If you are thinking about dropping everything and travelling congratulations, you are about to make the best decision of your life. Everyone will warn you of the dangers abroad, the scary stories that happened to a friend of a friend in whatever country you're off to. But there’s one thing no one will warn you about, and it's by far the most dangerous consequence of what you’re about to do.
Once you drop everything and go, you are forever bound to consider it daily for the rest of your life. The first time is tough, you're nervous, you’re outside of your comfort zone, it seems like a huge deal! You’ll get through it though and it’ll be easier than you thought. You’ll realize those nerves were actually intoxicating anticipation and once it’s over you’ll crave it again and again.
After experiencing incredible, returning to normality is difficult. You're life becomes mundane. You're no longer surrounded with new experiences and challenges, you now know what to expect everyday. It’s like a come down. Everything seems dull, a bit lifeless. Those around you don’t understand, they’re used to this. Talking about it is nearly impossible, it comes across like you're insulting where people live. It’s not that you're unhappy to be where you are, it’s just that you are stuck perpetually wondering where you could be. This my friend, is the darker side of wanderlust. And let me be honest with you, make no mistake, you are now fucked.
Everyday life will never be the same. An office seems like a prison, routine like slavery. This is most difficult part of travelling, coming back. The average person will experience it mildly after their week holiday to the giant Americanized resort somewhere within a 5 hour flight. If you’ve travelled properly and for a long period of time, this is like comparing someone who smoked pot once and feels a little greened out to a lifetime heroine addict. Re-entering “normal” society seems impossible. Everything is exactly the same as the day you left, it’s eerie how places don’t seem to change especially when you feel like you've changed so much.
If you’re reading this and already know what I’m talking about, I know it’s not easy and it probably feels a bit like depression.
I wish I had a solution for you but I don’t. If I did, I wouldn't be browsing last minute flights to Bali while I draft the next paragraph here. So my advice to you is embrace it, maybe one day it will wear off and you’ll be content somewhere permanently but that day isn’t today. You're most likely where you are because the money is a little low and it was time to sort some stuff out. So you got a little work ahead of you, big deal, you know how fast time goes. Stay focused though, don’t get stuck in the rut of conformity and familiarity. Wanderlust is a gift and it’s not the easiest one to live with; but I feel sorry for those of us who just don’t have that spirit of adventure, it is the best thing to ever happen to me.
Find your sense of adventure in the meantime around your old digs, call old friends you haven’t seen in years. Look up what tourists do in your area, my bet is you haven’t done half those things. Learn something new. You have to satisfy that adventurous desire with miniature doses while that bank account builds back up and you’re ready to go again. Stay positive and don’t lose sight of that, don’t misplace that gift.
Somewhere someone is climbing off a flight, back from the trip of a lifetime, to struggle with assimilating back into their previous lives. Disembarking right behind them, on that same flight, is someone about to start the best trip of their life! Remember, its all relative, so appreciate where you are but keep your sights on where you are going. Before you know it, you’ll hear the intercom ding and the pilot will announce you're on approach and you’ll get goose bumps and that little smirk. Because thirty thousand feet from that moment you will once again have no idea whats in store for you.
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Maybe i have a resolution… Find what you love the most about traveling. I know now you are back ful of new knowleadge, ideas, prospectives and daily life can be a depresing, but why not brining the things you do and see in your dailylife? Why do we have to go abroad that we dare to live fully? Not not be afraind of taking chances, being in a moment and really living the way we want? We can do all that in our hometown as well. Well I hope we can. Waking up and doing something what you love, enjoying the morning coffie or doing suduku for streaching our brains… Why not? Because of the job and others? Change the job, explaing people around you how you feel… Living the life where we dont need vacations of is possible – if we dare.
I cant even put into words the feeling you brought out of me while I read this. It was also a bit of a wake up call. Ive been home for a year now and during those 12 months I have never really lived in the present. Im either thinking about my past travels or thinking ahead to where I want to go next. And during this time I have also found myself very lost and feeling like im stuck in a rut and nothing is moving forward. I try and talk to people and they simply dont understand. Ive been home for longer than expected and Ive fallen into this horrible comfort zone; which I desperately need to get out of. I know all I need to do is to make that step. I know the moment I do, ill be happier … but im scared all over again as if it were my first time travelling ; which its definitly not (which im sure that feeling is normal)
But im staying positive, when the times right ill know :) everything eventually falls into place.
All in all; its good to know that im not the only one feeling this way haha
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So true, Got back after a year, not for the first time, but the desperate feeling always the same, deep, lonely, down feeling. Why did I leave, where to go now? Can’t live the life back home!!!
I know it will go and new doors will open, but yeah what a confusing time to go through!
We are in this boat. My husband and I have been dreaming of driving to Panama and then based on things learned and discovered along the way trying to buy property in Nicaragua or Panama. We have both been down there a few times, and we meet living and working at a surf camp in Nicaragua, so the dream was to own our own…. somewhere, but we have realized we may not be the buy some property and settle down sort of people. Routine can feel nice for a bit, and the new project or journey of building your very own business would be an adventure, but once it was running, and doing well we both realize we would then be wishing for more travel. What to do with this darker side???? IDK
After working abroad for three years and traveling extensively during that time, I had an adjustment period of almost six months when I returned to Canada. I finally found the right things to give my life more meaning and purpose through volunteering with newcomers. It is a very fulfilling experience. Through the eyes of the new immigrants I can still experience other cultures and norms, use my education to help others, and have found that opportunities to travel and do volunteer work abroad abound, when I am ready to travel again.
W. Cummings Arsenault
This piece is short, sweet and damn inspiring. I am currently on a bout of wandering up the west coast of the United States and up into B.C. to see my folks and I am not looking forward to readjusting to having a routine and responsibilities in Colorado after a month of mind bending freedom and new experiences. That being said this bit helped me out a lot:
“Look up what tourists do in your area, my bet is you haven’t done half those things. Learn something new. You have to satisfy that adventurous desire with miniature doses while that bank account builds back up and you’re ready to go again. Stay positive and don’t lose sight of that, don’t misplace that gift.”
I think I will keep pushing myself to be adventurous where I live and “bloom where I am planted” if you will, at least while I save for my next trip. Your company stands for something I truly believe in and I am happy to have discovered you today through a local blog that my friend Jane Salee runs called RockMeetsSoil.
Very real, another one is when all your mates are out traveling around and you’re at home after a long 8-10hr shift looking at all the photos you’re not in soaking up the sun.
I guess you just have to take the lows with all the highs and like you said keep working towards that next trip. It’s one way to stay humble for sure.
Good read, can’t wait for the next one
Cheers
So good!!! Thanks for that :)