Have just returned from a 3 month holiday in asia; am now
back to work and feeling extremely Blah! Cohorts and peers
at my job don't understand and think I'm crazy; am already
planning and researching our next one to the middle east
for next year. Every time I come home from travelling I
feel different like I don't belong and have nothing in
common with others. They listen to a few travel tales and
have a perfunctory glance at our photos and then they have
had enough. (too bad the whole world does not revolve
around travelling!). Anyone else feel as I do? Interested
in hearing how others cope after returning from a journey.
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I know EXACTLY what you mean! I have just got back from the Middle East - people don't know what to make of my exploits. But don't worry - just remember you have seen things that they will never see, and inspite of the usual ' I wish I had done some travelling' line, the juice is actally getting out there and doing it.
Pollogirl, send me an e-mail sometime to brighten up my dull working day. Later and keep the faith.
Rob (UK)
I too know how you feel. So, I put together a web site to
read travel stories and look at pics.
come on by while youre sitting at work.
http://www.ala-laary.com
I know exactly how you feel, things seem so plain and
boring when you get home and no one can relate to what
you've experienced. Reading posts and helping others
on the Thorn Tree has helped me make the transistion
back. Another idea- have you considered doing some
freelance travel writing to tell your story to an
interested audience. There's a large travel publication
market looking for unique travel stories and experiences.
And you can make a little money doing it.
But the best cure for all of this is planning the next
trip out.
Cheers
Especially if you've been away for a long time. I've been
traveling since 1981. The first time, I was away for 9
months. At the end I was ready to come home --- no "reverse
culture shock". The second time was for 6 months...and
again I was OK coming home. But there have been about 12
more trips since then each time, and each time, the
"readjustment process" has gotten harder and harder. These
days I usually travel for 2 months and after getting home it
takes me about 1 month to get back into the rhythm of
western working life.
~
So true about co-workers and friends. They'll play along
for a little while but they really don't get at all, do
they? "Oh, you're so lucky." (yawn) "Isn't is awfully
dirty over there?" (yawn) "For our vacation Frank and I
are going on a cruise next month..." (yawn)
~
Coping strategies: Books about Asia. The few friends who
have actually been there. Asian events at home, museums,
music. Writing. Planning the next trip. This site.
~
Also, I remind myself that I really AM fortunate to live in
a place and time that enables me to freely visit far away
places for long periods. It's a modern day phenomenon,
really. Our parents never had the chance to do it. And
travel spoils a person I think. It's an amazing thing to
have total freedom, so many options, so few responsibilities
for a long chunk of time! It's intoxicating and addictive
--- coming back to "normal" life afterwards is hard!
~
Well hang in there Pologirl. Enjoy your memories, enjoy the
photos and all the goodies you brought back, and get ready
for your next trip. Maybe it'll be even better than the
last one --- there are so many amazing places to see in this
world!
~
one of the largest myths is that traveling is the cure for
wanderlust. it's not; it's usually the cause. i got back
from asia four months ago and it's still all i think about.
i thought i would want a pizza and some red wine when i
returned and i find myself still eating stir-fry and
drinking tea all the time. i want to get up and 6:00 am and
watch some people do t'ai chi. i want to take long walks at
night through the back alleys. i live in new york; i can do
neither.
it's hard to remember and to understand why your trip is
more important to you than to anyone else around you. i
find that when other non-wanderlust people come back from a
trip i'm often more eager to talk about it than they are.
there's no way to realy cope, all you can do is to
incorporate your new discoveries and interests into your
daily life as much as possible. this isn't so much to
escape your home routine, it's to make it better.
Yep
You guys are so right.When you've been away for a long
time,the real "culture shock" I find is getting back to
Perth International Airport.Usually by the time I'm
boarding the plane to come home,I am already planning next
trip back.By about a week into work,ie by the time have
seen all my mates here again etc,I've had a real gutsfull
and am ready to pull the pin and piss off again.To cope,I
usually hang out with my other mates that travel,they
usually understand,scan the papers for cheap airfares,look
at things like this,keep in touch with all my mates
floating around SEA,and most importantly COUNT the days
down till I take off again.I think the best thing about
travelling like this (long trips,open ticket) once you get
there,you have ZERO responsibilities,if you don't wanna get
out of bed,fine etc.Like I tried to explain to my friends
here,my life in thailand consists basically of primal
urges.When I am hungry,I eat,when I am thirsty I drink,when
I am tired,I sleep,and when I am horny,I .....No alarm
clocks,schedules etc,unlike this shit of an existance back
here.I really do feel sorry for a lot of the guys (and
women of course) back here that have done that,get
married,mortgage,2 kids,9-5 routine,and never have
travelled,except for the odd 10 day package tour type shit
once every 2 or 3 years,but then again,they all think I am
completely insane and irresponsible,because every time I
build a nest egg,I take off and spend it.Well,to each his
own....
Gasman
Agree with most all of the above. It's best not
to focus on whether people want to hear your
stories -- they don't -- and to focus on keeping
present in your daily life the lessons you learned,
and things that came into your life, while travelling.
Cook stir-fry a lot. Buy a Thai cookbook. Follow
Cambodian politics. Dress in long skirts. Seek
out a Buddhist temple and meditate. In other words,
you were exposed to things that you CAN keep in your
life a little bit, and rather than tell people how
your perceptions were changed, you can just live it
yourself. Or--accept the post-travel blues. Be
okay with it. Burrow inside your house and read
books about Asia and only return phone calls to
friends who also love Asia (well, don't go overboard.)
Chances are, eventually it will fade, you'll
plan your next groovy trip like ot the Middle East,
come back, feel blue, and go through a phase
where you just eat hummus and wear a veil.
With me it was the relatives. I was in Hawaii 3 years and
then in China 3 years. Had dinner with my Aunt and cousins
and,,,, nobody asked any questions. Zero interest for
anything outside of their live-in-the-same-place-for-30-
years existance.
How to cope? Easy. Don't go back.
