Thoughts on Wanderlust

[WanderLoveJosh]

I made this blog post on our website the other day, and thought some of you may have some insight as well.. so I figured id share it on here...

For many staying in one place for most of your life isn't a thought that even enters the head. Why would you move? You have everything you need here.. its home, Friends, family are here,  you have a good job. Though I bet may times in your head you've said, "I really need a vacation" Which probably rarely ever gets taken, and understandable in the way most live their lives. So when someone comes along with the idea to travel full time, its considered taboo really, or something that's impossible where you'll hear many comments like, "I'd love to do that but I have responsibility's". As if someone who dreams of other places should feel bad because they haven't built their life in a way the concretes them to staying in one state.

I can say for most of my life I've never wanted to move,  I thought as many others have. Everywhere else is gonna be the same. Which of course is 100% not to at all, I mean you're gonna tell me that colorado mountains look like miami, fl or that the utah desert looks like ohio? Not even close, but with a closed mind things like this don't really come into thought. I like to compare being in one place to staying in one room your entire life.. Yes it may be familiar and have all the things you need, but it can get boring, and its defiantly not like other rooms, some are bigger with different ceilings, and different colors.

Now, i'm not implying that everyone is the same, clearly they aren't. Not everyone would want to travel. This post is to help someone understand why another person would want too, and why when some are bitten by the travel bug its hard to sit still. I mean every day a new sun rises and a new town, state, awaits. New mountains. New desert. New beaches. The excitement of something new is always there and the feeling is refreshing.  Many will say, "just take a vacation for a few days", and while that may sound like a solution, its really just teasing the soul. How great and revitalizing a vacation is.... Until you have to return back to every day life where everything is exactly the same, day in and day out, and if life doesn't have  to be like that, then why do it? Many people do not even imagine that they can die at any moment. People think they're invincible, which is the most foolish thinking, and is what keeps many in the same place in life with the, "you have you who life ahead of you" attitude. Yeah, tell that to all the millions of people who have died at a young age and defiantly didn't see it coming. Time waits for no one, you have to get out and live. This does not mean you never work and that you want everything handed to you. Things many people don't think about is that you can enjoy life without working 365 days a year. Now its not for everyone because some people genuinely love to work, but for those who love to wander and seek adventure, these people can't be happy just doing the same dull tasks day in and out.  Some people desire mountains and beaches, its refreshing, and its like a different land to them.

So if someone tells you they want to travel, encourage them, push them to get out and do it and live happy, to take risks,  yeah the thought of retirement money is nice.... but how great is it gonna be if you spend all your time working, not living, and you die before you even collect that money. Exactly. Live.. be free(er).

Btw. the attatched photo is from our trip last year where we hitchhiked across the US... which is what started our wanderlust...

 

[nobodyG17]

That's a great picture.  

Thank you for sharing.  Have you posted about your hike anywhere?   I don't see a link to your blog or I'm just missing it.

 

[WanderLoveJosh]

Sorry, I guess I forgot to post a link... lol

http://wanderloverv.com/blog/

 

[mockturtle]

It could be in my genetic makeup. Some ancestors were on the Mayflower in the 1600's; some were pioneers headed west in the 1800's. OTOH, my late husband's family lived in the same village in England from the 12th century to the 21st, except for him.

 

[BradKW]

I've got a couple guys who display a form of wanderlust. For example, has anyone seen my Electrician? He's not on either of the jobs he's supposed to be on...

 

[mockturtle]

I've got a couple guys who display a form of wanderlust. For example, has anyone seen my Electrician? He's not on either of the jobs he's supposed to be on...

