@ james, yes, planning is definitely a big part of the fun. I dont like to make lots of actual definite plans, but love reading about where Im headed and especially then picking up a few novels that were written there to get a feel for the place
5 Travel Games for the Road, the Flight, and Beyond
Everybody has a passion for something. We just belong to a bunch of people that have this passion for travel. Narrow down the passions of your friends and explain your travel bug in terms of their own favorite indulgence.
You know that new tire on your racing bicycle? How you kept stroking the new rubber and admiring its perfect fit? Thats how I feel about this airline ticket to Papua New Guinea.
When I first announced I was going to live abroad and travel for an extended time, probably years, I received mixed reactions. Some of them bothered me. But when I was living far from home and just sending monthly emails to most of my friends, rather than having any particularly personal contact, I couldnt really care about what their reactions were to my travels.
Great tips, though, as you say, some people just wont ever get it. Ive been traveling for almost 2 years now (working on and off as an English teacher and freelance writer) and still to this day, every time I speak to my mother, she always asks when Im going to stop playing and come home to reality. For some people, travel is reality. And beside, were pretty happy so thats all that should matter right?
I see the opposite: At the end of my life I dont remember fondly a new plasma TV or fancy car but time with friends, weekends in the mountains with friends, and travel to places abroad gives you great memories
There is no need to explain. You get confused looks and questions of why. All I can do is laugh. People going to work each day with nothing to look forward to than their two weeks vacation dont get it. Seeing the sun rise in the Andes, sitting on the beach in Belize, looking over a rain forest from the blue glacier in Washington, walking the streets of Salem for Halloween, the adventure never ends. I have worked part time for an airline for the last 15 years. Waking up in the morning knowing that I am 45 minutes from a flight that will take me anywhere in the world makes it hard to sleep some times.
I will settle down in the near future, but that does not mean I have to give up travelling. Just travel in a different way
7 Ways to Fake a First Class Experience in Economy
Its wonderful how you reach out and relate to so many of us who have tried to explain why. My husbands family, most of whom have never left Texas, let alone, the USA after many years of courting themn, as you suggest, gently, next tactic:we even sent them passport applications and offered to pay,
Thats a very patronising way to dance away from the point ive raised, bravo.
Im Going Traveling, Dammit! (When to Ignore the Bad Advice of Others)
4 Awesomely Adventurous Ways to See Newport, Rhode Island
People dont understand it, they dont really want to hear about travel stories, but you know what? We dont mind anymore. We have new friends that weve met on the road and we have each other, so basically if you find people who can relate to you, its all good.
When I announced I was going traveling, yet again, I got the you are refusing to participate in reality, talk from friends and confused looks from my parents.
That means Im always on the lookout for good airfare deals or scouting out my next place the rest of the year.
5 Travel Games for the Road, the Flight, and Beyond
There is no such thing as a travel bug or contagious illness to travel. I do travel, often off the beaten road, this article however made my toenails curl. I cant stand people who think that they are better people because they have been here or there, quite frankly this article screams that. I would love to travel more but cant afford it, just because I dont go on about traveling all the time doesnt mean I dont enjoy it. People are far to concerned now days about what other people think about what they are doing. If you want to go traveling, do so, dont bore myself and all of your friends of the planning details, I cant think of anything worse. Isnt part of the idea to go there and see what happens, rather than a regimented trip? For someone who is a travel writer, and been to over 30 countries (would of expected more from a travel writer) this article seems as it was written by a 18 year old girl who just got back from a gap year and is desperately trying to get as much attention and reaction as she did when she announced her first trip. Thank you for confirming that the majority of people who travel are yuppy ego centred twits.
Im Going Traveling, Dammit! (When to Ignore the Bad Advice of Others)
Im guessing there are quite a few travelers out there who have experienced this situation and I sympathize with you. If youd really like these people to understand why youre hitting the road again or if its important that they do, because theyre your significant other or someone else affected by your travels here are a few ways Ive found to try to get them a bit more on side.