I've been in Thailand two years now, and have no plans.
If I go somewhere else my virtual office is still out in
cyberspace. Why should I go back?
Robert
RICHLY TRAVEL CENTRE Next to the Train Station! - Bangkok
Tours Tickets Trekking for Thailand
http://login.samart.co.th/~richly/
Yea, I can relate alot to what the other posts say. I left
my home 5 years ago, spending 3 1/2 years in London, then
another 2 1/2 in Asia. I'm now back in domicicity, bought a
house, TV etc and have a job. It's kinda nice at times, but
other times I feel guilty and bad for making this last
choice.
like others, I too read this site quite frequently to
remember, and to help others.
These postings came at an interesting time, as I now have
been 'home?' for almost a year, but I still feel close to my
experiences is Asia. I read books about Asia, and spend
time with friends who were there also.
Thanks for the space.
I hope it makes everyone reading these feel better about
their own experience with the post-travel blues.
The first time I went to Europe (the usual 'Grand Tour')
all i could think about was getting back to Canada and
telling all my buds about the wild things I saw and did,
show them some pictures, erc. I also thought about the
places back home that i could not wait to revisit (pubs,
etc).
The reality was that my friends did not seem to
understand (or care) about my experiences, everything had
moved so SLOWLY since I had left, and the old things quickly
(very) became boring again.
I quickly planned my next trip to counter this. I
picked up a working-holiday visa for Oz, and tripped off for
a year. This time I could have cared less about back home,
and what was happening. After my visa expired, i definitely
did NOT want to go home...but I had a plan.
I decided the only way to stop feeling the post-travel-
blues and to counter the wanderlust was to ALWAYS travel. I
have just finished my B.Ed and I am off next month to a
private school in UK. I never plan on coming home, only on
hopping from one place to the next every few years.
Of course, this is not the best for everyone, but I
guess what i am saying is that a person can make a decision
these days whereas they can have an international career.
Good luck travellers, and always, *ALWAYS*, take the
high road...
ryan.
.
ah pologirl,
i know the feeling very well...the previous posts have kinda
said it all.....at least we know there are a few of us out
here feeling the same way.
Just one thing to add....if anyone knows of an internet
*chat* site that is about travel talk..please let me
know....ive searched chat sites all over the net looking for
a place to talk to fellow travellers..shame that the *thorn
tree* doesnt have a live chat area.
marlee
Http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/8648
I'm not sure how to cope with "wanderlust" when forced to be
stationary either! I just rode my bicycle coast to coast
here in the U.S., camping all the way. Now I'm back at work
and I cant wait for weekends to do little 60 mile jaunts on
the bike!
Dealing with a limited budget, most of my travel has
been confined to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, but if
someone were to show me the way, this single white male
would gladly do NOTHING BUT TRAVEL the face of this planet
for the rest of my life!
Me too - Oh god its awful. Much like someone above, I just
pretend I am still there while saving up for the next trip.
I live in a multicultural city so that makes it easy - I eat
and cook Asian foods constantly, live in an Asian enclave,
go to temples, am studying Asian culture etc. etc. I also
waste hours on the Thorn Tree and spend ages planning my
next trip. I try to go every year - so that gives me
something to look forward to.
You do this too, right, look at that one picture and know
the WHOLE story completely in your head and that picture is
worth 10,000 words and 1,000,000 memories and when you got
10 words into the story back home you've already been
interupted about what dress was on special at the gap
yesterday. When I travel I read more, write more, pay more
attention to the world politacally, economically, and to
that beautiful flower that was just there near my window so
perfect one morning. Just bursting with ideas to share
with everyone you meet and thirsty to hear everything that
you are being told - and then you board the plane - and
then the airport back home await with the same top 10 music
that was playing 2 months ago when you left, like time
stood still, and all of the excitement and inertia come to
such a startling halt that you hit your head on reality -
and that's when I fall down. Like the rest of you, I
recently returned from my latest S.E. asian excursion and I
miss it so - I miss everything, not excluding the bad and
the ugly (standing in the pouring rain w/ a 50 pound pack
on my back waiting to enter, soaked, onto a sub freezing
air-con bus to the next destination). Who would love that
the next day? Only a select few I think - so as I shake
off the "blues" and plan my next trip, I wish you all luck
in the recovery process and hope to see you out there
sometime soon!
agreed, it sucks to return from some where (where ever that
may be), and have to face the same ole' hum drum
crap...having to go back to work and return to that satgnant
feeling that any traveler gets when they come home...
but i'm tired of whinning about it, and sick of hearing
friends bich and moan (my bestest buds just returned from
and extended journey in india). Now all they do is moan
about the weather (i live in canada, it's november...). So
theese friends(in my opinion)are wasting precious energy on
being miserable. instead of aproaching theyre return with a
positive state of mind. you cant travel all the time,
everybody needs a home base. Take it for what it's worth,
enjoy the things you can count on that you cant when
traveling use your return to build strengths that will be an
asset once you return to touring. just because it's
familiar doesnt mean you cant learn from it.
Gee Pologirl, all the great responses your posting inspired!
A pleasure to read as I sit here (three weeks back now) on a
gray damp California night, still mighty unsettled by the
cold weather, and by how unbelievably quiet it is here.
~
I was thinking of the people who just never stopped. I mean
people who decided to cut the big umbilical cord; they
travel, live, and work all at the same time. They work for
NGO's, they teach, they crew on boats, they are in sales,
they are bums, import export, photography, relief work,
archeological digs, whatever. They exchange roots at home
for a continuous life on the road. It definitely takes
balls and a certain mindset, and obviously you give up a
lot, but then in return, you could spend your whole life
traveling...
~
It's like a hidden phenomenon. Our nontraveling friends
don't know this kind of life exists, the very concept would
probably scare them. And at home we never meet them,
BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL SOMEWHERE ELSE. I'm don't know if I'd
ever do it but you know what, I've met a lot of happy people
who do, and it's one solution to the post Asia blues.
