Anybody out there feel my pain??!

I want somebody on here to commiserate with me!!

I did a 4 month trip to South and Southeast Asia this past summer, and having been back for about as long as I was away, the "travel bug" is burrowing back under my skin in a major way. It was hard enough coming back home to boring USA after such amazing experiences, but at least it was nice to see friends, family, dogs and boyfriend again...

... but I have the itch again now! and it's worse than before!! The way it is at my job, this is the busy season and I won't be able to travel again for at least another couple months, and I'm worried that I won't have enough money for a true adventure even when my free time comes! It's so strong that I'm honestly considering selling my brand new car and just take off, without any plans to ever come home.

So what do all you seasoned travellers out there do in a situation like this? I can't be the only person to have ever felt this way- how on earth can I blow off all this pent-up travel anxiety??

Halp plz

Hey emilyemily!

Pretty sure most of us understand your pain. Three things that work for me are writing about the trip I’ve just done, planning the next one, and plastering the wall of my cubicle with photos, which is really going to piss them off when I eventually leave because the sticky stuff I use leaves yellow splodges on the fabric!

With the writing, I’m not just talking about a blog; I’m talking about a real story, like a book or in my case, a screenplay. Little did I know when I started to write it that it would lead to two magical weeks on Thailand’s southern beaches with a beautiful Norwegian girl I met in Egypt, and a “consider” from Hollywood! I’m now working on the third draft, and planning the next trip of course!

Cheers, Phil

If you feel the need to travel all the time i'd suggest trying to integrate your job/expertise into something that lends itself to travel,Or you could buy a Winnebago and just live on the road..

Get a better boyfriend.

Quoting Swept Away

Get a better boyfriend.

I don't get it. Did you read the OP?

Quoting Utrecht

Quoting Swept Away

Get a better boyfriend.

I don't get it. Did you read the OP?

It meant her boyfriend should be taking her mind off her 'pent up anxiety'.

[ Edit: Edited on 19-Feb-2010, at 11:33 by fabyomama ]

Lol, I know exactly what you mean!

I think the idea of looking for a way to combine work and travel is a great one.

It's so strong that I'm honestly considering selling my brand new car and just take off, without any plans to ever come home.

Look into working abroad, but keep in mind that there is some serious redtape involved when you do that. You require a work permit to work legally in 99% of the planet. The larger part of the problem of finding a job abroad is not finding something in a country where you do not speak the language; no, it is getting a work permit that allows you to legally take the job that you might have found.

You really shouldn't just pull up your stakes in a heartbeat and go without ever coming home. I strongly recommend some careful planning. You should to have a clear idea about what you want do, the redtape involved with achieving your goal and a back-up plan. If your little bar at a beach in Thailand is a black hole investment you need at least enough money stashed away for a flight ticket back to the USA and plus some change to tide you over a month without a job.

I'm worried that I won't have enough money for a true adventure even when my free time comes!

That hasn't ever stopped me from going on a trip. Ok, so a flight half-way around the world has been out of the question more often than not, but I usually manage to go anyway. I do it by cycling and sleeping in a small tent, often in a field. Many times accomodation and transport are two major costs when travelling, especially when you are in the Western World. Cycling or hiking and camping wild is a great way to reduce those cost factors to a minimum. In an ideal situation you start your hiking or cycling trip at your home and end it there too, thus paying only for food.

Just don't forget to be grateful for what you have, living in "boring" America with your new car, and a job. How many of those people in the countries you visited would give anything to have half of what you have? And will never have an opportunity to do what you do, or ever travel outside their country.

Living in N.America gives you a tremendous variety of travel potentials,and you have a new car to do it in.You didnt say where in America you live but i;d pack that tent and drive to the other side.

I've never been to the USA but surely it can't be boring?! You have everything from Yellowstone to Alaska to Hawaii, great cities and spectacular countryside. One thing I've learned about travelling is that the grass isn't greener on the other side. I love the outdoors and would love to trek the Appalacians and Rockies and explore the interior!

Having said that, I still love travelling and leaving the country...but always enjoy returning back to the sceptred isle I call home :-).