Travel may not be for you.
Travel writing is probably about as popular as it ever has been. There are now so many ways to get out into the world and see it. And so many platforms to document your travels. Accordingly, there are something like 30 million travel blogs for people to read. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that not everyone is sick with Wanderlust.
Travel is now sold to us in many forms. As a sort of reward for all your hard work, as a way to reset or take your mind off the difficult parts of life, and nowadays travel has even become a sort of status symbol. After all, it can look really impressive when you recount all the old stories of your travel; the magnificent cities you’ve seen, and the unique experiences one can only get from being in a foreign place.
So, this article is to tell you that travel isn’t everything, and it doesn’t have to be for everyone. In an age now of digital nomads, travel influencers, and frequent flyer points, it’s totally fine to not aspire to travel the world. Or to just be content with the places you have already seen. Here are some reasons why travel may not be for you.
1. Money still rules…
Money is still, probably, one of the biggest barriers to travel. We used to say that those barriers have reduced in modern times, with budget flights and seasonal travel, however I believe the world is still healing from its COVID scars and this can be seen in current travel prices.
It’s important to realise that there is a certain privilege in being able to wander the earth. Whether it is a freedom of time privilege, a passport privilege, or just a monetary privilege. Travel costs a lot, and many of us need to be more discerning with our spending. There are other things in life we might feel are more important to settle first before travel.
This could be things like paying off debt, refurnishing your house, buying a car, or just looking after your household (however big that may be). Don’t be made to feel like prioritizing these very important things over travel, is in any way a bad decision. Depending on what stage you are at in your life, travel may not be for you.
Acknowledging the financial constraints of travel is important. But what if I want to manage these various elements in my life, and also travel? There are many strategies you can employ. You can look at budget travel options, and start with locations closest to you. However the most important thing to do, is start to put money away for your travels. Create a travel fund, and slowly contribute whatever you can at regular intervals. Being smart with money, and knowing how to save it, will greatly impact your quality and ability to travel.
2. After all is said and done, we all return to the same place
There’s a very unique feeling when you come back home from travel. You experience an entirely new world; full of unique experiences and different sights. Then, eventually, one day, the holiday must come to an end. You pack your bags, and cram yourself back onto a plane, and then make the tiring journey back home.
Once you arrive home, there’s a strange feeling of being back on familiar soil, as well as missing the magic place that you’ve just returned from. You are exhausted from the physical act of travel, but you are reinvigorated. After being away from the business of your home, you are recharged and your mind is in the right space to jump back into the chaos of normal life. You’re ready to get stuck in traffic again, to face your bosses, and to solve problems for your dependents.
So what happens when you come back, and that’s not the case? Physically exhausted from travel, but also not recovered mentally or emotionally. You return back to the chaos with less than you started with, and you feel unable to perform under all the normal situations.
In this case, it seems, that the allure and “magic” of travel is no longer working. Something is off because every time you come back, you don’t feel right.
If you believe that travelling overseas, is going to instantly change your state of mind, or fix something that’s going on in your life; (at least at this time) travel may not be for you. While travel, and experiencing new cultures, might provide some pleasant memories; it cannot necessarily fix whatever is going on in your life.
When your holiday is over, you still need to return back to the same place you were before.
And if that place is not comfortable, or not safe, then the holiday cannot help fix that.
Travel is not necessarily about taking wonderful photos and creating social media highlights of your trip. I learnt that, when I realized my data-roaming plan was pretty rubbish. If you’d like to read about this experience, I wrote about that, just for the NOSTALGIACS blog here.
Before you travel it might be worthwhile to look at the things that are causing you grief in your current situation. Take the two weeks worth of time and money you would use for your holiday, and use it to try and better yourself and your situation. We all need to put a pause on things sometimes, to work on improving ourselves. And a holiday is a great place to plan and make changes. The escapism that being “away” provides is a truly mentally relieving thing. However, without any active work or planning, your holiday alone, will not be able to help you get out of that rut you are in.