~
agreed, it sucks to return from some where (where ever that
may be), and have to face the same ole' hum drum
crap...having to go back to work and return to that satgnant
feeling that any traveler gets when they come home...
but i'm tired of whinning about it, and sick of hearing
friends bich and moan (my bestest buds just returned from
and extended journey in india). Now all they do is moan
about the weather (i live in canada, it's november...). So
theese friends(in my opinion)are wasting precious energy on
being miserable. instead of aproaching theyre return with a
positive state of mind. you cant travel all the time,
everybody needs a home base. Take it for what it's worth,
enjoy the things you can count on that you cant when
traveling use your return to build strengths that will be an
asset once you return to touring. just because it's
familiar doesnt mean you cant learn from it.
It's weird reading all the above postings. I'm an Asian
DYING for my next trip back to the west. After studying in
California for 5yrs and UK for 4yrs, it was refreshing
being back home in the east (Singapore), for a while. My
friends simply have no idea what I have went throught, I am
not being able to relate my feelings to my surrounding.
Like what Pologirl describe, I feel like I don't belong and
have nothing in common with others. I too also just
pretending I'm here just for the sake of saving enough
money for my next trip. I'm lost. I have no idea where I
belong to. I do know that I belongs to anywhere except in
Asia. Any advise?
Before we married in 1983 I travelled a lot with friends.
Mortgages, careers, child and health problems limited the
next 10 years. Then I hit 40, and we headed off to
Thailand. I've been twice with friends, and 4 times with
the family (husband and daughter). We've also been to Bali,
Sumatra and Malaysia. We plan 2 ahead and travel about
every 6 months or 9 months for 1 - 3 weeks - depending on
finances and other demands. I did a travel writing course
and last Friday for the first time won a big prize for an
article on - guess where- Thailand! (It wasn't the first
prize and it was only 150 words but hey! I'm still
thrilled.) We also have a favourite Thai restaurant come
cafe, and I have taken up learning Thai and this seems to
keep my feet on the ground for the spaces in bewteen trips!
so there are ways of surviving even after 45 when the
travel bug has come back from its remission!
I sympathise with you, Pologirl, and I agree with most of
the comments here. I have found that each time I travel to
somewhere new the urge to continue grows greater. It's not
the place so much, even if you love the places you visit. I
think it's the high you get from the new experiences, the
challenge of fitting in, of feeling different and being
treated with interest by new people. I dealt with one return
from overseas by bringing back with me a wife and dengue
fever!
One way to deal with your problem - a little bit radical,
maybe - is to volunteer to work oversees. Depends on where
you are, but many countries have programmes that are crying
out for people who will work in developing countries for a
local wage. Australian Volunteers Abroad, American Peace
Corps, etc, etc. I've taught in the Pacific for four years
and found it wonderful. As a result I have less money and
lost promotion opportunities in Tasmania, but I have wealth
that I cannot measure! I was accepted in my host country,
met other volunteers and had opportunities every day that
'tourists' only dream of.
One life - live it!
Best of luck.
I┤ve recently got back from a youthprogram i Thailand so
that┤s exactly how I feel at this moment. I miss
everything, the food, the climate, the people, my
counterpart, the family, the village...And I konw how it is
to want to tell everybody about your new experiences and
nobody wants to listen, they only want to talk about what
they have been doing while you have been away.
I┤ve had a hard time to accept that I┤m home and that my
society sucks. What I mean is that when you┤re living in a
different society you change your values and you start to
think in a differnet way. Well, I did. And when you get back
home and everybody expect you to be the same and you┤re
bored with the life living in your country.
There┤s so many things, but here are some examples.
I think we all feel the same way, life at home lacks so
much, to what we all have when away. I've been home now
(apart from quick breaks of a week or two )for about
eighteen months. I long for distnat shores and a tatase of
the life, however what hasn't yet been covered on this
topic yet is that we have the knowledge and vision to know
that there is a whole planet out there that we know exists
and is there for all of us, we can do it, we can make the
break from the clinging societies we all get so easilly
absorbed into and travel, we areblessed or cursed sometimes
i don't know which!!!
Until the next time people, keep the vision, see ya at the
airport!!!
God, reading all of these posts about your travels makes me
so jealous! I'd love so much to be able to do the things
you all are talking about; venturing off to asia or the
middle east. How do you do it? Most of you sound like you
are able to take off from work for weeks or even months at a
time, which is something I'm unable to do. Is it just a
matter of making travel the number one priority in your life
and letting the chips fall where they may? And how about
money? Any advice for a desperately jealous traveler
want-to-be?
Yes, Pologirl, it's the same for everyone. I spent 2 years
travelling and working around Europe, Australia and Africa
in 1991-3, and it took me a year to get my head back
together when I got home. Other people I spoke to after
extended trips said that it took them just as long. So be
patient.
Paradoxically, one thing I learnt while travelling is that
it's not necessary to physically travel in order to
mentally 'grow'. You can grow simply by taking up new
challenges in your life at home or at work, and your travel
experiences will help you in the sense that if you have the
independence to go off and travel alone for months or even
years then you should be able to rise to the challenges you
set yourself.
On the other hand, 'physical' travelling is a lot of fun!
I must say that even though it is 5 years since I got back
from travelling (I can't believe it's that long!) I can
still remember the great experiences very well. I have
tried to keep travelling, but have only done one cycle tour
to Ireland and a month in Egypt since then. But I'm going
on a cycling tour to Cuba for seven weeks very soon!
I find it difficult to decide whether to blow 2 years'
worth of leave from work, and about $3,000, for a 7-week
journey to Cuba, or whether to save my money for 2 or 3
years and then take off again for a full year or more.
It's a bit of a dilemma.... what do the contributors to
this thread think?
would you love ..to visit arabic country?
would you like to learn the arabic language?
would you like to come to jordan?
would you not be interested in exploring the disert of
jordan...the historical city PETRA?
