, when they start to plan a trip there, know exactly who to call or email.

I’m hoping to make it to Hong Kong in the next couple of years. Just as I was planning this trip I had two friends head over there, and most significantly they both went with young children — putting them in the same boat as me. As soon as they returned I emailed them for tips and advice (while it was fresh in their mind) and have filed this away for future planning.

Of course, asking them later on is not bad either. But I figured that since I was already making a draft plan in my head, I’d strike while the iron was hot, before they forgot all the details.

#4: Write Your Life Travel Goals

I’m not suggesting a “bucket list”. I’m suggesting a concrete plan for what places you could reasonably expect to visit, and when — taking into account all kinds of things like work, marriage, having children, retiring, your health, and so on.

I once had a very long list of places I wanted to visit — or ideally, live in — but I soon realised this bucket list of sorts was impractical and therefore somewhat depressing. (After living in a few different countries, I realised that I’d want to live in new places for two years to really get a feel for them — and that even with long-living genes on my side, there are only so many stints of two years you can fit into a lifetime).

So instead, think about travel goals for your life in a practical sense, and try to lock in the next couple of trips, even if they may be four or five years away. Get concrete enough for the near-future goals to look up important dates — school vacation times, for example, or festivals that you want to coincide your trip with. Narrow down your goals to the places you really, really want to visit rather than a list of all the famous places you can think of.

#5: Plan Your Very Next Trip

An extension of your travel goals, of course, is to get your very next trip planned out. It’s much harder to be envious of other travelers when you know you’re soon to get the chance to travel yourself — even if your trip is only a few days in a neighbouring country rather than a month-long cruise to the Antarctic. Sitting down and researching some of the exciting things I’ll be able to do on my own trip always helps to make me feel better!

I really like this article, very well said & written! I am guilty of having travel envy! We are still planning our upcoming 15 month RTW and have been taking many travel notes from other travel bloggers. We can’t to start traveling in 4 months and sharing our tips/photos/stories with the world!

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It’s common to get jealous of friends who are living it up on the road when you’re trapped at home—especially in the era of curated social media lives, where we see all the good and we’re shielded from the bad.

By ryan murdock.

Sometimes their adventures fill you with pure green envy. And sometimes they motivate you to save your cash and buy a ticket.  But travel jealousy goes the other way, too. Sometimes those feelings are directed at you. This manifestation is much sneakier, because it’s disguised as concern for your well-being, or “practical advice” about the impracticality of your hopes and dreams. And the worst part is, it often comes from those who are closest to you.

You’ll know these people by the things they say. A lot of their comments are meant to discourage you from making a big leap:

“ Why would you go there? It ’ s not safe. ”

“ Why can ’ t you just wake up and get a real job? ”

“ Must be nice not to have any responsibilities. ”

“ You ’ re so lucky. I wish I could do that. ”

“ Why would you want to travel alone? That ’ s pretty weird. ”

One of the most puzzling statements I’ve ever heard was from a friend who said, “Every time I hear about someone leaving Canada, I think, is Canada not good enough for you?” As though choosing to live somewhere else meant a rejection of my hometown or the country I come from.

V.S. Naipaul wrote in A Bend in the River,  “A departure can feel like a desertion, a judgment on the place and the people left behind.”

That statement never occurred to me, because I’ve always travelled in search of opportunities or experiences or growth, not to get away from something. Some of those growth experiences can be found back home, but some can only be found in other places. And there’s nothing wrong with either path.

So how should you deal with these dark clouds?

There are two common threads to the comments of naysayers: jealousy and fear. The first one is obvious, but it’s connected to the second. And in most cases, it is probably reducible to it.

The jealousy question has always puzzled me, because I don’t feel envy when someone tells me about their travels. I feel curiosity. And I take out my pencil and notebook and see what I can learn from them. I eventually figured out the people who were most jealous of my travels or lifestyle were those who were too afraid to go themselves.

Others aren’t jealous that you’re doing all of these cool things—they’re jealous that they  aren’t.

Maybe these people are scared of the unknown. Maybe they’re afraid to feel foolish, or afraid to get lost or afraid they might fail. Or maybe they’re afraid of the sacrifices involved. It’s difficult to admit that we’re afraid, and so we often turn fear into anger instead. This comes out in the form of “must be nice” statements. You know the ones…

“ Must be nice to travel so much! But you don ’ t have kids. ”

That’s right. I chose not to, because that wasn’t my dream. But I know lots of expats and travellers who do  have kids, and who take their kids along. There’s nothing impossible about it.