Im about to head out on an 18 month rtw again this jan!
And I also love the planning, research, etc (although I do minimal bookings except for my inbound/outbound flights and first few nights accomodation).
I was very wrong, it was much worse.
The bonus is that sometimes the travel bug is contagious.
Just make sure you do this without coming across all teacher-like or youll only be putting them off the idea more. Unless youre trying to persuade them to come with you (a much harder proposition), they dont need to love your destination you just want them to understand why you do.
If your traveling needs go a bit beyond this and if youre reading this site, the chances are very high that they do it is (sometimes) possible to educate others about why you really want to go somewhere different. Angles include:
I enjoyed this post, thoroughly. In my family not everyone has a travel bug, what is weird my mother has it and thats one of the few things in common between the two of us. Most people are supportive though, some dont understand the financial part of it yes, travel is not something I would call cheap, but its also not as expensive as some people might imagine.
10 Nastiest Travel Diseases: What They Are, What They Do, and Why You Dont Want Them
Up Your Car Camping Game with These 10 Clever Gadgets
7 Ways to Fake a First Class Experience in Economy
Its not called the travel bug for nothing. For a start, it infects you and will never let go for your entire life. You just have to live with that (I certainly havent heard of any cases where its gone away). But the bonus is that sometimes, the travel bug is contagious.
and receive our freshest stories, exclusive travel deals, and loads of pretty pictures + inspiration!
These are people who dont understand the travel bug.
Headquartered in historic New Bedford, Massachusetts
We Drove Cross-country With Our Cat (and Nobody Died). Heres How.
So, we planned another trip and mos people were shocked. What? Another trip, but you just got home The thing was, this wasnt home anymore, we were used to a completely different style of life now.
Thats when a funny thing happened. I started to get a lot of emails particularly if I hadnt sent an update for a while where people said that they were traveling vicariously through me. Theyd caught the travel bug, or at least a passive form of it. And over the years, some of these friends started going on trips inspired by some of the places Id visited, and they even asked me for advice. So perhaps the lesson is that not caring so much about what people think is the best thing to do.
*Another* Trip?!? How to Explain the Travel Bug to Those Who Just Dont Have It
I found that when I finally decided to do my trip my way on my own, that friends of mine were eager to meet up with me while I was in destination. I met up with three different friends from my city on my trip to Europe some who were going to be there anyways; and others who were inspired that I was going and kind of had an excuse or a friend to be with while in destination. WIN WIN. Trust your instincts and others will follow.
10 Nastiest Travel Diseases: What They Are, What They Do, and Why You Dont Want Them
Traveling has educated me in too many ways too count and made me a better person. I have awesome stories to tell and a sense of accomplishment. A television is only something to stare at while you sit immobile in one place.
Im an adventure traveler and love running around cities, catch subways, and taking in as much as I can. But I dont diss anyone who just wants to sit on the beach for a week. Some people have more stressful jobs so to them its well deserved.
We quit our jobs, sold our house and all our belongings and set off on a 13 month backpacking trip. Most people were super skeptical of our choice and didnt think wed last on the road. They thought we were pretty crazy for giving up everything.
Why a 260-mph Hurricane Is the Best Way to Clean Your Travel Gear
Personally, I dont care too much about the fiscal side of things, but others do: if youre planning to work as part of a longer trip, or you can sell stories of your trip afterwards, you can make your trip sound much more logical to some by mentioning the monetary benefits.
Just mention that youre a bit hard to please when it comes to something that grabs your interest, and you need to head out further afield to satisfy your adrenalin cravings.
7 Ways to Fake a First Class Experience in Economy
So true just travel and enjoy. youll meet and discover new friends along the way 🙂
10 Nastiest Travel Diseases: What They Are, What They Do, and Why You Dont Want Them
Thanks for the nice feedback, Leandra and Jody. Sounds like youre both lucky enough to have perfect travel partners (and so am I) but I know people whose own partners dont understand the travel thing and thats tough!