Yes...all of this free of charge with free accomodation ,
food+ pocket money.
we are looking for young people from diffrent parts of the
world..england,amirecan,spanish.italian,german........
to work in travel agent in petra,
salam,,,,,
Due to wildly inaccurate news reporting, most of the world thinks we have been wiped off the face of the earth. While Guanaja and Utila suffered severe property damage, Roatan came through unscathed. We are now facing a bigger crisis. The news organizations, now that they have casually obliterated us, are not interested in making any corrections. This island depends on tourism. Every business here is already laying people off. If we don't get the word out and get our backpackers back Roatan will starve. This, of course, will happen long after the aid workers leave the mainland and Honduras is no longer news. We have been getting a trickle of sturdy backpackers in, this is how they're doing it. Roads in Honduras are unpassable. Most people have been going from Antigua to Copan, then backtracking to Guat City and flying directly to Roatan. We've got cheap rooms and our Open Water courses are up and running. Anyone can visit our website at www.roatnet.com/sunset_inn. Please, if you see misinformation regarding Roatan on the net help us out. We're doing our best but we're not computer people!
\ Ihave just returned from a trip to malaysia and do feel alittle blue about being back, but,,, I have the best job I've
ever had in a great city,Vancouver, and I know that this
enables me to continue to travel where ever,whenever.
So, buckup and just relish all the great memories and look forward to the next great trip, and remember every trip is a
good trip.
Travel offers an unprecedented amount of freedom : to shed
one's responsibilities for a few days/weeks/months/years
allows us humans to feed our souls. The daily boring
perpetual grind of
?sleep?/shower/eat/travel/work/eat/work/travel/eat/or
sports/eat/?sleep? (replace ? with personal nocturnal
habits !) is toxic to our spirits and souls, and to shed
these daily chores, that are there only for income
purposes, is like once more breathing a truly fresh breath
of oxygen, and all one's worries fall away !
Travellers are a breed apart : the ultimate traveller will
have seen the truth of life, for the truth does exist out
there. For the unenlightened, the truth is this :
We must work to pay for food/accommodation/living
expenses/wife's habits/children's schoolfees etc...,
HOWEVER it is not in the nature of 'Yin Yang' balance of
life to do too much of any one thing. For example, working
all year long with only 4 or 5 weeks holiday is WRONG.
Spending too much on material possesions is WRONG. However,
because most people are numbed by the material world, they
cannot see the big lie they are all living by. Why spend 50
years of your life and then realise that all those years
were spent paying off a mortage, financing 25 of the latest
models of car or fashion clothes (only superficial people
judge others by how they look - OK, one should at least
maintain basic personal hygiene and non too tattered
clothes, but new Armani suits and 'Polo' boxer shorts taken
as examples - why the hell do you need these - are all you
people insecure without a 'label' ?!?) and overpriced
package holidays to Bora Bora and Tahiti and outrageously
overpriced school and college tuition fees, let alone
income, road and value added taxes some or all perhaps mis-
used / abused / wasted. The list is endless. Money and
materialness numbs the senses. Trust me. This is THE
Ultimate Truth !
Get a grip is what I say : the world has been misled by the
media and companies into believing that they must have all
the material bullshit that is thrust in our faces
(subliminal advertising) by TV, radio, billboards,
newspapers & magazines. Henry T Ford, sure he invented a
fine thing in the automobile, The Wright Bros also a jolly
fine little plane, BUT MANKIND IS WRONG TO USE CARS AND
PLANES TOO MUCH, LIKE WE ARE DOING NOW. THE RESULT HAS BEEN
AND IS THE CONTINUAL DAMAGE DONE TO THE ENVIRONMENT :
PLEASE STOP THE DAMAGE MANKIND !!!!!
Take a bicycle or local bus or train : leave the car at
home. Hell, why don't all you lazy scuzzbuckets get up off
your asses and walk (so long as it's not too far - and by
far I mean more than 3 miles !) Take a ferry or cargo
vessel, avoid the airports. However, as everyone is in such
a hurry, I doubt they will go by cargo boat. ANALYSIS :
MAKIND IS IN A RUSH, BUT WHERE IS IT GOING : NOWHERE +
VALUE OF LIFE REDUCTION DUE TO MATERIALNESS NUMBING THE
SENSES !
Anyway, back to the main point of this : coming back to
work after a foreign trip (we're talking a 'traveller's'
trip here, not a package bloody holiday where lazy, numbed
office workers stay in overpriced accommodation !), to see
the individuals that work 50/52 weeks etc.., travellers
have had a taste of that freedom, but the office of despair
worker is perhaps jealous, which is why don't show much
interest. Also, the travel tales, they cannot really relate
to these NOR perhaps understand them ! It is a different
world to them, you may as well be green and have got out of
a flying disc from mars !!!!!
The traveller will feel alien in the old office / factory
environment etc.., and will feel perhaps claustrophobic
having to numb their minds for 8 hours a day packing
tomatoes into boxes / inputting data into computer systems
or whatever it is all you people do out there when working !
The traveller will have realised that, especially on a
longer trip in a poor 3rd World country like for e.g.
India, that he/her must be careful with their money if they
wish to stay away for a long time given X amount of funds.
Also, after a while (so long as they are not stupid and
ENJOY spending too much and paying over the odds) they will
realise that the life that people lead in the west is
wrong, driven by the material craze that is all too
pervading !
The simple way of life in the East seems to provide the
answers. The answer is this : LESS IS MORE !
Yes, that is exactly right, less is more ! Well, how can
this be so, you might all ask ? Well, it is thus : the less
material goods you have, the more you appreciate them. The
more you have, the more you want. AVOID THE 'MORE MORE
MORE' WAY !
Take the car : India has got it right : have one type of
car (in the main) and use them until they break down. Why
replace/mend it if it ain't broke ?!?
The gloriously simple way of life yields simple pleasures,
ones forgotten by most who have succumbed to 'Western
Numbness'. The luxury of a cooling breeze, a nice walk in
the hills, going to bed at dusk and up at dawn, fishing, no
TV, no microwaves, etc... the list goes on.
