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[starlagurl]

I came across another great blog entry on the Perceptive Travel blog... Here's a poignant quote that I liked, and it made me think:

It reminded me of one of my first trips without my parents. On a spontaneous two-week trip to Turkey, I and some other student friends were caught up in the absolute coolness of what we were doing and what we were seeing. We arrived with no plan, deciding on our first destination (Canakkale) at the Istanbul airport at one in the morning.

We found, as so many American students have and so many are probably finding right at this moment, that everywhere we went in Turkey filled our hearts, minds, souls, imaginations.

We also found, as so many American students have, the intrepid Australians and New Zealanders who had been traveling for 6 months, a year, 18 months in some cases. Wow, we thought, what we wouldn’t give to have that opportunity. But privately, one other friend and I noted how tired many of these adventurous, fun-loving people seemed. They weren’t bored, exactly, but there was a lack of thrill in where they were going, and where they had been. As Chekhov might have said, a heaviness was setting in.

What do you think about this quote? Does traveling for too long wear you out? Does life become dull?

[kjonline]

There comes a point where it's nice to lie in one's own bed on one's own property. For some this point arrives sooner, for others later. Me, I'm a nomad and a loner, but I still need to take breaks between taking breaks.

Granted, a camper on the back of one's truck counts as one's own property, so maybe staying on the road for a long time isn't that hard depending on the road... but even then it would be nice to settle once in a while.

[starlagurl]

Hey KJ, welcome back, how was the trip? I'm reading your blog as we speak.

Yeah, I know what you're saying, I guess the key is knowing when to stop, so that all that initial excitement doesn't die.

[starlagurl]

As with everything, there must be a balance, too much time at home = no good and too much time on the road = no good...

And how much is too much is personal...

Sound about right?

[Paul]

Firstly, what is vagabonding??????


Hmmm, I see a lot of people travelling to the same places with the same people with the same attitudes, reading the same books, eating the same foods and doing the same things; having the same conversations with similar people over yet another beer and / or smoke and another pizza or spaghetti. Of course staying in yet another cheap, run down guest house filled with yet more of the same western tourists.

I'd get tired of that. It has its limits.

But so does being in strange places, eating new foods and being surrounding by people you have trouble communicating to.

And so does being at home doing the same boring job and trying to make money.

So either way.

[polydemic]

There comes a point where it's nice to lie in one's own bed on one's own property. For some this point arrives sooner, for others later. Me, I'm a nomad and a loner, but I still need to take breaks between taking breaks.

Me too. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. You get a birthday cake once a year, which makes it special. You enjoy that. But if you were to have a birthday cake every day, it's no longer special & your enjoyment eventually fades. So take travel in small dosages, to keep it special, & enjoy it more.

[skylab]

You get a birthday cake once a year, which makes it special. You enjoy that. But if you were to have a birthday cake every day, it's no longer special & your enjoyment eventually fades.

I wouldnt mind having a birthday cake everyday lol

[starlagurl]

Firstly, what is vagabonding??????

I think it's just referring to "traveling as a way of life" rather than having a real home that you live in all the time.

I think all you guys are saying pretty much the same thing. Everything is about balance, and everyone has to find their own balance in a different way.

[mrconfused]

What do you think about this quote? Does traveling for too long wear you out? Does life become dull?

Yes, travelling for too long does wear you out (though how long is 'too long' varies from person to person - 18 months on the move is about enough for me). Does life become dull? Not in the slightest. You just learn to appreciate different aspects of a place. So you might not be overwhelmed by the sight of yet another church/temple (and there will always be exceptions to that; anyone who can fail to be amazed by Angkor Wat should just give up and go home), but to find a place in a foreign land with that indefinable feel, somewhere comfortable enough to hang around for a couple of weeks or a month longer than you were expecting, is something I imagine very few people experience in that first rush of excitement.

[starlagurl]

Interesting post Mr. Confused....have you ever felt that indefinable feeling?

[mrconfused]

In a couple of places, certainly. I ended up spending about 3 months in Prague, a month in Dali, 5 months in Chengdu. There are a few other places I would have stayed longer had I not had the constraints of flights/visas/money.
I'm currently going through the last 3 years of travel pics for printing and it's bringing back a lot of good memories

[starlagurl]

So what does it feel like? And did it happen right away like you said?

[wakingdream]

As you all said, it's a personal thing, when you should hit the highway for home. I think there are some special people in this world who could go and go and go and never get tired and never stop appreciating, but very few. I've seen that dead look in travelers eyes. It isn't pretty. And whoa, what a total waste of cash. I'd rather save that money and take shorter trips. There is something about leaving home with fresh eyes. After a long time, they start to go stale. I'd agree, balance is the key. It's always the key, no matter what you're doing.

[travelmonster]

Having never travelled for longer than one month, I don't really know the answer to this, but I would like to think that since I see beauty in everyday life at home that I would still see beauty in everyday life as a vagabond.

Maybe one day I will find out - for now though, John wants to stay here, and I choose to stay with him.

[mrconfused]

So what does it feel like? And did it happen right away like you said?

Actually, I was saying it's the opposite - it doesn't happen right away. I was about two months into the trip before I stopped dashing around, trying to take in as much as possible, and started to think about why I felt more at home in some places than others.
As for what it feels like, well, indefinable sums it up nicely... Not very helpful, I know, but I don't think it's something I can really put into words. Maybe a combination of the place itself, the people you meet and your state of mind when you're there? Or to put it another way, it's what is missing when you return 'home' and realise you don't belong there anymore.

[starlagurl]

Or to put it another way, it's what is missing when you return 'home' and realise you don't belong there anymore.

Hmmmm, yes I have felt that before, but I never found that elusive "missing thing" again.

I'M LOST ack! Haha.

[travelmonster]

Yes, even with short trips - depending on what you experience while you are away - this can be a problem.

I don't think its so much that something is missing - more that in some way, even if its a small way, you have changed as a person, so things don't look the same anymore.

Your views often change as a result and this doesn't always fit in with the people around you - which can also be a problem, they don't understand when you start changing the things you do. Which also works the other way - you want them to see why you're changing things and they don't.

If you don't travel long term, you have to find a way of chanelling the things you have learnt once you get back - it makes you grow and ensures you don't just come away, go back home and return to what you did before.

[starlagurl]

So how do you channel the things you learn?

[babieemelly]

As others have said, I think there's is such a thing as "too much of a good thing." Of course everyone's different, but after a while it seems only natural to stop being able to fully appreciate something when you get so much of it. It's hard for me to understand now since I'd love to be able to travel a lot more than I currently do, but I also think the fact that I can only take a few trips a year adds to my appreciation of finally being able to pack up and go when the time comes. Traveling endlessly has got to be tiring... and as much as I love to travel, I also love hanging out at home and getting to be a part of everything here in NYC. I'd definitely start missing my family, friends and home if I never took a break. It's all about balance really, and finding the balance that's best for you.

[wakingdream]

Or to put it another way, it's what is missing when you return 'home' and realise you don't belong there anymore.

Yeah, I've felt like that before but I think it's because when I return home I feel like so much has changed for me and inside of me yet things at home seem like they have stood still. Frozen in time, and everything feels like the same old same old.

If you don't travel long term, you have to find a way of chanelling the things you have learnt once you get back - it makes you grow and ensures you don't just come away, go back home and return to what you did before.

This is so true. You have to wonder why it's so difficult sometimes to feel the same freedom and exhilaration at home as you might on the road. I always wonder how I can apply myself to my life at home as passionately as I do on my travels. Well, I used to wonder that. I haven't fully succeeded but it's an important goal I strive to truly reach.