“ Must be nice to just pick up and go, but I have all these responsibilities. ”

So do I. Mine are just different. In a country where we have no friends or family, we’re entirely responsible for looking after ourselves. There’s no one to bail us out if it all goes wrong. No one to check the mail when we’re away, or to pick something up for us if we get sick. I have to sort things like that out for myself. And as far as work goes, even when I’m travelling I still have to meet story deadlines and work on my internet business. Those things don’t go away. You just learn to fit them into a different structure.

So don’t let those critics get you down. They’re wrapped up in their own fears and dramas, and they’re projecting them onto you.

When you find yourself getting discouraged by the naysayers, sit down and think about the sacrifices you made to get there. Because choosing the Expat Life—or a life of travel in general—is a conscious choice. And in choosing that, you’re also not  choosing a lot of other things.

Sometimes those other things are highly valued in the society you came from, and you’ll be viewed as very strange for not desiring them. And sometimes those other things are opportunities you might have chosen if only you could live more than one life.

I put up with a lot of terrible jobs to save money for trips, because I knew two or three weeks vacation per year didn’t fit the dreams I had in mind, no matter how much that job paid. I could only learn the things I needed to learn on much longer journeys. And I was too honest to pretend to be committed to a company, only to take a good salary and bail at the first cool opportunity.

Sure, that path was frustrating. I hated never having any money. And years later, I decided that low salaries wouldn’t get me the experiences I needed either, so I set about creating an internet business that would. But it was a burning of bridges, too, because in making those choices, I knew I would never be able to go back to the nine to five world. I’ve made myself unemployable, and no one back there will hire me.

I’ve also never owned a house, although I’ve rented quite a few cool places. I may or may not settle down in one place when I reach the end of my road. But until then, I choose to spend my money on books and air tickets and experiences instead.

Sure, in those early days, I sometimes felt bad about myself when I saw my friends with big new houses and new cars, while I just dragged myself from one low paying struggle to the next. And you might be feeling that way, too.

But you know what?

I never valued those material things nearly as much as I valued the feeling of climbing a hill and watching the sun sink over the Gobi desert and knowing that, apart from that one tiny settlement whose lights I could see in the distance, there wasn’t another person around for hundreds of miles.

Ryan Murdock

Ryan Murdock is an editor-at-large for Outpost Travel Media who's been writing about travel and world cultures for more than two decades and is the author of Vagabond Dreams: Road Wisdom from Central America. He's based in Berlin with his wife, photographer Tomoko Goto, and you can find more of his travel dispatches at www.ryanmurdock.com.

Travelling RTW: How to Pack

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Travel Envy – The side to travel blogging that nobody talks about!

Apr 22, 2017 | 7 comments

Travel envy is a real thing; while much of travel blogging, travel photography and the nomadic lifestyle is an incredibly positive experience, there are always some people that can’t quite wrap their head around the idea. Whether it’s a flippant comment, an ignorant question or just downright rudeness; every travel blogger is faced with negativity eventually.

Well, it all comes with the territory I’m afraid, and if travel blogging is something you’re considering as a long term career, coping with the good, the bad, and the ugly will, sooner or later, become a part of every day life.

So why give a travel blogger a hard time?

I can’t imagine why out of all the photos that clog our news feeds, it appears as though travel photos are what makes people so angry/sad/annoyed.

I suppose it’s really confusing for us because we’ve always seen travel photos as a source of inspiration, especially when we’re looking to plan our next trip. Actually, did you know that approximately  52% of people choose their next vacation spot based on seeing their friends photos online ?

The truth is, I think a lot of bitterness comes from an unjustified feeling of helplessness. People often wrongly write things off as impossible and become embittered towards those in more fortunate positions; looking in on a life that feels completely out of reach. The thing is, for the vast majority of us, a life of travel is 100% within reach (more on that later), all it takes is a change of mind-set and an adaptation of lifestyle.

Our experience:

We’ve had a long time to think about this one, my fellow travel lovers, so here are our top 4 reasons why people will give you a hard time for travelling too much! – ( and why it doesn’t matter! )

(1) They think you’re made of money and/or wasting money.

“How do you afford to travel all these places?”

This question always makes me laugh.. Since when was it ok to ask people about what they can afford? Can you imagine if we turned around and said, “How come you CAN’T afford to travel?” Yeah… bye bye friendship..

To give a real answer though – they’re wrong on both counts. I discovered that traveling was my passion a while ago and made a conscious decision to spend all my time and money on experiences abroad. This, of course, meant cutting back on expenses at home (this meant no new clothes, no going out for dinners, no partying, no fancy new cars) – but hey, $200 on a boozy night out? Or a flight? I can tell you there’s no contest.