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I used to have zero desire to travel. Loved the town I grew up in Massachusetts and couldn't have been more content. And I won't lie, feeling content is a wonderful thing, and because I used to be that way, I can understand why some people don't care about traveling. All through out my late teens and 20's I worked non stop and i worked hard. My dad used to always tell me to take a break and do some traveling as he had done a lot in his 20's. Motorcycle trip to Montana, cross country and into Alaska in a van with his brother and Cousin and many other similar styled trips. I always replied, "there's nothing out there to see, I have everything I need right here". Anyways, he died when I was 29 and I kept hearing him in my head saying take a break and take a trip! He had been to every state except Hawaii and my brother and I decided we should spread some of his ashes there. It was my first time on a plane! When we landed we had found a woman via craigslist willing to rent us her Jeep Wrangler for the entire month we were out there and even told us a bunch of spots to check out that only the locals knew about. To this day it was one of my favorite trips. Camped on the beaches every night we were there. When I got home, I had this burning desire to see more. So my brother and I once again paying tribute to our dad, decided we'd do a motorcycle trip like he had 30 years prior. Loaded up the bikes and spent the next three weeks going from Boston to Dallas and back, camping the entire trip. Made it home and still wasn't satisfied. My brother had to go back to school, so I inherited my dads Van and loaded it up with some camping gear and head to Key West. Month later got home, still wasn't satisfied. Loaded up my bike and my girlfriend at that time, and I headed to Sturgis for the Rally. Did all those trips the same year. Did a few other cross country trips since. Yosemite, Glacier, Telluride, Portland, Seattle, etc. As much as I wish I started traveling sooner, in a way it's also worked out pretty good. I averaged 60 hour work weeks from 18-29 and used to save every penny I made. Bought my first house at 21 before real estate prices skyrocketed. Lucky timing on my part. So now those 12 years of grueling work and the proceeds from selling my house is going to finance a lot of my traveling this fall. And I learned how to build houses, cabinets and furniture those years and I really enjoy doing it, so even though I didn't travel, it wasn't time lost either. However, now, all I can do is think about being on the open road. I know I'm going to have to work again at some point, but for now it's the furthest thought from my mind. Lots of road to cover and lots of like minded people to meet. I try to talk to my friends and family about this stuff and they look like they want to have me committed! One thing I will forever be grateful for is my Dad and his love of the great outdoors. He spent a lot of time with us growing up camping, backpacking, flyfishing, hunting, etc. Feel like those skills go hand and hand with the traveling lifestyle.

 

[WanderLoveJosh]

Thats an awesome life story, thanks for sharing. Its crazy how it can take that wander bug to bite us, after so many years of being in routine. It can help a lot of people who suffer from depression as well, i've ready many stories, where people just can figure out what is missing, then they just up and travel and they feel more free and more alive, which is what we should be doing as humans. We aren't invincible, and it's terrible to let life waste away. Not saying wandering is the only key to happiness, but I think many would agree that breaking the cycle can def be refreshing.

 

[MrNoodly]

My father didn't like to travel but had to for his job. Mom wanted to travel, but Dad refused. She hoped she would outlive him so she could finally see the world. She didn't.

I'm like my mother, but up until I retired I didn't travel anywhere near as much as I wanted to. Time... money... obligations... I avoided buying a house because I didn't want to be anchored. But I finally caved to all the talk of it being a great investment and tax deduction. After playing that game for 16 years, I couldn't take it any longer and started researching ways to live without a building. And here I am. It's funny that some van/RV dwellers think I wander too much instead of staying a month or more in one location. But after a week, after a few days, I get the urge to move on, to see what's down the road, to change the view. Sometimes it's enough to just be driving -- somewhere, anywhere. Yesterday I drove ten miles -- not far -- just to be in a different place. It's very similar to where I was, but the move satisfied the urge.

 

[billybob200138]

Life is good.

 

[Cheli]

Great post. Like 'Every Road Leads Home' shared, I also never had the desire to travel. Well I should say I never had the desire to travel full time, I always enjoyed taking vacations but in the end they always seemed so hectic trying to get everything you want to do done in a week to get back to work. Always felt like something was missing but never imagine it was the desire to leave everything behind. Until recently, the last couple of years, I realized I have the desire to get rid of everything, live simply and travel the country to actually ENJOY life and what it has to offer. I have always been super responsible, worked hard, had the house, the cars, fancy vacations blah blah blah. But I'm tired of the mundane routine that is considered 'normal'.

Time to move on and be free!