I'm worldsick
Two inputs and two outputs on my scaling back travel this August.
August, Part 1. See Part 2 here.
I was home in June for 7 days and July for 8. Now it’s the end of August, and I’ve only been away from home for 2 weekends this month, and I’m antsy.
Two Inputs
Towards the beginning of the month, I flew to Chicago for two nights to attend a board game convention (shout-out Button Shy!). And this past weekend, I drove up to New Hampshire for a weekend/some concerts/a wedding at one of my favorite boardwalks in New England. Both of these trips shared two common attributes that I was looking forward to after a very busy summer:
Short - I wanted to be home most of the month. My house became a disaster of dumped-out suitcases and unwashed dishes when I was constantly in and out all summer. I needed time to reset my home to become a place of tranquility again.
Fun - The rest of the summer was a mix of work and personal travel, often back-to-back or even intermingled “work-cations.” I checked a lot off my list both in terms of work projects and places I wanted to visit, but I was never truly immersed in what I was doing. This month was for recapturing travel as relaxation.
Photo by Philippe Murray-Pietsch on Unsplash
Two Outputs
My trips this August have fulfilled these goals. But I’m antsy. Here’s what I’ve learned this month about my travel mindset:
There’s a balance of travel in my life. I thought that significantly scaling down my travel this month would be an overall positive. But I crave novelty and adventure, and holding back too much isn’t good for my mental health. I’ve realized that I process a lot when I’m away from my usual environment, and a lot builds up when I don’t make space for this. Yeah, I spent an hour on my first night at the beach - while at a concert! - processing a lot of feelings about work, friendships, and finances that I hadn’t made space for all summer. I left the concert with plans for dinner with a friend this week and a to-do list of household items for the week.
The trips can be simple; the location is key. In Chicago I played board games and ate at a few great restaurants. At the beach, I read a book and napped. In line with my travel as relaxation mindset this month, both of my trips squarely fit the definition of a “vacation” as opposed to a “trip”. And sure, I could in theory eat at new restaurants and read a novel at home. But even someone like me who craves novelty gets stuck in a rut/routine when my environment is the same. Vacation is where I make the space for immersing myself in these simple joys, so it’s important that I choose a befitting destination.
Two Promises
What a learning experience this month has been, especially with as drastic of a change of pace August was from June and July. I had optimistic expectations for slowing down this month. And while they weren’t all met, I have a better sense of what balance I need in my life moving forward.
Lean into day trips. There are a lot of places to explore in New England that I’ve been wanting to visit and that are under 3h away. With the rest of summer and the fall at my disposal, I think I’ll look back fondly on those months if I maximize my weekends and even weekday evenings. And the financial boon of not spending on hotels will free up money for more activities on these escapades. I’m looking forward to a leisurely drive up to the mountains of New Hampshire already this October.
Save more for travel. It’s hard to be passionate about travel and not be conscious of the financial privilege required. Taking more local day trips will help me travel more while saving money for bigger trips in the future - that’s the balance with scaling back that I failed to realize this month, and instead I mostly stayed home even when I had free evenings and weekends. I’m also looking forward to revisiting my finances and checking where I can spend less in order to allocate more towards this very important money dial.