How Travel Changes When You Quit Smoking
Smoking is a habit we’d all be better off without, but for the traveler, smoking becomes something of a burden. Not only are you stuck with the extra cost of buying cigarettes during your travels, but you’re also limited in where you can visit, what kind of outdoor activities you can actually do (and enjoy properly), and the overall mood of the trip. Nicotine withdrawal is a great way to ruin a perfectly good vacation.
When you quit smoking, traveling becomes a much more enjoyable activity. You’ll see the world in a whole new light, you’ll be in better health and a better mood so as to enjoy the trip and your experiences, and you’ll save money; what’s not to love? Let’s look closer at the ways travel changes when you quit smoking. You might just want to give it up right away!
Less Expensive
Smoking is not only a destructive habit, but an expensive one as well. Cigarettes can cost anywhere from about $5 to $9/$10 per pack. If you’re smoking a few packs per day, you’re looking at hundreds of dollars per month in cigarette costs. Don’t forget the potential healthcare costs you’ll incur when the habit inevitably causes lung, heart, or other internal damage to your body.
Make no mistake; you can’t escape health complications if you’re a smoker. Smoking is highly dangerous, and your medical bills could leave you desolate. Even when you’re on vacation, on top of the thousands you’ve already spent on hotels, food, and airlines, you’re spending even more to support the habit. This could potentially take away from the optimal experience of the trip. After all, you’ll be spending money on cigarettes instead of guided yours, fun activities, or even cool souvenirs.
More Accessible
You’ve probably noticed that more and more public places have banned smoking altogether. You can’t smoke in restaurants, bars, meeting halls, and government buildings, and the list continues to grow smaller. This makes certain locations less accessible to the smoker, potentially limiting the experiences you can have on your trips.
If you’ve ever tried to visit a museum or other public attraction, you probably didn’t enjoy it much while fighting through nicotine withdrawal. The withdrawal symptoms can begin within a half-hour of your last cigarette, so by the time you’ve completed a 3-hour tour, you’re miserable. That’s no fun, and certainly not a trip to remember.
Some smokers quit altogether before a trip, while others choose a tobacco alternative to keep cravings at bay, such as tobacco free pouches. Tobacco free products still contain nicotine, but they don’t contain the thousands of harmful chemicals that tobacco leaves do. In fact, a single cigarette can contain more than 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic to humans or are carcinogens.
New Locations
Quitting smoking for good can open up a host of new locations to visit all over the world. You’ll be able to visit new attractions, meet new people, and won’t be bogged down by your habit. Certain locations frown on smoking and the damage/litter it can cause as well, so you won’t be affected by social stigmas, either.
Less of A Hassle
Who wouldn’t want less of a hassle during their travels? After all, smoking just creates the need to obtain cigarettes, spend money, and creates irritability when you go without it for too long. You’re subject to rules and regulations aimed specifically at smokers to keep the public safe, and, let’s be honest; you’re adding to a public health hazard.
There’s a common misconception that second-hand smoke isn’t as dangerous as it’s made out to be, but this is a (damaging) falsehood. Second-hand smoke is deadly, make no mistake. It can cause cancer, lung disease, and heart problems just as first-hand smoking does. Think about it; the person breathing in second-hand smoke doesn’t even have the tiny amount of protection that the cigarette’s filter offers the smoker! They’re breathing in unfiltered cigarette smoke, loaded with toxins and chemicals.
Essentially, you’re doing both yourself and society a favor by giving up the smoking habit. With so much information available nowadays, the secrets of the tobacco industry have been exposed and the true effects of smoking are well-known. There’s simply no reason to continue the habit!
The Bottom Line
By smoking, you’re essentially limiting your travel options, making your trip more of a hassle, and potentially increasing the overall cost of the trip. The bottom line? Smoking doesn’t do anyone any good. It causes diseases, cancers costs money, and is a public health hazard. There’s never been a better time to quit, so give up smoking today and start maximizing your travel experiences. You’ll thank us later when you look back on how much you enjoyed your first smoke-free vacation.
