The desire to wander doesn't come to naturally to everyone. Some of us long to wake up in the same bed, walk down the same streets, see familiar faces, and spend time in the same places. To some of us, home has an unmatched sense of security and offers the chance to put roots down.
For the wanderers, though, there is a whole world just a few hours away. A photo in a magazine can become a destination. A tweet from a secret location explored by a fellow wanderer turns into a plane ticket. A documentary from a far-off land becomes an internet search for a ticket to Bhutan, "just to see". A lifetime isn't long enough to walk all the roads a wanderer wants to walk, but it will have to do.
You know you're a wanderer if...
... You've been back from travelling for longer than a month and you still haven't entirely unpacked your bag, for the simple fact that you know you'll be needing to pack up the same items for your next trip. (Even though that trip may not be planned yet).
... People often think you have been places that you haven't been, because "it seems like somewhere you probably went".
... The idea of spending a month or a year in another country is thrilling and exciting to you.
... The idea of spending a month or a year in another country is thrilling and exciting to you.
... You don't own furniture, or you are very uncomfortable with the idea of buying large furniture items. (I promise I now have a dining table after 2 months without one -- thanks to my dad for salvaging a beautiful three-legged old table from the side of the road. No more dinners in bed!).
... You've had more than one conversation entirely in gestures.
... When you go to a party, you somehow become a storyteller who wows the crowd with funny moments from your travels that you didn't realize were great stories until people say to you "that was a great story".
... You've had more than one conversation entirely in gestures.
... When you go to a party, you somehow become a storyteller who wows the crowd with funny moments from your travels that you didn't realize were great stories until people say to you "that was a great story".
... You google flight costs, or visit any plane ticket purchasing sites frequently.
... Old friends greet you with the words "I didn't even know you were in the country" and it makes you feel a little happy that you are somewhat of a gypsy in their eyes.
... Sometimes you catch yourself encouraging others to go ahead and book a ticket when they tell you where they wish they could travel. Then when they provide reasons why they can't book the ticket just yet, you start listing off reasons why they could technically leave on a plane tomorrow. (This type of conversation is also called "travel pushing").
... Old friends greet you with the words "I didn't even know you were in the country" and it makes you feel a little happy that you are somewhat of a gypsy in their eyes.
... Sometimes you catch yourself encouraging others to go ahead and book a ticket when they tell you where they wish they could travel. Then when they provide reasons why they can't book the ticket just yet, you start listing off reasons why they could technically leave on a plane tomorrow. (This type of conversation is also called "travel pushing").
... (as above) You think you are or have been a "travel pusher".
... Your idea of an inspiring afternoon is hanging out in the travel section of your local bookstore, staring at the beautiful pictures of places you've both been and want to visit, mentally creating destinations for your next travels.
... People have described you as "brave," whether or not you ascribe this quality to yourself or not.
... You dream of plane rides.
... You know exactly where your passport is, when it expires, and approximately how many blank pages you still have left.
"A lifetime isn't long enough to walk all the roads a wanderer wants to walk, but it will have to do."
This is so true on all points except unpacking. Oh wait, it's been more than a month since my last trip. Hahaha! This just made my day.
ReplyDeleteHaha! You see what I mean then... and I think that qualifies you in the "wanderer" category :D
DeleteIt's always comforting to read your blog - I always thought I was odd but I now know I'm not the only one. And . . . totally didn't realise "travel pushing" was a thing. Guilty . . .
ReplyDeleteI actually made the term "travel pushing" up when I realized I was very strongly rooting for someone (who I don't even know that well) to book a trip to Mexico. I realized I was pushing him to buy a ticket that he wasn't even sure about, kind of like a drug pusher pushing the first hit on a new customer... so I think I'm going to put it out there as a "thing" since it is an identifiable behaviour so many of us do!
DeleteOh looks like I could be one!
ReplyDeletei think so! i should have put "tendency to wear blue wigs" on the list too :)
DeleteI can identify with most of these, although I do own many pieces of large furniture and a *gasp* mortgage. I figure when I decide to go for longer than 5 weeks at a time the house can become an income generator.
ReplyDeleteThat's a wonderful benefit to owning "bigger" things, and I want to be able to do the same in the future! Good for you!
DeleteI love it when people are surprised that I'm in the country. Haha always so amusing!
ReplyDeleteYeah it's so much fun to surprise people by being in the country!
DeleteI definitely can't seem to buy anything that qualifies as a "big purchase" - furniture, a car, a bed...when that money could be spent toward traveling, which is so much more worthwhile!
ReplyDeleteI haven't actually left for my travels yet (planning and saving!), so we'll see if the rest of the list applies when I finally do :)
I agree! I minimize my shopping and save most of my money for future travels, even without the specific trip in mind...
DeleteThe furniture thing and the semi-unpacked bag are big ones for me. Nobody understands my intense desire to purchase inflatable couches and otherwise own only easily disassembled pieces of furniture and a relative minimum of dishes. I even had my hanging toiletry bag hung up in the bathroom at home for months. If I wanted to go on a trip, all I had to do was zip it shut again and I'd be ready to go.
ReplyDeleteI once lived in a beautiful condo sleeping on an air mattress :) There's nothing wrong with that, right?
DeleteGood to know your blog is still breathing, Kerri :) The email subscription is the best tool ever.
ReplyDeleteI've also searched about travelling to Bhutan, "just to see"! At this exact moment, my backpack is still unpacked from a 4 day trip :P
Thanks Raphael! And yes, I love the email subscription tool too.
DeleteI love this! The "you know you're a wanderer if"s made me laugh, so true! I can't wait to get wandering again in a few months!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I could make you laugh!
DeleteLove all of these photos Kerri! I am curious; do you carry a tripod with you ever during your travels? Or do you have other people take photos for you on occasion?
ReplyDeleteThank you! I don't use a tripod, and yes I usually ask people to take pictures for me.
DeleteTravel pusher.. I didn't realize how much of travel pusher I really am until just now reading your blog. I'm always trying to make people see that it is possible, they can too just go! Owning large pieces of furniture, I sold everything three years ago and all I own now is my car, to get me to and back from work, work: to save as much as I can so I can go again! I love your post, thank you, I can identify myself with a lot of these, like many who commented on here, I often feel inadequate as most people around me want to plant and make roots, be stable, stay put, and I have the total opposite feeling. Only when I experience other cultures and see other places is when I feel fully alive, the rest of the time I spend feeling "on pause" saving so I can go again. I'm hoping this time though, I won't have to come back home in order to save again, I'm hoping to do what you are doing, find work wherever I go and keep wandering. "A lifetime isn't long enough to walk all the roads a wanderer wants to walk, but it will have to do" this quote speaks to me. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad my post is meaningful for you! And yes, travel pushing is a real thing, and I catch myself doing it all the time.
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