Mortgage or Travel In 20's

lulalola

!00% travel and enjoy yourself! As lots of others have said, there is no guarantee of anything in the future...anything can happen and you might buy that house then become too ill to go on those holidays you're thinking about.

I'm nearly 30 and I'm about to quit my well-paid and nicely-progressing career to go and see the world. Career, house-buying, finding a partner can wait.

Go to Florida!

TBeckett100

I've done more travelling post buying a house than before

When the sun tan wears off, you'll be further behind getting your home. Bite the bullet, get on the ladder and have a lifetime to go on holiday.

I had a holiday in August to California but moved a few days before, the excitement and distraction of house buying outweighed that holiday and to be honest I would rather have stayed. I enjoyed the holiday but ticking off a life stage was more important

Person_one

OP, if you want to go to Disneyland you go to Disneyland and ignore the holiday (sorry, 'travel') snobs!

You're young enough that you can balance saving with enjoying life a bit. I hate be a downer but in my work I've seen enough people dying young to know that none of us can count on there being a 'later' to do what makes us happy.

A happy medium is best if you can make it work.

jimbog

Save for a deposit, get the house, don't move in but instead rent it out to pay the mortgage and jet off into the sun

joe_purdy

I bought my house when I was 21 and I would say go traveling first, you only live once! Wish I did something like a trip to America. Im 24 now and hoping to do something like this within the next few years now

born2shine

Seeing and exploring different parts of the world is crucial! I've done a lot of the Caribbean, Africa and Europe and I'm able to use those experiences in my daily life. How I think, and reflect on life is greatly impacted by what I've seen, I truly appreciate life and other people's circumstances has definitely humbled me. Something I want to pass on to my kids someday. I say travel, house will come later. My partner and I bought our house late 20s, early 30s. Although we've not travelled together, I'm very fulfilled with my own personal experiences and as life goes on we will travel together.

SandC

Think you'll be able to strike a happy medium by the sounds of it OP. I wouldn't do without holidays myself but the long term travelling thing has never been something I've hankered to do. As it is, I have got to the stage 20 years into being a homeowner (and not upgrading or borrowing any more on the mortgage) where I can have 3 holidays a year, or a 'biggie' once a year and that's great for me, hopefully can do more when I've retired, if I can possibly do that as long before state retirement age as possible then I will!

Jacob's_Dad

My two pennies' worth: there's a long-term view and a short-term view, but you might die tomorrow.

Yes, it's morbid, and in reality you have to live a balance between the moment and the future, but when you're 50/60-plus and looking back, would you rather have spent your earlier years making the most of your youth or working so you could do the same (albeit at a different pace, etc.) at a much older age. Travelling broadens your horizons and your mind and the world is massive. Better to take that into the future with you than have it in retrospect.

My wife and I travelled first and started mortgages later in life, which we sometimes get into a bit of a spiral regretting, as we are going to be burdened by debt for longer than our siblings. But life, you live it and feel it; when you're recounting stories you don't talk about the meeting you had with your financial advisor who said everything is looking hunky dory and you can afford an extra bit on your mortgage for those new windows and it won't set you back much. You remember those moments you nearly got eaten by a crocodile in Florida, or the feeling Terror Tower at Disney gave you, or whatever it was wherever you were when something truly special and unique in your life happened.

Debt is a burden we all have to live with. Treat it carefully and respect it, but don't let it steer your journey.

TopQuark

I vote for travel too! I spent a few years working and travelling in Asia in my 20s and it is one of the best things I've done in my life. I met my now husband whilst out there and we just got married last year (me 34, him 33). We are fortunate to have highly-paying jobs and managed to buy a house without a mortgage in recent years (lucky as our parents were not in a position to help). We don't live in the house though as we moved abroad again (to Switzerland) to follow our careers and we love it here. We are expecting our first baby in January and appreciate we may need to tone down the travelling when he arrives. Anyway, the point of my story is that going travelling in your 20s and not buying a house until a little later, does not necessarily mean you are losing out. On the contrary, I wouldn't swap my overseas experiences for anything. You sound like you are being sensible and not reckless, so I'd say go for it. After all, when you are on your deathbed many years from now, you're hardly likely to be lamenting having seen some of the world and wishing you'd saved a bit more money!

Brightspark87

just a quick note - my DH did huge amounts of travel in his 20's. Now yes, it cost him lots of money and yes, he got into debt because of it (still paying it back at 34! But I will get him there) but he wouldnt change it for a second. It made him who is his today. I did the opposite - working full time and very career driven at 18 - yet we both still rent and I am nearly debt free but still have debt! Do what you feel most right about - and if you feel really unhappy about it change it the other way!