While my peers and I work roughly the same hours and make about the same amount of money, our life experiences are worlds apart because of the daily choices we make.

We put very little value on owning material possessions and focus our attention on new experiences instead, and we’re extremely happy living that way. In fact, it’s actually been  proven that this makes people happier !

I admit, it does take money to travel and not everyone has the same disposable income. But, if travel means as much to you as it does to us, there are always ways to make trips happen. Especially now with the rise of internet platforms such as  Couchsurfing  (meet and stay with locals for free from around the world),  Grabr  (make money while you travel) and the enormous amount of other ways you can  make money while traveling the world  – there’s just no good reason not to (if it’s what you really want).

(2) They literally can’t relate to your way of life.

“Why are you always gone?” “Isn’t it tiring?” “But… it’s so FAR… was it worth it?” First of all, there are no right answers to the questions I’m constantly asked by friends who don’t seem to “get” my lifestyle. And, likewise, I really struggle to understand theirs. A 4 hour road trip on the weekend is as baffling to them as their 4 hour Netflix binge is to me, but I don’t question their motives or the reasoning behind THEIR actions. At the end of the day, each to their own!

 (3) They think you’re bragging.

Isn’t social media in its entirety one giant platform for bragging? That’s what it seems like anyway. All the baby photos, the food pics, the status updates about a new job/car/partner, showing off your engagement ring, your graduation/wedding/new home photos… what ISN’T a brag?! Seems like if you’re that easily offended it’s probably a good idea to stay off social media. Or just unfollow me :D.

We’re also just passionate about travelling and passionate about photography. We share pictures because we enjoy sharing beautiful places with our friends and hope to inspire them to get outdoors. If we can get just one person off their couch and into the mountains with our content then we’ll consider ourselves a success.

(4) Your photos make them feel bad about themselves.

Ahh, social comparison. We all do it. And if you say you don’t, you’re either doing it subconsciously or you’re lying. It’s the way humans are programmed and the only way to tell how well you’re doing in life, isn’t it? I think the best phrase I’ve heard recently is, “losers focus on winners, winners focus on winning”. If we all focused a little more on our own lives, and living to the fullest, I think we’d all feel a lot more fulfilled.

The problem with social comparison on social media is that we only ever see our friends’ highlight reels. A bombardment of achievements clutters your news feed on a daily basis, and if you’re having a crappy day (or month) you’re going to end up feeling pretty shitty when you look at it. If my friend has recently lost her job and she logs onto Facebook to see photos of me exploring waterfalls in Bali, what’s going to happen? She’ll probably feel even worse about herself and probably resent me just a little bit.

My takeaway from all this?

Most importantly, yes these are issues you’re probably going to face, but it is 100% worth it if it’s in the pursuit of something amazing. We live in an incredible time where traveling can be a career.  People reject what they don’t understand and there’s no sense in becoming embittered by it or brought down by negativity. Educate where possible and enlighten those willing to view the world and its possibilities from a different perspective.

If traveling makes you happy, then please don’t stop.

If you’ve taken some incredible photos while you were gone, please share them – Because there are people on your feed, like me, who love seeing them and who support you.

and if your friends get jealous or angry about it – find better friends!

Befriend other travelers. I’ve found that the more travel bloggers and photographers I encounter on Facebook, the more travel-friendly my feed becomes. This is the kind of energy that’s good for you. Happy Travels!

Written by Robin

Blogging & social media | opinion | travel.

Hi, we’re Rob and Louise! We’re obsessed with travel and love to share our adventures! We’re a UK/Canadian couple that currently lives Banff, Canada.

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In my experience, there are some people so burdened by financial troubles and psychological issues that they are driven to thoughts of violence or suicide by travel envy, and professional help (mainly mind-altering medications and facile comfort words from what I’ve seen) can only do so much when the real root of the problem is that some people are simply too damaged; too emotionally underdeveloped and too disadvantaged by circumstances to take responsibility for their own lives or even to move on and find promise for significant travel experiences, no matter how much they work – and that’s just assuming they get descent jobs. Thus they live in perpetual misery and bitterness when they look at the lives of a relatively emotionally well-fed middle-class traveler like yourself. Forgive me, but this article – understandably – sounds more akin to an apologists dismissive description of the issue. But then again, I’m sure I sound like the kind of person you didn’t write this article for.