Thanks for sharing your experience, it sounds a lot like what Im going through right now.
What particularly resonated for me was the realisation that family/friends may come around to understanding ones need to travel, but its no biggie if they dont
Weve been to four countries and eight states so far this year and love every minute of it! Portland, OR and Ireland are still coming up. 🙂
I still went though. He was not there to say farewell at the train or the airport, and for 4 months he didnt speak a word to me. After a while I broke through and we began chatting again, but it has still been rough ever since.
Im glad there are people that dont have the travel bug at the famous places, its unbelievably crowded as it is. Ive traveled to many places where i was the only or one of a few tourists in the area I like it that way.
This is ingrained in us from the moment were born. There doesnt seem to be much thought towards any of those thingstheyre taken for granted that thats just what you do. Enter the travelercurious, wide-eyed, a sense of the entire world, willing to question everything we are taught in life.
I wish I had found this article years ago :p I have struggled greatly trying to explain travel to people and most people just dont get it so I just give up!
Thanks for posting such an inspiring article. We can 100% relate to this!
Great tips! I just finished Law School and Ive been waiting all my life for this moment. I want to take a year of and then come back and work.
I absolutely LOVE to travel and it is hard to explain to people, especially my mom, why I love it so much. Its funny she and my dad were the ones who inadvertantly planted the seed years ago when she would pack my brother and me up and ship us off to relatives in Louisana, Arkansas or wherever anyone was willing to take us for the entire summer. I grew up thinking all kids went away after school got out and found out that many of my friends never left the block. We had special experiences that were priceless!! I dont try to explain anymore, its my pleasure and vice and no one will ever get it if they dont already have the bug 🙂
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Promise.
You announce to your friends or family that youre planning yet another trip. Instead of being excited or even plain jealous, these people just look at you quizzically, totally unable to comprehend why you would want to go awayagain, and especially to a place theyve barely heard of or cant imagine in their entire lives ever wanting to visit.
For me I LOVE the planning aspect. Im not a good gardener but just like those cultivate seeds and watch their plants grow I enjoy poring over maps, learning the streets, hunting for interesting places before I leave and while there.
I am the only one in my family who really has the travel bug. Its impossible to try and explain why I like traveling and living overseas. I get sick of the question so when you are going to settle down?
Great article. Most of our family and friends were very supportive when we told them of our plan to take a year off and travel the world. There were those who thought we were crazy and didnt understand why wed ever want to sit on a bus for 24+ hours or sleep in less than stellar conditions, but those are people who just have different priorities. Theres a lot of great advice here in the article and in comments. We dont have to try to convert non-travel lovers, cause chances are we wont. But we can share our experiences, and who knows, they might want to expand their interests a bit?
I, on the other hand, LOVE travel and since we live in Lima now, I want to travel and see everything there is to see in this amazing country.
This post may contain affiliate links.Read our disclosure.
Grr sounds like someone needs a hug =(
But heck, whatever it takes, just say it.
My husband doesnt like travel near as much as I do, because he grew up very poor and never traveled outside of his hometown of Lima, Peru as a child.
I was a little sad at the lukewarm and apathetic response to my trip, so much to the point that I began to doubt my decision. This felt strange after spending so much time living abroad; suddenly trying to manage perceptions of those around me? I never needed anyones blessing before! What has law school done to me?
Jim conversely people see travel as a one time thrill that doesnt last, where as a TV serves you for a few years.
Yes, this could lead to conversations like this:
Good article, but I am of the belief that you will never be able to successfully make anyone understand why you do what you do (if theyre not travelers themselves, that is). This is because travelers are a different breed. We see things from a much different angle than people who dont travel. Basically, we see life differentlymost people have a notion that all there is to life is go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, buy a house, retire at 65 and live off your pension.
Wind in My Hair, Namibia© SqueakyMarmot
Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can alsosubscribewithout commenting.