Unfortunately, the west is now ruining the east. Some
families in India are now believing that they cannot do
without a microwave oven or TV. Why the hell don't you
people just like cook with a cooker instead of wanting
everything so damned quickly with a microwave ?!? Talk to
each other / play cards / chess / football instead of
watching the TV ?!?
PLEASE MANKIND, DON'T SCREW UP THE EAST AS WELL AS THE WEST
Jim Morrison had a saying : "The West is the Best"
I think now this need adjusting to :
"The East is the Best"
You see, the east does not generally have the education
level and global / historical informational awareness as
the west. Mostly, the east would look towards the west and
want what they see e.g. Levis Jeans/Microwave
Ovens/Satellite TV etc.... However, it is only those
enlightened souls from the west who have gotten so hacked
off with all the western numbness (after perhaps a great
deal of travelling and other personal achievements) who
realise that what the east has (and is starting to lose) is
unarguably a better way of life. Remember, less is more.
Don't forget your body's spririt and soul : they are VERY
VERY IMPORTANT !
Remember, please be less materialistic, help save the
planet, and, just as importantly, save your soul as well :
"DON'T GO WEST YOUNG MAN/WOMAN, GO EAST !"
Travel offers an unprecedented amount of freedom : to shed
one's responsibilities for a few days/weeks/months/years
allows us humans to feed our souls. The daily boring
perpetual grind of
?sleep?/shower/eat/travel/work/eat/work/travel/eat/or
sports/eat/?sleep? (replace ? with personal nocturnal
habits !) is toxic to our spirits and souls, and to shed
these daily chores, that are there only for income
purposes, is like once more breathing a truly fresh breath
of oxygen, and all one's worries fall away !
Travellers are a breed apart : the ultimate traveller will
have seen the truth of life, for the truth does exist out
there. For the unenlightened, the truth is this :
We must work to pay for food/accommodation/living
expenses/wife's habits/children's schoolfees etc...,
HOWEVER it is not in the nature of 'Yin Yang' balance of
life to do too much of any one thing. For example, working
all year long with only 4 or 5 weeks holiday is WRONG.
Spending too much on material possesions is WRONG. However,
because most people are numbed by the material world, they
cannot see the big lie they are all living by. Why spend 50
years of your life and then realise that all those years
were spent paying off a mortage, financing 25 of the latest
models of car or fashion clothes (only superficial people
judge others by how they look - OK, one should at least
maintain basic personal hygiene and non too tattered
clothes, but new Armani suits and 'Polo' boxer shorts taken
as examples - why the hell do you need these - are all you
people insecure without a 'label' ?!?) and overpriced
package holidays to Bora Bora and Tahiti and outrageously
overpriced school and college tuition fees, let alone
income, road and value added taxes some or all perhaps mis-
used / abused / wasted. The list is endless. Money and
materialness numbs the senses. Trust me. This is THE
Ultimate Truth !
Get a grip is what I say : the world has been misled by the
media and companies into believing that they must have all
the material bullshit that is thrust in our faces
(subliminal advertising) by TV, radio, billboards,
newspapers & magazines. Henry T Ford, sure he invented a
fine thing in the automobile, The Wright Bros also a jolly
fine little plane, BUT MANKIND IS WRONG TO USE CARS AND
PLANES TOO MUCH, LIKE WE ARE DOING NOW. THE RESULT HAS BEEN
AND IS THE CONTINUAL DAMAGE DONE TO THE ENVIRONMENT :
PLEASE STOP THE DAMAGE MANKIND !!!!!
Take a bicycle or local bus or train : leave the car at
home. Hell, why don't all you lazy scuzzbuckets get up off
your asses and walk (so long as it's not too far - and by
far I mean more than 3 miles !) Take a ferry or cargo
vessel, avoid the airports. However, as everyone is in such
a hurry, I doubt they will go by cargo boat. ANALYSIS :
MAKIND IS IN A RUSH, BUT WHERE IS IT GOING : NOWHERE +
VALUE OF LIFE REDUCTION DUE TO MATERIALNESS NUMBING THE
SENSES !
Anyway, back to the main point of this : coming back to
work after a foreign trip (we're talking a 'traveller's'
trip here, not a package bloody holiday where lazy, numbed
office workers stay in overpriced accommodation !), to see
the individuals that work 50/52 weeks etc.., travellers
have had a taste of that freedom, but the office of despair
worker is perhaps jealous, which is why don't show much
interest. Also, the travel tales, they cannot really relate
to these NOR perhaps understand them ! It is a different
world to them, you may as well be green and have got out of
a flying disc from mars !!!!!
The traveller will feel alien in the old office / factory
environment etc.., and will feel perhaps claustrophobic
having to numb their minds for 8 hours a day packing
tomatoes into boxes / inputting data into computer systems
or whatever it is all you people do out there when working !
The traveller will have realised that, especially on a
longer trip in a poor 3rd World country like for e.g.
India, that he/her must be careful with their money if they
wish to stay away for a long time given X amount of funds.
Also, after a while (so long as they are not stupid and
ENJOY spending too much and paying over the odds) they will
realise that the life that people lead in the west is
wrong, driven by the material craze that is all too
pervading !
The simple way of life in the East seems to provide the
answers. The answer is this : LESS IS MORE !
Yes, that is exactly right, less is more ! Well, how can
this be so, you might all ask ? Well, it is thus : the less
material goods you have, the more you appreciate them. The
more you have, the more you want. AVOID THE 'MORE MORE
MORE' WAY !
Take the car : India has got it right : have one type of
car (in the main) and use them until they break down. Why
replace/mend it if it ain't broke ?!?
The gloriously simple way of life yields simple pleasures,
ones forgotten by most who have succumbed to 'Western
Numbness'. The luxury of a cooling breeze, a nice walk in
the hills, going to bed at dusk and up at dawn, fishing, no
TV, no microwaves, etc... the list goes on.