Thanks for your comment. I totally understand your response to this post and you appear to have touched on our greatest fear that it may have come across as conceited, elitist or dismissive. This was a fairly light hearted article about the things one might come across when one embarks on what one might consider a decadent and ultra unconventional career and wasn’t really intended to touch on any deeper issues in society (of which we’re abundantly aware). I suppose, having a rough idea of our readership demographic, it’s fair to say that it was a somewhat targeted article to a certain group that may be realistically considering the opportunity to consider travel blogging as a profession. With that came assumptions about the circles they travel in and the people they may connect with on a daily basis. It wasn’t intended to trivialise or make light of more serious barriers that may cause the animosity and violence you mentioned.

I agree that there are deeper issues that may make travel blogging a source of frustration and anger, but I would also say that that argument could be applied to many situations where people with less look unfavourably towards people with more; whether that be travel, money, beauty, freedom of expression etc. etc. I feel like you could substitute those words fairly interchangeably in your comment. To my mind, this is the nature of the world we live in, and as this animosity isn’t only specific to travel blogging per se, we felt like it was kind of a moot point to make.

Perhaps given your comments, I will make some amendments that address this, and I appreciate the feedback. I agree that this is a typical apologist article, which in some ways was designed to stir some controversy, but it was never my intention for it to come across as dismissive of those that may be in less fortunate positions. The real aim of the article wasn’t to produce an exhaustive list, rather it was designed to show that this glamorised and rose tinted view that people have of travel blogging isn’t necessarily 100% accurate and that fantastic as it may be, it’s not without its downsides. I think it’s a good idea that people know what they’re getting into and to know that it may alienate people unexpectedly. The nitty gritty of how it offends different people was really for illustrative purposes, although perhaps we could have made our point better.

Thanks for your feedback and we really welcome constructive feedback and criticism that opens a dialogue. Any intelligent comments are always welcome, so don’t feel like you need the protection of anonymity!

I think the expectations that society imposes on us is the main reason as to why people act like this. There is this illusion that one must constantly be working and bee seen working in other to be perceived as a competent adult or something like that. It’s really worrying that so many people around the world have such a tied-down mentality.

Your article is fine, no need to apologize. I was looking for such an article because I have experienced that envy from others (utter surprise to me, because they seemed supportive and inquisitive about it when I left). Now I wish I had not shared like they asked for. Next time, my sharing circle will be very tiny.

Not everyone will be happy with your article, but consider the audience that this is truly written for. And I feel you wrote it for me to understand how people may be thinking.

Thanks for your thoughtful comment after reading this post. I’m glad you understand our reasoning for writing this, and I hope the tone was right. I understand that it may come across as a little opinionated, but our intention was simply to help a few people out that are struggling with conversations with their friends and families, or that are having to constantly justify themselves to people. Many thanks again for the constructive comment, and enjoy the rest of your travels!

I agree with other commenters, you don’t need to apologize, there is no underlying issue that you need to solve either, how other people feel is something completely out of your control and something you are not responsible for.

We are all grown-ups and like you’ve said, we all have felt it from time to time, it’s how you handle it that makes the difference. I typically challenge those type thoughts myself and turn it around by showing the support I would like to receive or simply just keep scrolling.

I identified greatly with your post and it helped me put myself in their shoes and understand them a little better.

Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Jack. It’s a strange world we live in now, and sometimes it’s hard for people from different walks of life to see eye to eye or put themselves in another’s shoes. The more we can read and learn, the better we can treat each other!

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9 ways to deal with travel envy

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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

An earlier version of this story first appeared on  Jayson’s blog .

You just got back from an epic trip and you are very excited to tell your friends, family, and colleagues back home how awesome it was. After 3 minutes of story-telling, though, you feel that there’s awkwardness and dead air looming above your heads.

Why aren’t they interested? You even saw someone raising an eyebrow and rolling their eyes in disgust. What? Why? You just can’t believe it. So you just stop telling your stories, go online, post your pictures in Facebook, get a few likes… A FEW LIKES! You were expecting 300 or 500!

Ooh, maybe on Instagram there will be a lot of double taps… Oh yes! Lots of it! From people you don’t know and who just want you to follow them back, and then immediately unfollow you after you do! 

Hey, listen. Chill out. Don’t stress yourself out. You’re overthinking and are expecting them to reciprocate the same feelings about your trip. Well what should I do, wise-ss? You ask. Should I or should I not talk about my travels? Well let’s see. Here are my points in this issue. Read on.

1. They might not be the best ones to tell about your trip. 

You know that overly envious, gossip queen colleague of yours? She might not be the best one to tell your story to, especially if she isn’t a close friend. Well, sometimes even the closest of friends and members of the family can be totally envious of you. They just don’t show it. 

