I’m in my 20’s, I still don’t have a job thanks to COVID-19 and I like the millions of others in my generation love the feeling of travel. Whether that may be a small escape from the city for a little camping/hiking trip or a week-long vacation in someplace exotic the feeling of leaving behind normal life to refresh and see something new is exquisite. I love trying new food, seeing things I had never seen before and most of I loved being away from my daily grind. I mean there is nothing special about my particular need for ‘wanderlust’.
However, for the foreseeable future, all my travel plans are off and that upsets me. I will now have designated vacation time when I have a job. My weekends will no-longer (ideally) be a frenzy to complete my assignments or study for exams and I will have the ability to be saving money to look forward to a new trip. Not being able to leave the city upsets me greatly and this got me thinking. Are we becoming increasingly reliant on travel to receive a small bout of happiness? Also, are we unable to unwind fully in the comfort of our own homes?
For me, travel was the best way to let loose. I would be in a space that was completely not associated with work (which makes the idea of a working vacation hard for me). But this meant I had all the brainpower to be soaking up different kinds of information. I would be learning about the culture, food, customs, and traditions of the places I visited in the most fun way possible. They were a great way for me to detox off social media because I was seeing and taking in so much that I didn’t feel the need to see what the rest of the world was doing. All this while getting some much-needed vitamin D from being outside.
Right now I am in a space where I cannot travel. I can’t even travel to pick up all my belongings I left back home and it’s very frustrating. I am used to little excursions that remind me that not everything revolves around my house, my works, and my routine and now that is all gone. While my normal routine has gone for a toss, as I’m sure has for most people at this time. So has my ability to excuse myself from the table that is work and home for a breather. I currently live where I work and therefore there is no escape. Travel is the escape I long for. A road trip to the beach, a hike up a mountain, or even just going to a village near where I live to explore some of their cultures something small to rejuvenate me.
Did this mean I was basing some parts of my life around when I would travel next, yes? Did it mean I was reliant on travel for some of my happiness, potentially? But is this a bad thing? I still don’t know.
Let me know of the places you would love to see when you have the chance and who you would ideally take there.