Amanda Kendle explores the 10 nastiest diseases that travelers should be most concerned with.
Remember when you got your first girlfriend? How exciting that was? Thats how I feel when I decide on an obscure country that I just have to visit.
Hi, im better than you because I travel, Im glad you dont travel because that means its less crowded for me. This is the most egocentric bs Ive ever heard. Moderator wont post this because she will be biased. So this and the last message is for you. You are not better than one person, not posting my comments proves you have an issue with your ego and are too stubborn to post someone elses opinions that might conflict yours as your concered how it will look on your cool travel page guide. Oh please, do us all a favour, move to a 3rd world country without internet and live out your traveling dreams.
He actually disowned me and told me if I left the US I would no longer be his brother. Being that he is the only blood I have left on this planet, you can imagine I was crushed.
Therell be times when having deeper intercultural experiences will make you more employable, or just help you to deal with the kinds of people you meet in your everyday life at home, too.
I have found, however, that I dont really need the understanding of those around me about why we go so many places. I have my hubby as my travel partner and a pup to come home to, so life is good.
Pass on some of your pre-trip research to your doubting friends and family so that they can know something concrete about the destinations youre all hyped about. Be careful not to overdo this, of course. Just give them a small sample of websites or brochures or whatever info you have, carefully selected to be the kinds of things theyre most likely to be interested in art galleries perhaps, or statistics about the cost of living. Pretty pictures can work miracles.
Get our freshest + most popular travel stories, exclusive travel deals, and loads of pretty pictures + travel inspiration!
Also I try and take two big trips a year one in the spring and one in the fall when the weather is good everywhere. (and long weekends closer to home in between.)
We Drove Cross-country With Our Cat (and Nobody Died). Heres How.
Leaving just after Christmas. Totes excited! Maybe Ill see you both on the road.
People ask me how I can afford to travel or how I can justify the expense. Then they tell me about the new high-def, flat-screen monstrosity they just bought. It doesnt occur to them that for the price of that new TV they could have enjoyed an incredible trip to another country.
Thats alright, I always tell my backpacker friendsYup. Were the ones that got life right
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.Learn how your comment data is processed.
After some introspection, I discovered I wanted others to validate my decision. The truth is the only validation I need is my own. Developing an authentic sense of self and finding the courage to make decisions that generate happiness for your innermost self is an essential life skill and component of creating a lasting, fulfilling existence.
What a Near-miss Shark Attack Taught Me About Travel Insurance
Please subscribe to our newsletter for more!
[] Vagabondish Related posts:“I Want to Travel Around the World†How to Tell Your Friends & []
@ Mike, I hate that when are you going to settle down question too! Im sure everybody who asks it is just jealous, really 😉
Everybody is giving me a hard time when I tell them I want to travel.
Are you going away again? When are you going to settle down? Its time you buy yourself a new car..
Char-Broil Grill2Go X200: The Perfectly Portable Gas Grill for Car Campers
Here are our favorite tips on how to travel with a cat on a long-distance road trip without anyone ending up in the hospital.
Vagabondish is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising & linking to .
3 Great Things to Do in Naples, Italy
These tips might help me make him a little more enthusiastic about it!
Explain that travel helps you to push the boundaries in life and you hope itll lead to a few insights into your personality and the way forward for you.
to go traveling and heres why you should ignore them all.
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Promise.
Partner with USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties
Let\s Make Sure You\re Human …*Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.8to=>
We left Canada again after one year and have been travelling now for 22 months and we dont second guess a minute of it.
Fabulous tips! I just finished law school as well and I planned an around-the-world trip on miles to visit friends from my previous time abroad living in Paris and a year in Sydney before that. The grind of law school is absolutely suffocating to free spirited individuals.
Im Going Traveling, Dammit! (When to Ignore the Bad Advice of Others)
If youve tried all this and your friends or family members still dont have the vaguest idea why you want to travel, its okay to give up. Give up on convincing or persuading them, that is. Then just throw yourself into trip preparations and fly off into the sunset.