They might even think that you’re just showing off and flaunting your riches even though really, you didn’t spend much because you backpacked your way over there (sigh, if they only knew your budget). 

Who to talk about your travels then? Easy. Talk to like-minded individuals whose passion is traveling. Talk to your close friend or family member who knows you inside-out and wouldn’t mind hours of travel stories (I wouldn’t mind too, but man… I wouldn’t last an hour listening haha! I guess 30 minutes tops). If you don’t have a buddy like that, there’s always the world wide web to talk to.

But before talking to your family and real-life friends, know if they are going through some sort of problem. Be sensitive enough to know this and know when to shut up. Even if they do want to talk about it, maybe it’s just not the right time. 

2. Ask yourself why.

Yeah, ask yourself why do they act like that? You’re bringing so much positive vibes talking about your travels, but then they don’t seem even a little bit interested about your adrenaline-packed hiking trip or that life changing stay in Africa.

Well, have you thought that maybe it’s because you owe them a lot of money and you are splurging on that trip you’re talking about? Or maybe your family needs a little bit of financial assistance but you didn’t give them any because, well, you have to save for that amazing trip right? Or maybe they have other reasons that they hope you’d know for yourself.

As mentioned in point 1, a little bit of sensitivity helps.

3. Try not to exaggerate.

Ok, your peeps are interested. They really love to hear about your travel stories and maybe even ask for tips on how to explore the place. But suddenly you see face palms, raising eyebrows, and others making excuses, like going to the bathroom to pee but never coming back. I guess they saw something that wasn’t cool.

Exaggeration is not cool. Like, “You know what guys, it’s sooo romantic there! My boyfriend and I are sooo sweet together, like, we were the only people on the island and we made love while the sun was setting and we were drinking expensive wine and we got to befriend a local who took us to some unknown island…” This would sound perfect if it were true, but if it isn’t, then it’s not cool. Some people can always tell if you’re lying. For all they know, you were just Instagramming your photos all day long and snubbing your boyfriend who just wants to show you his newest acrobatic cliff dive or who just wants your attention.

Try to keep it cool, modest, humble when telling your story. You also don’t need to talk loudly like ‘you-want-the-whole-office-to-hear-it’ loud. You can start with a simple ‘Yeah, it’s really rad there. Great food, awesome beaches… you should try give it a visit’. Then just let them start asking questions and go on from there.

4. Don’t expect they would reciprocate what you’re feelings (social media) – wait for them to ask.

When you give something, expect nothing in return. That’s also true when sharing your experiences. Don’t wait for someone to say ‘Wow! You’re really awesome! You’re the best backpacker in the world!’ Don’t get sad or empty when no one ‘liked’ or ‘reacted’ positively on your FB album entitled ‘My Travel Calendar: Swimsuit edition.’ Hey, maybe they’re just busy or you posted it in the wee hours of the morning when everybody’s already sleeping, right?

I’m telling you now, you’re awesome. That trip of yours, that’s awesome! It’s not the end of the world when you get only a few likes or comments. Don’t base your worth on ‘likes.’ This is one of the problems with social media nowadays. Some people base their worth on likes. Hey, you’re more than that! Try shutting down your phone and talking to people personally. I’m sure you’ll get more engagement and a deeper connection.

You want to know how they would reciprocate? Here’s a tip. Wait for them to ask about it. Cool right? No effort, just wait for them to ask ‘Hey, how was the trip?’. You don’t have to talk about it all at once, you can answer one question at a time and add side stories from there. That’d show that you’re not feeling needy when it comes to telling your stories. Let them come to you first. 

5. Don’t be envious yourself.

Back when I wasn’t a traveller, admittedly, I got envious of some of my friends and colleagues too. I always see them traveling, going to exotic places, probably having the time of their lives, and some even go on luxury travels. I even asked my friend, ‘Why do you travel so much? Aren’t there things more important than that?’ He just answered ‘We love the experience more than anything.’

I was taken aback and though I didn’t fully understand him that time, but he taught me a valuable lesson. I was just envious and being envious doesn’t make you happy. So I stopped all those thoughts and eventually traveling became my passion too. It’s weird how life works sometimes but as they say, life is constant change.

It’s never good to be envious. It just stresses you out and you’re just making it very hard for yourself. When you get envious, no one’s suffering but you.

6. You travel to make yourself happy, not them.

You travel to make yourself happy, not your next door neighbor, not your overly jealous FB friend, not your “nega” officemate… only you, my friend. But I don’t get it, why are you shoving it to their face that you are a better traveler than they are? Or ‘I can travel in luxury and you can not?’ Or ‘I have gone to several of these countries, and you?’ What are you trying to prove? Does that mean you are a better traveler than they are?