Unfortunately, the west is now ruining the east. Some
families in India are now believing that they cannot do
without a microwave oven or TV. Why the hell don't you
people just like cook with a cooker instead of wanting
everything so damned quickly with a microwave ?!? Talk to
each other / play cards / chess / football instead of
watching the TV ?!?
PLEASE MANKIND, DON'T SCREW UP THE EAST AS WELL AS THE WEST
Jim Morrison had a saying : "The West is the Best"
I think now this need adjusting to :
"The East is the Best"
You see, the east does not generally have the education
level and global / historical informational awareness as
the west. Mostly, the east would look towards the west and
want what they see e.g. Levis Jeans/Microwave
Ovens/Satellite TV etc.... However, it is only those
enlightened souls from the west who have gotten so hacked
off with all the western numbness (after perhaps a great
deal of travelling and other personal achievements) who
realise that what the east has (and is starting to lose) is
unarguably a better way of life. Remember, less is more.
Don't forget your body's spririt and soul : they are VERY
VERY IMPORTANT !
Remember, please be less materialistic, help save the
planet, and, just as importantly, save your soul as well :
"DON'T GO WEST YOUNG MAN/WOMAN, GO EAST !"
Written by Buffalo : 18th November 1998
PS : it is better for the traveller if everyone in the
world does NOT know the ultimate truth, because if
they did, then there would be just too many damn people all
fighting for a view of that glorious sunset over Goa or
watching the Rio Carnaval or trying to board cargo boats to
location X ; imagine Indian buses and trains with more
people on them (unimaginable !!!!!), the Mexico City Metro
with more (also unimaginable !) So, if too many knew the
truth, it would ruin it for us travellers - 'shoooosh, keep
quiet' ! Adios amigos/as !!
You should take your own advice: less is more.
.
Where can a decent girl go for some fist-fighting travel???
I manage to get away about once a year for a week or so for
vaction. I work as a technical trainer so I do get to
travel outside of the country from time to time and always
make it a point to take a few extra vacation days. The
problem that I am having is how to balance the career thing
and my love for travel. I would love to take off for a year
or so and travel, but money is an major issue (as I am sure
it is for every one). I would like to get a better sense of
what you all do for a living that allows you to continue to
travel for such extended lengths of time. What are your age
groups and what sort of income to you derive. Maybe I am
just doing something wrong here. Each time I go away I seem
to get the point that I can live with less, enjoy life more
if I just get out there etc. The pull is strong, but alas
the financial obligations at this point are stronger. I
also seem to worry about my future as I am the oldest child
(29 yrs) and have seen what the "carefree" attitude has
gotten my partents now. (yes they used to travel, with me
in tote, but the lack of watching and planning a real future
has taken it's toll on all us children).
so, if any one has any real input on such matters I would
love to hear from them. The idea of just giving it all up
and leaving is not an option right now, so please be
somewhat real with your responses.
Not really looking for a "sugar daddy", but could be
pursuaded....
Peace
-Ruby
Yeh Xena (is that your real name?)... i suggest South
Australia, last time i was there it was just rip roaring
and tripping with excitment.
I don't suggest India though, it's just too boring.
Hope this helps... Jhonny
I am going to be in London in mid December - from the 8th to
the 19th for some business and plenty of free time. I have
trouble finding really interesting/unusual thing to do in
London in the warm months, and don't know what I'm going to
do with myself for a week in London when it is cold. I
would really appreciate any suggestions of unusual events,
happenings or goings ons in London during that week.
Suggestions of sporting events, concerts, festivals, etc.
would be greatly appreciated.
I know what your talking about but kind of from the other end. I've had my taste of travel before and as any traveller knows, it's very addictive. My next trip is in two months and it's the biggest yet. I'm travelling across central and south east Asia for a year. I've never been gone that long before and am REALLY excited. The only person I feel I can talk to these days is Jake, the dude that's going with me. My girlfriend doesn't want to hear about my plans, it just depresses her. My friends and coworkers are getting pretty bored of it as well, but right now there is nothing else on my mind. Anyone who's travelled knows that dealing with the long weeks prior to a big adventure can be more grueling than Chinese algebra. So here I am, waiting patiently in a dismal, gray city with no one to talk to for two months.
But cheer up Pologirl. You've done something incredible and you're a better person for it. Just plan you're next one and go, it is out there in the world where you will find like minded people to talk too.
Trev in Canada
how does one find a job that lets you travel while being
paid. I would love to work for lonely planet, or something
along those lines it would be great. can anyone help me??
Imagine if you're holiday was coming home, and you're
income was from travelling. travelling is taxing on the
body & mind after a while but on the other hand you're
seeing other cultures, experiencing things that other people
only dream of. I have done alot of travelling, & would like
to do alot more & I am sure there is a company out there
that needs employers to travel, i'll do t.v I'll break dance
in some little pub in england, or ride a goat up the side of
tibet I am all for it. but seriously if anyone has any
ideas on how to get into the travel for a living I am all
ears.
p.s. also good bars in vancouver B.C
Tomas, you are in an interesting spot. Reading the plight of
all these Westerners dying to get back to Asia and there you
are at the other end of things...sorry to hear that you are
so out of sorts in the place you used to call home. i am
asian american (known in hawaii as hapa-haole or half-white)
and have also lived overseas for 3 years (Australia) and
traveled quite a bit...it's always difficult and
enlightening to make the transition between different
cultures, the present moment and a memory. ultimately
though, i hope it is possible to find peace wherever it is
you reside. it is worth striving for. belonging is a state
of mind.
Trev (going to Central and Southeast Asia for a year)...you
know the two months will actually pass very
quickly...and...before you know it you'll be over there in
the other world.
.