3. You prefer to “go local”
Do you come from a country with;
- Lots of natural wonders?
- Big cities with lots of attractions?
- Or does your country boast a certain kind of regionalism, where each province you travel to is different from the last?
- Are foreign tourists lining up for tickets to your own city?
If any of these are the case, you may never have really understood the hype behind overseas travel. Actually, many countries try to help their economies by promoting interstate and local tourism so that spending money remains circulating within the country.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, not all countries are created (or divided) equally. I personally, have barely seen what the metropolitan winding streets and regional natural areas of my own home state have to offer.
There are many lessons that can be learnt from travelling and living overseas. But these same lessons can still be learnt from living fulfilling lives in your own neck of the woods. If you are looking for fun things to do, unique things to see, on a budget, there’s definitely no shame in sticking to what is local for you. And you may come to prefer this over travelling overseas.
4. You might have other hobbies
Traveling overseas can be expensive. With things like hotel bookings, insurances, eating out as well as tickets and reservations; these can add up to quite a lot of money. You know what else costs a lot of money? Hobbies.
If you are someone who likes to collect, build, wear, or even eat things, you may already be spending a lot of your surplus money on whatever your current obsession be. Whether it’s cosplaying, driving and modding cars, or anything in between.,
Hobbies are a way for us to express ourselves creatively, meet like minded-people, and get invested in projects that are both long-term and fulfilling. If you have found the things that make you happy and content, there may be no point in trying to find that same contentment in travel.
That’s not to say you can’t do both. Or that every now and then you will feel that Wanderlust itch, and you’ll have to scratch it. But a lot of things that people are chasing when it comes to overseas travel can often be achieved and sought within a fulfilling and stimulating hobby. Not everyone needs to travel all the time, and some people would rather spend their free time in other ways.
5. You might not even like travel
Building on the previous 2 points, travel may not be for you if you agree with this subheading. There’s a high possibility you simply don’t like travel. There’s a lot of waiting involved. It can get stressful. Squishing yourself into an airplane, or wandering around a country not knowing the language, may not seem like your idea of fun. In fact, you might hate the entire concept.
We’ve all experienced stressful, infuriating, and sometimes even dangerous situations while traveling.
Most of the time, the holiday still ends up being worthwhile. Because we visited that museum, climbed that mountain, or ate that dessert. But we can also empathize with those who want to steer clear from those kinds of situations.
There’s a certain amount of trust or control that you throw away into the universe when you go traveling. And if that sounds like a nightmare to you, then travel may not be for you. And that’s totally fine.
6. You may be trying to fill a different gap
What’s your real reason for travelling? Why do you do all the things?
Why do you spend your hard-earned money on tickets? And why do you put up with the minor inconveniences along the way?
Because, in the end it’s all worthwhile, right? In the end you get to accomplish what you set out to do, and then you got to come back a better person.
If you’d like to read more about what lessons one can learn from travel, follow this link here.
But as we mentioned above, the act of travel alone doesn’t necessarily make you a better person. We know heaps of people who are both well-travelled and terrible people. So, what am I trying to say here?
Maybe what you think you want is travel; but perhaps what you want is something else?
- Social media likes, when you upload a holiday picture.
- To not feel left out when people talk about far away cities.
- Being treated well by hospitality and wait staff.
- Or to be completely unknown in a city full of people.
Sometimes what we really want can’t actually be solved by travel.
Although something along the way makes us feel good enough, that we are tricked into believing it was in fact the travel that made us feel good about ourselves. But actually, these things require a deeper look inwards.
It’s important to peel back the layers and ask; what’s really going on here? Asking hard questions can be tough, but it also brings out the answers to life’s problems. But as long as we continue in this direction, we might actually be using travel as a square peg to fit into a round hole.
So, by all means, enjoy the sights, upload the photos, and eat the food. But travel doesn’t have to be your personality. Travel doesn’t have to be everything you’re made of. It can just be a happy memory that you keep with you. It cannot always be the thing that you’re looking for.