People, traveling is not a competition. So what if your neighbor traveled in luxury to the US? Do you have to take a loan to travel there too just to prove a point that you’re also well off and better than them? This kind of mentality must stop. Appreciate, don’t hate, and be happy for them. Travel at your own pace and means. You don’t have to travel the world in 80 days right? No one’s racing with you. Travel to a place you really want to see and you feel you would really enjoy, not because you got jealous of someone.

7. There are times that it’s better to not give a f*ck. (But don’t post like, every minute)

You have understood all the points above and apply them but still, others hate. They seem to enjoy hating you. No worries, here is a tip: Just don’t give a flying f*ck. They can hate all they want, but just remember, it’s them that are suffering, not you. Don’t mind them, just think about all the happy thoughts before, during, and after your travels.

Okay, you got the peace of mind you want, but just a suggestion for social media… don’t post your travel pictures every minute that you begin to flood your FB friends’ newsfeed. That’s seriously annoying. No wonder some people hate you… oops! 

8. Don’t push someone to travel. Let them discover it themselves.

“What are you doing with your life? Quit your job and travel! Don’t live in a cube!”

“Traveling made me smarter. How about you take a loan and jump aboard that 10-day luxury cruise around Asia? It’s worth it!”

”Don’t mind being broke. Spend it all on travel!”

Well, those are just some of the things I read in some articles on the internet. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to inspire others to travel… but to push others to travel is different. Especially in the internet, you don’t just tell someone to give up his job and travel. What if he is the bread winner of a family and even has loads of debt? Some people, even though they really would love to travel, just can’t afford it at the moment (even if you advise them to go backpacking – they would still have to spend money).

For me, let them discover the passion themselves. If they need time, let them be. I know you’re concerned – he is working too hard… no more time for himself… all work, no play… But maybe he has a reason for that. Maybe he knows he needs to take time off too but he just needs to get things straight first before taking the leap. Don’t push travel like it’s a piece of pie he must eat to survive a zombie invasion. For others, it takes time.

9. If you like, create a blog or an online diary. 

This is a bonus tip and something light. If you really would like to share for everyone to know about your travels, help them travel, or just document your trip, then consider creating an online blog or diary just like this blog . My blog’s aim is to help people and document our travels. That’s it. And when someone asks me how we did it, I just point them to my blog, easy as that. No more lengthy talk, just a note like, ‘Let me know if you have any questions and I would love to answer it.’ If you find it difficult to set one up, an FB page, I think is one of the easiest ways.

That’s it! Good luck with your endeavors and I really hope you learned a lesson or two here. – Rappler.com

Jayson Concepcion is a programmer by profession but has a soul of a traveler. Aside from his ultimate dream of traveling around the world, he loves to eat, drink, listen to music, talk about aliens, and indulge in his occasional secret guilty pleasure of singing love songs in videoke. His favorite superpower is to teleport from one place to another. I guess you know why. Visit his blog:  thetraveldebugger.com  or follow him on  Facebook  and  Instagram

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Dua Lipa Keeps Us in Perpetual Vacation Envy in a Sheer Aquamarine Dress

T here she goes. There she goes again. Dua Lipa took a break from her Radical Optimism tour to slam us with vacation envy once more.

The Grammy-winning singer was amongst an exclusive audience attending Jacquemus's 15th-anniversary show off the coast of Capri today. En route to the event, Lipa was photographed boarding a yacht while dressed in a sheer aquamarine dress (the same piece later made its runway debut during the show).

Featuring a slender boat neck, a draped cowl back, a mid-calf leg slit, and a small train, the gauzy blue dress looked like a physical embodiment of summer vacation.

Lipa kicked it up a notch with her assortment of coordinating accessories, from a leather cherry cola clutch bag that perfectly matched the shade of her hair to dusty blue oval-shaped sunglasses. Finally, she tied the look together with some strappy black heeled sandals.

Lipa previously described her unique sense of style in a 2017 interview with Bazaar .

“I like having one piece that makes a whole outfit and then you can wear everything else that’s quite simple,” the pop star said. “I’ve always loved dressing up. I like it when things look like you’ve just thrown them on, and sometimes the things you really do just throw on look the best. I’ve always been inspired by the ’90s, and I like wearing baggy trousers, and blazers with slipdresses and thigh-high boots or leather jackets, and just a mixture of all those together.”

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• Electrostal History and Art Museum

You can spend time exploring the galleries in Electrostal History and Art Museum in Elektrostal. Take in the museums while you're in the area.