Next time I speak to someone about me taking one year off Ill try your tips and see how it goes.
7 Ways to Fake a First Class Experience in Economy
@ Jim and James, the idea of a TV being better than a trip is kind of a shock to me, but I can see the logic but Im grateful I dont think that way! Youre both right, I think, that you have better stories to tell and memories to linger on from taking trips.
This is some great advice. We often get the didnt you just get back from ?!? looks from our friends.
Cant Sleep in Hotel Rooms? Heres How to Turn Yours Into a Fortress of Solitude
Amanda Kendleis an Australian travel addict whos visited more than thirty countries. She works as a travel blogger, blogging trainer and social media consultant and is trying to get a novel published. You can follow her life as a travel blogger atNot A Ballerina.
Great article, Ive done one in the past about breaking it to family, mainly my brother. I grew up in an EXTREMELY conservative family and at the mere mention of chasing some dream of mine I was usually mocked.
No problem, James. Patronizing self righteous assholes is what we do best here.
We Drove Cross-country With Our Cat (and Nobody Died). Heres How.
Then the day came when I had my tickets booked and it was two weeks before I left the US for the first time. When I went and told my brother about it, I expected him to be outraged, call me stupid, and think it was the most irresponsible thing ever.
We Drove Cross-country With Our Cat (and Nobody Died). Heres How.
Backpackers Guide: How to Choose the Perfect Hostel
Your email address will not be published.
FeaturesInspirationPre-TripTipsTravel
Thanks for shearing have a wonderful day! 🙂
10 Nastiest Travel Diseases: What They Are, What They Do, and Why You Dont Want Them
I really do enjoy the planning and its fun when its finally confirmed and booked and you get to truly pencil in your dates and tell your friends about your plans
Why Fi? I Cut My International Wireless Bill in Half by Switching to Google Project Fi
In a sense it is isolating, which is why traveling communities exist, because we can relate to each other. Friends and family from home feign a passing interest in what Im doing, but in the end just dont and cant understand it. Which isnt to say they are any less of friendsthere should just be a mutual respect that youve chosen your path in life. The only one that needs to understand why you do what you do, is you.
Just because youre flying cattle class doesnt mean it has to feel like it. Pack an iPad, some tiny booze bottles, and popcorn and fly like a rock star.
But it is important that you try your hardest to have them see why this travel dream is so important, and if they cant, you must continue on your path.
Dubious tips & essential ephemera for todays curious traveler/ Vagabondish is offbeat backpacking and travel news, advice, how-to tips and tall tales from around the world.
and it is tangible through people you meet, photos, and stories you keep.
Many non-travelers just dont see the point of it all. Their idea of taking a trip is limited to something like a package deal to a sun-kissed island where theyll stay at the resort all week (by the pool) with one zany excursion into the local town for two hours. To these people, travel is equivalent to mere relaxation, and anything more complicated than that sounds much too exhausting.
I hear it all the time! But I still NEED to travel. To meet new people, see new places, experience new things and learn!
After an amazing, eye-opening, life altering trip, we returned to Canada to real life.and realized we didnt belong there anymore.
we finally realized that they are among those who cant really figure out WHY and (after fifteen years of being on the road) we would wantwhy anyone would wantto be, as they refer to it down there somewherei.e. Central and South America.Well, your give it up and travel anyway advice is sound. Dont limit your horizons looking for approval of family and friends. WWe never did and never will.
Dont expect to convert them to travel addicts its possible, but more often its just something youre born with but you might be able to at least elicit a normal reaction out of them when you start arranging your next trip.
Langogo Is the Perfect Pocket-sized Language Translator for Travelers
They dont need to love your destination you just want them to understand why you do.
Cant Sleep in Hotel Rooms? Heres How to Turn Yours Into a Fortress of Solitude