Travelin’ Blues
We have loved traveling across countries that we have never visited before. And yes, we love carving out our own days and not being tied to commuting and our alarm clocks. Although eyes may roll from this, we also experience travelin’ blues (cannot confirm if this is a real diagnosis 🙂) on top of being homesick. We wanted to share this with others since it’s not really talked about, and it’s different than being homesick. Instagram accounts including ours represent the pretty highlights of trips however, I promise we try to include the boring days and unexpected surprises like stomach bugs and thunderstorms that changed our TA plans.
With blogging, it is easier to sit down and write about traveling as a whole, the good and the bad. At the end of the day, traveling is still living, and living encompasses the monotonous Mondays and surprising Saturdays. Whether or not “travelin’ blues” is a diagnosis, we wanted to put this out into the world for fellow travelers to relate to and for loved ones to enjoy and say “Ah ha, I knew quitting your jobs wasn’t all that it’s cracked up to be!” We can attest that there is happiness in routines!
The workin’ days with our sweet pup, Nacho
It is exhilarating going from two weeks of vacation to total freedom. Taking this amount of time off in Europe was like a gold mine, and I did not know what time was like traveling until we were on the road with suitcases on our backs. Time slowed down for the better and the best laid plans began to seem unrealistic. During our travels in Europe, we scaled back a ton and either crossed out cities we planned on visiting or decreased the number of days. House-sits that we scheduled months ago for five days soon felt like a brief weekend, and one week felt like a long weekend. We crossed out cities that were not easy to eliminate, but we agreed that we would visit them together eventually. Especially after our COVID detour, we knew that we could not spread ourselves thin and reevaluated our plans after we recovered.
We crossed out over seven cities and decided to spend more time in one location. Weeks later after changing our plans, one week for one city felt like the bare minimum. We started to relate to Europeans (with 4+ weeks of vacation time) who shared that one week in a new place simply isn’t enough time. To our American brains, this is typically half of our vacation time IF you have paid time off. We feel unbelievably grateful to relate to this sentiment and perception of time off. When thinking about our travels after the Te Araroa trail, we knew that our travels would be very different from Europe. Instead of seeing at least five different countries in Southeast Asia and Asia, we narrowed it down to two. While this means less countries, it also means that we can slow down and really feel at home. We plan on spending almost two months in Japan which is way more time spent in one place compared to other countries we’ve visited (except for New Zealand for Te Araroa).
Sarah’s tumble during the Timaru River Track
Throughout this past year of traveling, we reflected over what we have enjoyed as well as what we have missed. As many of you already know if you’ve followed our travels, we have shared what we love and enjoy. We also want to share what we miss from being on the road. There are more than the six things listed here and obviously, the three big things we left out are family, friends, and our fur-babies because that goes without saying. Of course we miss seeing the people we love and our babies, Nacho and Spaghetti. WhatsApp supplements only so much of the in-person love and laughter. We posted on Instagram the top things we miss and also wanted to share with you all here.
Community - Whether its neighborhood or civil engagement, Sarah misses feeling connected to a local community and working with others to make it a better place for everyone. There are online communities for travelers however, we have not fully tapped into this. We did have a stronger sense of community while hiking Te Araroa in Aotearoa. While we were happy to be finished with the trail, it was a rough transition to go from interacting with people to being more socially isolated.
Routines - We’ve had longer stays after our road trip, but it has been difficult to implement a solid routine. We miss having established routines and a set place for our belongings and said routines to stay consistent. While we are working on this, it’s tough when we pack up to leave again. Not having solid routines definitely impacts our mental health coupled with less social interactions with family and friends. Especially in Europe, our bodies and minds were trying to find a balance between vacation and everyday living worlds which I suppose is common among nomads.
Cooking - Jeff does not miss cooking, but Sarah does! We’ve had recent stays where we have cooked more and nothing feels more romantic than crushing some fresh garlic cloves over the stove. Even with Airbnbs that have kitchens, many times they do not have certain essentials, so it’s easier to have snacks to make sandwiches vs. cooking various meals with seasonings and oil. When we house-sit, it is much easier to cook, and we take advantage of that.
Dumbbells - This may seem ridiculous and one may think “Why is this even worth mentioning, they’re traveling the world!” We worked out often with dumbbells back home and absolutely love them. We have resistance bands, and they are effective. However, when we had dumbbells on hand during a housesit, I realized how much I decreased in weight and how different I felt. Pathetic mention? Yes, maybe to many people except for fellow dumbbell lovers out there.
The best seat - Jeff very much misses having a comfortable place to sit - a couch or chair that he picked that felt made for you. We haven’t used our own furniture since June and many Airbnb’s do not provide furniture to “live in,” since it’s for vacation or holiday.
Junk food - America is the alpha of processed foods after all. Salt and vinegar chips are more salt and a tiny whisper of vinegar. Sarah hasn’t had hot cheetos with lime in months and dreams about it. We did find it in Aotearoa, but it was nowhere close to being the same. More likely, harmful chemicals are banned that adds to the taste :) Yes, yes, yes, it’s a very synthetic snack, but it’s her love in moderation, and it’s been an ungodly amount of time since we’ve had it. When the reunion comes, be ready for it because your social media will be consumed by it - from opening the bag to throwing it away, piece by piece, it’s going to be a performance.
We would love to hear what you miss most while on vacation or if you desire a nomadic life one day, what aspects do you foresee to be the most challenging. We appreciate all our loved ones who reach out or follow along during our travels, we do not feel alone (all the time) and appreciate your encouragement 💚 🌍 💙
Much love,
Sarah and Jeff