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• Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
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• Balashikha Arena
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Election latest: Reform candidate's post criticised by minister - as PM denies he considered quitting

The Liberal Democrats have kicked off a vital stage of the election campaign by launching their manifesto to "save the NHS". Reform UK haven't gone that far yet, but are seeking to explain their tax-cutting plans. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak has insisted he's not considered resigning as PM.

Monday 10 June 2024 19:29, UK

• General Election 2024

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Election news

• Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge is live - watch in stream above
• Bulletin: What you need to know this evening
• Lib Dems launch manifesto to 'save the NHS'
• Pledges include free social care, bereavement support for parents, tackling river sewage, and 'fixing' ties with EU - Ed Conway looks at how much it would cost
• Beth Rigby  to chair Sky News' election leaders' special
• Reform outlines tax plan | Minister condemns candidate's post
• Tories and Labour fall in new poll | PM 'not thought about' quitting
• Live reporting by Jennifer Scott and (earlier)  Tim Baker

Expert analysis

• Gurpreet Narwan: Echoes of Truss in Reform's economic plans
• Tamara Cohen: Labour takes on enormous childcare challenge
• Sky News Daily: Do the Lib Dem manifesto's sums add up?

Election essentials

• Battle For No 10: PM and Starmer taking part in Sky News special
• Campaign Heritage: Memorable moments from elections gone by
• Trackers: Who's leading polls? | Is PM keeping promises?
• Follow Sky's politics podcasts: Electoral Dysfunction | Politics At Jack And Sam's
• Read more: Who is standing down? | Key seats to watch | How to register to vote | What counts as voter ID? | Check if your constituency is changing | Your essential guide to election lingo | Sky's election night plans

Sophy Ridge puts to James Cleverly that in football terms, it feels like the Conservatives are "five nil down" and need all their "strikers on the pitch".

She then asks if he'd like to see Boris Johnson playing more of a role in the election campaign.

Mr Cleverly replies that he's "always keen to get the whole Conservative family campaigning" against Labour's "bonkers ideas".

Pressed on whether that means he'd like the former prime minister on the campaign trail, the home secretary says: "Boris Johnson is a subset of everybody, yes".

He adds: "In terms of the Venn diagram, I would like to see everybody who is a conservative out campaigning for the Conservative Party, that by definition also includes Boris Johnson."

Now Home Secretary James Cleverly is speaking to Sophy Ridge to tell the Tory tale from the day. 

He starts by focusing on their announcement to hire 8,000 new police officers as "public safety matters" - and promising they will be "embedded in neighbourhoods". 

Asked how he thinks the campaign is going, Mr Cleverly admits he has faced "concerns and criticisms" on the doorstep, but claims voters "scrunch up their faces" when asked if they would vote for Labour.

"There is everything up for grabs, and we will continue to take our bold plans to the British people," he adds. 

The home secretary is asked if he would like to see the Tories' last big election winner, Boris Johnson, back on the campaign trail…

Tonight's Politics Hub panel are now having their say on the Lib Dem manifesto.

Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas says while it has generated some "interesting headlines", it doesn't "follow through on its logic" - such as on proposed changes to water company ownership and plans to tackle climate change.

And she adds that what "really struck her" was the party's more muted approach to discussing Brexit.

" I think you had to look through to page 112," she says - a far cry from the 2019 manifesto that advocated rejoining the EU.

Farage took UK on 'mad adventure'

Ms Lucas says a debate is needed about the impact of Brexit, and the role of new Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in championing the cause.

"I can't bear the fact that Nigel Farage keeps getting away with no one asking him about his last mad adventure before he starts trying to take Britain down the path of a new one," she says.

Labour 'too scared' to address Brexit

But former Tory party communications director Giles Kenningham says it's unlikely that Labour will mention Brexit at all as "they're too scared about it".

He adds that it's "not in the interests" of the two main parties to put it "centre stage".

"The Tories will argue Brexit's done, and Labour got themselves in knots, and arguably it cost them the last election," he says.

Our deputy political editor Sam Coates has been at today's Liberal Democrat manifesto launch and now comes to us live from Thorpe Park, where Sir Ed Davey has been riding rollercoasters - and doing some serious political interviews of course.

Sam says the party is having a campaign that is "clearly cutting through" to the public with "all the japes" - remember the paddle board anyone?

But while Sir Ed may be riding high, he is still "desperate to be taken seriously".

Our deputy political editor said the Lib Dems have done "one big thing" in this campaign - managing to "reposition themselves as an anti-Tory force".

But if the Conservatives get kicked out of power in a few weeks time, where does it leave them?