So what about the opposite of post travel blues. For me it
begins about 3 days before I leave home and then intensifies
as the packing gets finished, work stops, you do some
errands but things become kind of quiet, even hypnotic in a
way. You are leaving on an airplane in 39 hours or
whatever, it is inevitable, you only need to get to the
airport, you haven't physically left, but your mind is
somewhere else. Everything is in place, it will not change,
you might just as well be strapped to a comveyor belt. You
WILL be on that plane, and now you don't have to do anything
except kick back and enjoy the anticipation. Time slows
down. You feel good. Nothing can hurt you. Drive down the
road and let all the bored people tailgate, pass you,
whatever. Hey no problem! In 24 hours you'll be over there
so it just doesn't matter...
.
Hey uh Trev...can I join you guys?
.
Sawasdee,
I think maybe the problem is going back "home." I don't have
any emotional attachment to the U.S. so I reckon the best
thing is to move to the place that I enjoy. In my case that
would be rural Thailand. Sure, Thailand has some major (big,
big) problems, but hey!, isn't the food great tasting, the
people attractive and friendly, and the hot and humid
weather comfortable (well, it is to a hot-house weed like
me)!
I have my six month visa (I'm married to a Thai), and we
just need to arrange for a plane tickets, and then come
January, we're climbing on that big silver bird to the
Kingdom of Thailand.
Thank you very big!
HC
What a great read! Guess one shouldn't enjoy reading so
much misery and post-travel blues, but it's so good for the
soul to know there are so many kindred spirits out there
all experiencing that same passion for being on the road.
Hate to tell you that it NEVER gets any easier no matter
how old you are. I've been travelling for over 30 years
now (with a soul-destroying break of about 10 years while I
did the conventional things like getting married, having
kids etc. that women were conditioned to accept as 'normal'
back then). I think we all must have been born addicted to
travelling, because everyone who's added to this post
obviously shares the same need for the excitement, the
beauty, the never-knowing-what-comes-next feelings, and the
tremendous camaraderie you have with other travellers.
It's so easy to talk and become really friendly with other
people with backpacks on ... where does everyone disappear
to when they land back home ... there must be other
restless, incurable vagabonds moping around in their own
home cities just longing to share experiences and to talk
to someone who knows what it's all about. I'd love to
meet any where I live (Adelaide, South Australia). The
only way to survive is to know that the most important
thing in life is to follow your real passion and to keep on
travelling as often as you possibly can - and to keep
reading travel books, logging in to the Lonely Planet,
learning another language, eating food you love, re-reading
your journal and going through your old photos ... and one
day planning to spend much more time somewhere other than
where you are now. I'm sure we'll meet up along the road
somewhere, sometime. Keep saving!
I have to say I agree with most of what you all have said,
especially Jada and most of what the long speil Buffalo
said. But while we all wallow in our own depressions, can
we not think of the people who live where we have been.
They live day to day in the same places with not much of an
outlet. We are lucky to travel, come home and be happy.
i didn't mean to imply the impression that i was wallowing
in self pity, laying on the couch in the fetal postion, not
going to work, not bathing or eating, not responding to
verbal stimuli (sure signs of depression):) i am blessed in
the fact that i was born in a country that has enabled me
to get a decent job that enables me to have the luxury of
travelling the world (although inexpensively), as
travelling is my passion. it is thouroughly addictive and
there is nothing else that excites me as travel does; the
inital period of being home i find very difficult, but as
time passes the post travel blues pass and by that time I
have part of the next adventure researched......and life is
good again..............happy trails
I hear you.
I agree with all of you! If only we could all find each other from time to time to have a good reminisce! I find that as soon as I return home, I'm planning the next adventure. I feel as though I'm living from adventure to adventure and just putting up with what's in between. I'm really turned-off by the usual settle down and have a sedentary life role. I want to see everything I possibly can. I actuall feel my life is a series of advetures and great experiences as opposed to a life tracked by the usual milestones. Can this continue forever? Sure I travel cheaply but it does add up and what will I use to support myself in my old age????? Oh well! I guess the excitement alone makes up for the not-knowing. I feel that it's not a question of whether I'll go someplace, but rather a question of when. Welcome to the exclusive club where membership has its privileges, but it also has its costs.....to me it's worth it and I wouldn't trade a single moment of travelling!!!!
Almost everybody here, including me, seems to know this
feeling. When I came home from my first trip, I felt totally
down because of the instant wish to be anywhere else...
I hope your place at home is at least a bit cosmopolitan. I
started to make friends from foreign countries, e.g. who
study at my university or live in my town. This makes me
feel that I am not in a boring world like the fellows
without foreign friends. And my home is abroad for my
foreign friends. Realize the relations...
We are all addicts. We are addicted to traveling. There is
nothing better than the freedom of traveling. To me
drinking a cold beer in a dirty bar in a freign country is
heaven. I have just returned from a month on a tiny island
in Indonesia-Nias.
I need help. My future wife (Jan) and I have a cool
agreement. I take 1-2, 3-4 week adventures all alone. I am
a teacher and have a lot of time. She is a lawyer and has
little time, This works for us both.
I am counting down the days until we take a month to
backpack through Europe. She has never been anywhere and I
know this will blow her mind and turn her into addicts like
the rest of us.
I am still enjoying my latest bout of travel, and find it
difficult to imagine returning home to resume life in the
"real world". After falling in love with Laos I think the
solution for me is to move there and find work and just see
how it turns out.
I'd love to hear from people who have taken the big leap and
moved to another country temporarily / permanently. How long
did it take to get settled ? What problems did you encounter
?
Well, more than a few people have asked HOW do people manage to spend so much time
travelling. For me personally it`s come down to a choice : `stability` vs freedom. By this I
mean that I have forgone the traditionally stable things like a career, marriage, a house, a car..
etc. and instead I live from month to month, travelling when I have money, and stopping for
long enough to earn some more when I don`t. I don`t know how long I can keep this up
(people keep telling me it gets more difficult to find work as you get older?) but I do know
that I`ve got the travel bug sufficiently bad that I don`t wanna stop..
It`s been cool to read this thread and find many, many other people feel the same way; back
home most of my friends and family think I`m quite mad.
Happy travelling!
