I Would Rather Spend Money on This Than Another Thing for My House

Sharmila’s Story

There was a time when I thought that if I had some extra money, I should put it into my home.

Buy something new.

Replace something old.

Add something beautiful.

Make the house more comfortable.

Make it look better.

And there is nothing wrong with wanting a beautiful home. I still love beautiful things. I enjoy finding something special for my space, and there is a certain satisfaction that comes from making your home feel like you.

But somewhere along the way, my priorities began to change.

I started asking myself a different question:

“Do I really need another thing, or would I rather spend this money creating a memory?”

And more and more, my answer became:

I want the memory.

I Have Always Been Drawn to Places

Travel has always fascinated me.

Maybe it is the photographer in me.

As a photographer, I'm naturally drawn to places, people, light, architecture, food and those little moments that tell a story without needing many words.

There is something about arriving somewhere new and looking around with fresh eyes.

A street you've never walked.

A restaurant you've never tried.

A view you've only seen in photographs.

A culture different from your own.

And then suddenly, you're standing there experiencing it for yourself.

That's something you can't put a price on.

Well, technically, you can.

There's a flight.

A hotel.

Transportation.

Food.

Tours.

Activities.

But the actual memory?

That stays with you.

I Have Bought Things I Barely Remember

If I'm being honest, there are things I've purchased over the years that I was incredibly excited about at the time.

And today?

I barely remember them.

Some things have broken.

Some have been replaced.

Some ended up in a cupboard.

Some simply stopped being important.

But I can remember places.

I can remember photographs.

I can remember how I felt standing somewhere beautiful.

I can remember the excitement of discovering something new.

And that made me realize something.

Not everything we spend money on has to become an investment in our possessions.

Some of it can be an investment in our lives.

I Don't Want to Wait Until “Someday”

As I've gotten older, I've become much more aware of how quickly time passes.

We tell ourselves:

I'll travel next year.

I'll go when things settle down.

I'll go when I have more money.

I'll go when work isn't so busy.

I'll go when everything is perfect.

But life rarely becomes perfectly convenient.

There will always be something.

Work.

Bills.

Responsibilities.

Family.

Unexpected expenses.

And if we wait for the perfect moment, we can end up waiting forever.

That doesn't mean I'm saying we should be irresponsible with money.

We have responsibilities for a reason.

But I also believe we deserve to live.

I Want to See More of the World

I don't want my entire life to be about working, paying bills, maintaining a house and accumulating possessions.

I want to see places I've never seen.

I want to taste food I've never tasted.

I want to photograph beautiful places.

I want to walk through cities I've only read about.

I want to sit somewhere I've never been and watch the world go by.

I want to experience different cultures.

I want to have conversations with people whose lives are completely different from mine.

And yes, I want the photographs.

Because photographs are more than pictures to me.

They're little pieces of time.

Years from now, I can look at a photograph and remember exactly where I was, who I was with, what I was feeling and what that moment meant to me.

The House Can Wait Sometimes

There will always be something else to buy for the house.

There will always be a newer version.

A nicer version.

A bigger version.

Something that looks beautiful in an advertisement.

And sometimes I'll still buy it.

I'm not suddenly going to stop enjoying beautiful things.

But I've learned that I don't want every spare dollar to go toward things that sit around me.

Sometimes I want to spend that money on something that takes me somewhere.

I want to buy the plane ticket.

I want to book the hotel.

I want to take the excursion.

I want to sit at that restaurant.

I want to see that sunset.

I want to take that photograph.

I want to come home with a suitcase full of clothes, souvenirs and photographs—and a head full of memories.

And Maybe That's Why I Became a Travel Advisor

This is one of the reasons my work as a Travel Advisor feels so meaningful to me.

Travel isn't simply about booking a hotel or finding a flight.

At its heart, travel is about what happens after the booking.

It's the birthday celebration.

The anniversary.

The honeymoon.

The family vacation.

The girls' trip.

The first international trip.

The long-awaited cruise.

The destination you've been talking about for ten years.

The trip you almost didn't take.

The trip you desperately needed.

Those are the stories that matter.

And I love helping people get from:

“One day I want to go there…”

to:

“I can't believe I'm actually here.”

What If We Started Spending Money Differently?

I'm not suggesting that everyone should stop buying things for their homes.

That's not realistic.

And sometimes a new sofa is exactly what you need!

But maybe we can create a little more balance.

Maybe instead of spending every extra dollar on something tangible, we can put some aside for something intangible.

A travel fund.

A weekend getaway.

A birthday trip.

An anniversary.

A cruise.

A dream destination.

Even if it takes a year or two to save for it.

Because when that trip finally happens, you won't just have spent money.

You'll have created something.

A memory.

A photograph.

A story.

An experience.

And perhaps years from now, when you're sitting in your home surrounded by everything you've accumulated, you'll look at one of those photographs and think:

“I'm so glad I went.”

So, What Would I Rather Have?

Another decoration?

Or a sunset over a destination I've never visited?

Another item for my closet?

Or a passport stamp?

Another upgrade for my home?

Or a memory with someone I love?

Another thing that eventually needs to be replaced?

Or an experience that stays with me for the rest of my life?

For me, the answer is becoming clearer.

I would rather spend money on the experience.

Because things can fill a house.

But experiences?

They fill a life.

Where Will Your Next Memory Take You?

There is probably a destination you've been thinking about.

Maybe you've been saving it on Instagram.

Maybe you've had it on your bucket list for years.

Maybe you've said, “One day…”

Perhaps it's time to start turning that dream into a plan.

Through TravelTasteJournal, I share travel inspiration, stories and ideas to help you discover your next destination. And as a Travel Advisor, I can also help you take the next step toward actually getting there.

You don't have to know exactly where to start.

Tell me where you've been dreaming of going, and let's start planning your next memory.

Because your home will always be there.

The things will always be there.

But the world is waiting to be experienced.

And I would rather see it.