I’m a procrastinator. I love putting things off. My style is to wait until the last minute to do something, then freak out and get it all done at once, which drives my wife crazy because she’s the exact opposite, preferring to get things done in advance of when they’re due.

But there’s one thing that I will never procrastinate on: travel.

A little story to make my point

I was chatting with a colleague at work the other day, and he asked me if I had seen another colleague around recently. I hadn’t, and that was when I learned that the man had passed away of a sudden heart attack.

The same guy then told me about how he’s been battling lung disease, and has been given less than a year to live by his doctor. In both of these cases, they were scheduled to retire within 12 months.

The moral of the story? You don’t friggin’ know when your time will be up. Nature doesn’t work according to your plans and schedule, and it may just be that your time comes to an end right before you thought you’d be free to travel to your heart’s content.

Listen to me, and listen carefully: don’t. freaking. wait until then.

Just don’t do it. So many people think “ah, I don’t have the time or money right now, I’ll wait until I retire to travel.” Sounds good on the surface, until you consider stories like the one you just read. And how about this: did you ever think that the types of trips you’re likely to be willing and able to take in retirement probably look very different from the type of trip you’re able to take when you’re younger? What about if you get into an accident of some sort?

Don’t get me wrong, I see lots of older folks going on some incredible journeys and adventures; I’m not saying you can’t do it. I’ just saying you don’t know if you’ll be able to or not until (if) you get there, and why take that chance? Why risk having regrets about the trips you wish you could have taken, but no longer have the physical ability to?

Here are my travel plans.

I’ve made a list of all the crazy trips I want to take in my youth. Things like visiting Machu Picchu and hiking the Inca Trail. Going on a photo tour of Iceland. Training karate in Okinawa. Getting off the beaten path and mingling with the locals in Cuba with my aunt (who specializes in trips like that and has built a brand new blog around it) And way more than that. Every year or so, I’m going to cross one of these trips off my list.

I’m 30, and my back and neck hurt already. Who knows what shape I’ll be in when I retire? The question scares me, to be honest, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to wait around to find out. If it turns out I’m hobbled and can’t walk properly when I’m 60, so be it. At least I will have seen and done the things I want to do when I was able to.

Wrapping it Up

I don’t care if you’re a procrastinator or not. I really don’t. You need to hear me here: don’t for a second think you’re invincible, that what happened to someone else can’t happen to you. It can. It might. And my biggest hope for you is that you recognize that and go see and do the things you want to while you have the opportunity.

One of the things so many market researchers say about Millennials is that we value experiences over things. Yeah, you’re damn right. When you get to your death bed and are look back on your proudest moments in life, you’re not going to say “I’m so glad I didn’t take any vacation days when I was working,” or “Really glad I bought all those expensive clothes.”

You’re going to say something more like “I’m so glad I got to travel and see the world and all the amazing things and people that it has to offer,” and “I have so many great memories of time spent with the people who matter most to me.”

At least, that’s my hope. And it’s my plan. But the only way it’ll happen is if you take mindful steps to make it happen. So what have you been putting off that you can get going on today? How about you share it in the comments? Because guess what, I can guarantee you that you’re not the only one who’s been putting off a dream. Your story just might be the push someone else needs to get going on their own.