Sir Ed tells Sam that Labour will "follow" his policy ideas as he claims other government have before. But that is quite optimistic…

We're kicking off tonight's show with the first manifesto launch of this election campaign.

It came via the Liberal Democrats, headlined as a "fully-costed" plan to "save the NHS", primarily by fixing the UK's social care system.

But do the party's sums add up?

Who better to comb through all 114 pages - and the manifesto's associated costings document - than Sky News' very own  economics and data editor Ed Conway .

He'll be doing the same for all the manifestos as they come out.

Check out what he had to say about the Lib Dems below:

It's the beginning of a huge week in the election campaign.

Manifesto week - a week that will not only define the outcome of the election but could also define the future of the country for years to come.

We're kicking off with the Lib Dem manifesto today, tomorrow we'll get the Conservative one, and Labour's is expected later in the week. 

Manifesto week is a bit like having your meals designed by a four-year-old - so expect Haribo, Party Rings, and Jammy Dodgers to be thrown at you over the next few days.

What I'm going to be looking out for is who is brave enough to put broccoli on the menu and include some unpopular policies.

Because let's face it, whatever the makeup of parliament in a month's time, the economic picture is not going to change overnight. 

National debt will still be cripplingly high, public services will still need more investment, and the tax burden will still be at historically high levels. 

Will there be a manifesto this week that addresses the scale of the challenge and levels with voters about what that really means?

Our weeknight politics show  Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge  is live now on Sky News.

The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insights, and analysis - bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.

Joining Sophy tonight is  Helen Morgan  from the Liberal Democrats, on the day her party launched its election manifesto.

Also on the show is  James Cleverly , the Conservative home secretary.

On Sophy's panel tonight are:

• Caroline Lucas , ex-Greens leader and Brighton Pavilion MP;
• Giles Kenningham , former Tory party communications director.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

Watch  Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge  from Monday to Thursday on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on the  Sky News website  and  app  or on  YouTube .

 Our weeknight politics show  Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge  will be live on Sky News from 7pm.

Joining Sophy tonight is Helen Morgan from the Liberal Democrats, on the day her party launched its election manifesto.

Also on the show is James Cleverly , the Conservative home secretary.

Watch  Politics Hub  from 7pm every night during the election campaign on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on the  Sky News website  and  app  or on  YouTube .

By Gurpreet Narwan , political correspondent

With Reform on the cusp of overtaking the Conservatives in the polls, the party's policies are now being more closely scrutinised.

Today's "Great British Tax Cut" event reiterated its commitment to cut VAT and stamp duty, as well as its flagship plan to raise tax thresholds.

They'd go from £12,570 to £20,000 for the basic rate, and £50,000 to £70,000 for the higher rate. 

How will these tax cuts be paid for is where things start to get a bit foggy.

A bold plan low on details

The party says it will find £50bn of "public sector waste" each year, and also has its eyes set on the reserves that commercial banks hold with the Bank of England.

Its focus is the digital money that was created by the Bank to buy bonds as part of its quantitative easing programme, which began in 2009 to shore up the economy after the financial crisis. 

At present, the central bank pays commercial banks interest on those reserves, which Reform wants to stop. It reckons this could save the public purse between £30bn and £40bn a year.

The governor of the Bank of England has hit back at the idea, but this is an area that is being debated by economists, with some calling for a tiered system whereby the Bank imposes a minimum reserve requirement on which no interest is paid. 

The European Central Bank has set it at 1%, and the level at which this threshold is set here would have a big bearing on the amount of money that can be saved for the public purse.

When asked by Sky News today about how it would implement such a policy, Reform said it had not yet hashed out the details.

'Trussonomics on steroids'

However, the kind of money the party says it could recoup suggests it has its eyes on abolishing reserve payments altogether.

Ultimately, this amounts to a tax on the banks, which could have consequences for customers if banks raise interest rates. 

Depending on the size of the raid, it could affect the central bank’s ability to control the economy through the central bank’s base rate.

The party denied that these tax cuts were "Trussonomics on steroids". 

Yet, some of it felt familiar. Both Farage and Tice were very dismissive of the Office for Budget Responsibility, the UK's fiscal watchdog. 

When asked by Sky News whether the party would introduce any fiscal rules, again the pair were dismissive. 

None of this will be music to the ears of investors in the financial markets.

The Liberal Democrats launched their manifesto today, saying it's fully costed. 

On the Sky News  Daily , our economics and data editor Ed Conway  looks at whether their numbers add up, while our chief political correspondent Jon Craig dives into their policy offering.

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