I feel I've just read everything from philosophy to politics
to poetry here! Well done chaps and girls, your words
express my thoughts and so much more. I don't think I can
say much more than what all of you have already said.. it's
all true and applies to each and every one of your
situations. Mine is pretty much plain and simple - I've been
at homebase now for close to 1 and a half years, and it
seems like life is slowly falling into a big abyss of
dullness and non-achievement. Actually I'm in the capital of
M'sia, the so-called 'enlightened' east where I'm being
swamped daily by all that materialistic crap. I had a
completely meaningful life and study abroad for four years,
the highlight of which was a summer program in Montana, USA
right slap in the rockies where I savored a simple and
balanced stay. Then I came here, got rejected by my
childhood friend (and every other so-called buddy at home)
who opted for the get-married-conceiveontheweddingbed option
and I never saw any of them again. Oh dear. Talk about the
friendly Asian. Now I sit in a 9-5 job inputting data into
the idiot box (computer) in the belief that I'm taking the
sensible approach to save some dosh for the day I need to
pay my apartment rental as I really need to escape from that
daily guilt trip that mama and papa send me on because I
can't afford to buy them that villa on the beach like one of
their friend's good filial sons. Deja vue?? Definitely. And
all this is happening in the middle of poor crisis ridden
Asia. Like a couple of you said, how does one balance that
work-travel lifestyle?? I'd love to get out of this, and go
do some development work with the UN or some research for
some international organisation for the poor and get my
senses back, but right now, my legs are stuck to this swivel
chair and my confused conscience. I do believe that I could
handle more travel work than office work, but I would not be
capable of handling a 100% travel job, I don't think that
provides much balance in one's life either. You know who's
got it right? I think Lonely Planet's no. 1 presenter has
got it right. Just read his profile. And he's funny too. I
think working in his way might click for a lot of you here.
However that's not the whole story. Each person has their
own aspirations and daily ambitions, and individual needs.
I'd love to have a chat and coffee in town with any one of
you who have had enriching experiences, travel or otherwise,
so if you ever come this way, so drop me a line ok!
I understand exactly, however, I never expect anyone "back
home" to share my enthusiasm. They just can't and don't.
My parents think I'm crazy. My friends just nod. Neither
sides are wronfg or right, just different. So, I guess, we
just have to live it in our own minds and via e-mail with a
few close "partners in crime" that we met along the way!
After all, we didn't travel for the sake of others! Happy
trails. ‰
To the people who have written "I want to travel for a long
time, how do you do it?" I agree with #47. I have heard
people with houses, cars, expensive furniture, designer
clothes etc. say they don't have the money to travel for
longer than 2 weeks. I get sick of people who say they envy
me because I spent a year travelling in Asia; in order to do
that I worked damn hard saving money beforehand and made it
my priority to save rather than say drinking regularly in a
pub or going to discos or buying "stuff". I have sacrificed
a lot to travel for long periods of time: going to
university, furthering some sort of "respectful" career,
stability in general. I don't resent having made these
"sacrifices", I'm very happy with the path I've chosen. I
just wanted to say that those who have a house, car, family,
university degree, fantastic career AND who travel for long
periods of time are comparatively rare. Somebody who asked
the "how do you do it?" question above answered it for
himself--you make it THE priority if it's something you
really want. PS all of us who are native English speakers
have a huge advantage in that there is a huge demand for
(even completely unqualified) English teachers all over the
world.
One last thing--when I say I'm impatient with people who
profess to "envy" me for my travels I mean middle-class
people from rich countries; I also recognise how lucky I am
in terms of being a citizen of a "1st world" country in
terms of the priveleges it allows me.
Sorry for going off topic, pollogirl!
These posts fill me with emotion and longing and memories
of Bali, Ladahk, Costa Rica, NZ, Fiji...time to plan the
next trip! Thank you for the opportunity to do some
reevaluation. There is such richness in spending time in
the rest of the world. How lucky we are! And, I think
that volunteer experiences are the key to what my next
trips are about.
Keep planning your next adventure and remember all us
kindred spirits floating around out there with you!
To Pologirl, Tomas and all....
I have to say it too, "I know what you mean!". I think
that people with an addiction for travel have a lot of
common personality attributes. Actually, the reason I got
"hooked" was because I found it easy to relate to the people
I met on the road. I am Canadian, and I started backpacking
in my own country 18 years ago, just to meet other
travellers. I always found it easier to talk to these
people than my friends that I had known forever back in my
hometown of Hamilton, Ontario.
I live in Taiwan now. I came here after several years
of dreaming about a return to Asia. I first came here 10
years ago, and did the India, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia,
Nepal thing for several months. Then I was hooked. No one
back home ever understood me. As a matter of fact, they
thought that I was insane to return, because I almost lost
my leg after a cut on my foot became infected in Cambodia.
The point....you can't expect THEM to understand. They
are more interested in the mainstream middle class world.
Hey..someone has to do it! I am just happy it is them and
not me!
To Tomas....as the queen of the 3 chapter novel, I must
share a recent idea with you. Maybe someone who can really
write might click with this idea. I was thinking of a story
about expatriates in both Asia and America. There could be
two intertwining plots were the western expatriates are
fully developed three-dimensional characters in Asia....and
the asian expatriates are fully developed three-dimensional
characters in North America, but in their home countries
they are only 2-D. Sort of follows this idea of the
banality of mainstream life....
TheExpatriate
I have been traveling in SEA forn 10 years, now I will
start to work (and live) in Thailand. Always travelling ?
Should'nt you have a home to return to ? Where ever home
is. Should'nt you have a beloved one to laugh and cry with
? I think everyone needs that, otherwise travelling is just
a escape of something you can not solve yourself. And it is
just the easy way out, because adventure and friends are
everywhere. Also in your own backyard.
ivo
theres some truth in what you say there mate,im in NZ right
now,from uk and im allready planing my next trip to thailand
im a little home sick of course but i cant rush back because
im not sure what iv to go back....really,but yeh one must
have a loved one and a warm home.