Travel Is Not My Why
Travel Is not My Why
If you ask a swath of people in the financial independence community, a large percentage will list travel as one of the top three reasons they are pursuing financial freedom. I have described in the past about how I refuse to break the seal with travel hacking. Argue the sanity of my argument as you may, my money saving tendencies have not pushed me to experiment. This realization has opened my eyes to something that should be intuitive but is not. It’s time I stopped pretending and gave up on being like all the cool kids on the block. No matter how much I try to pretend, travel is not my why.
It never has been. It’s not that I don’t like to explore new places, but it just doesn’t light me up. In fact, it down right tires me out sometimes. So what does light me up?
Ideas, Thoughts, Projects
I am not a thing person. I have very little interest in material objects. Likewise, I am not much of an experience person. I don’t thrive on future events. In general, I spend most of my time on ideas. I live in the realm of thoughts, theories, and exploration.
I love projects. Whether it be a blog, a book, or a podcast. The dual ideas of creation and communication are what make me wake up early every morning. They are an itch that I long to scratch.
Travel is not my why. Partially because it gets in the way of these things. My thoughts, instead of filled with imagination and ideas, get bogged down with concerns about details.
How am I going to get to the hotel? What bus do we need to take to make it to the museum? Will the plane be on time?
All projects get put temporarily on hold. It is harder to write blog posts.
Routine and Habit
The older I get, the more I enjoy routine and habit. I guess I have become more rigid in my old age. Whether this limits my life or not, it is true. There is no use trying to deny it.
Travel is not my why because I tend to sleep poorly. I never get used to pillows and mattresses when I am out of town. I almost universally eat poorly. Not just junk food, but often heavy cuisine that doesn’t always agree with my stomach.
Work out routines go to hell. It is hard to maintain a schedule when everyday is different, and access to facilities is limited.
I often come home from vacations feeling exhausted and out of shape.
Reverse FOMO
Everything always happens when I am out of town. I miss out on all those meetings I wanted to be a part of. Some big event occurs at my half retirement job and I don’t get to be a part of it. Special people come in town and I miss them.
Don’t let me even get started on the post vacation hang over. I’m not talking about alcohol here. Returning from a trip is always a big headache. The mail is piled up in the front doorway. Meetings are clustered upon returning to make up for everything that was put off while I was gone.
And mostly the whole family is bone tired.
Final Thoughts
Although I will continue to take a few trips a year, travel is not my why and never will be. I enjoy going to new places and seeing new things. But that joy pales in comparison to the contentedness I feel when free to explore new ideas and projects unhindered by unfamiliar surroundings.
I also am much happier when ensconced in my familiar routines and habits.
Call me boring. I don’t mind.
Travel is a Why for me. All that you say is true about the lack of routine, diet, exercise, sleep, and hangover. In spite of all that aren’t the views and experiences are breathtaking? It exercises the muscles of flexibility, vulnerability, and exploration. You see your own life through different eyes. If you open your senses, you a glimpse of cultural understanding of the lives of others that is simply good for peace in the world. I consider it cross training for life. It is food that feeds my soul. The anticipation and planning of a trip with others bridges those gaps in the mundane nature side of daily routine and habit. The shared and individual memories of past adventures bathe my brain with the warm comfort of renewable dopamine when I least expect it and most need it. These are the “things” I am certain get to go with us into not only the next chapters, but the next life. The rest we leave behind with with our bodies turned to ash that mix with the soil of the tangible to fertilize the growth of the renewable future.
I think all you point out is true. I just do it in smaller doses and less frequently.
You seem to be of the same mind as Voltaire. I remember him writing something about “Happiness is contentment in one’s own garden,” or something to that effect, maybe in Candide? Can some of you literate folks help me out here with the quote???
I read Candide many years ago. Don’t remember but the idea holds.
Sleeping poorly on weird mattresses, eating poorly with junk food or heavy cuisine, workouts missed. This is why we love our travel trailer. We sleep on our own mattress, cook in our own kitchen and usually end up at a destination where we hike.
But your distinction on exploring thoughts and new ideas is why lately the most interesting travel has been FI gatherings. It is one of the reasons I love your new podcast. It feels like I’m traveling to one right from my home.
First of all…thanks! I thin we take physical and mental journeys. I have always felt more at home with the mental ones.
I agree so much with this post. I enjoyed carefree travel when
I think you cut off. But I think travel is more entertaining the first few times. Once you have freedom to go whenever you want to, you might just long to stay home more.
Been there Done that Got the T shirt once in a while, the revenge. When you’re walking down the street in Guangzhou China and turn the corner and there…. Gleaming before your eyes…. is a KFC a Pizza Hut and a McDonald’s what’s the point?
Yep. I think travel has it’s merits but not all the time.
Steveark
There is a whole travel industry built around physical activity. Adventure travel where hiking, biking, kayaking and canyoneering at interesting destinations is the core of the travel experience. My wife and I traveled to Italy with one of those groups and hiked the coast and around Tuscany with eight others and two guides. It was tough even for extreme hikers like us and the food was healthy. There was no problem sleeping after hiking many miles each day. It was fun.
that does sound fun.
I’ve been to about 40 countries and done lots of amazing travel, but I like to space my trips out now a lot more. Age.
I wonder if one day you’ll stop.
I’ve been to 42 countries and I still like to travel. It’s just harder to do it with small children, so our travel pattern is modified.
That said, I do think you can set up systems in place where you can avoid bad living habits while traveling.
I actually think I get MORE exercise when I’m traveling. Whether it is walking out and about a city or hiking some outdoor trails to explore ancient ruins I get a lot more physical activity traveling compared to me sitting in the OR all day 🙂
Also, you don’t have to eat junk food or heavy cuisine. Systems can be put into place to avoid these traps. For example, my wife and I meal prep for the airport and transportation days. And when we are out in town, we try to find the healthiest plant based options.
For better or worse, I am used to sleeping anywhere. It’s probably from spending random nights in a strange call room room all these years. It also helps that I’m an easy and heavy sleeper.
Traveling isn’t necessarily my way. For me, it’s an exploration of the human experience, studying other culture and peoples, and realizing how interconnected and interdependent we all are.
I think the annoyance factor can be mitigated but the drive for me is not there like for others.
Travel was a why for me until I got burned out and so in debt that the best option was to teach abroad. I’ve found a city I’m happy in now but look forward to when I’ll be able to live comfortably in the U.S. as a teacher again.
Part of that debt came from moving abroad the first time “to pay down debt” and then finding myself swept away by coworkers’ constant pressure to be on the go—even as they, too, complained about debt. It’s taken 13 years of travel, but I’ve finally realized that the only way I truly savor the experience is through “slow travel.” I have “only” been to about a dozen countries, but I have LIVED in three countries overseas, and I much prefer that to bouncing around for a week or two. In addition, I’ve finally admitted that believing I had to act like my coworkers was dumb. I am now happy to stay in place—at least until my debt is paid off.
I think slowly travel is definitely one of the answers as opposed to the hurried dash we do.
Slow Immersive Travel is a healthy travel marathon mindset!
I can identify with your thoughts! As I’m looking at our 2020 planning, we’re asking, “where can we cut more travel out? We’re getting a little tired of it…” Never thought we’d say those words!