Comments on: Dealing with criticisms on long term travel

By: Tara

Tara — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:57:38 +0000

I have been looking around online to do some research on the psychological effects of long term travel and stumbled on this site. I, as anyone on this site, have that travel bug in my heart and have since my first trip overseas at 21. I spent almost a year traveling solo in SE Asia about 2 years ago, which is the trip that brings me to try to gain some insight on how this long term trip has effected how I feel. I now have a hard time feeling like things are right, and like I am who i am supposed to be. At first I chalked this up to reverse culture shock, but after 2 years I still feel unsettled inside.

Shortly after I got home the only friend I had that could relate to these feelings passed, and the fact that they still linger makes me feel like I need some sort of confirmation that they are not specific to me and my experience. Does this feeling of discomfort become permanent when you experience the ultimate freedom and then go home to establish yourself with a 9-5 and a retirement plan? Any comments on this subject?

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:24:14 +0000

I have often encountered this reaction and it is mostly seated in jealousy. I am lucky enough (and have also worked very hard over the years) to have been able to put myself in a position where physical location is no longer relevant to my work. I have been on the road since October 2008 and am loving every minute. I had got trapped in the money/lifestyle thing previously and had turned into what I feared the most: a 9-5 drone. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but doing the same thing day-in, day-out, living only for the weekend is not my idea of having a life at 33. I still work hard, I still study (because I now have the time to), but more importantly, I have a life. Sure, I don’t earn as much as I used to, I don’t own a house or a car, but I am living my life the way I want it to be, and not how someone is telling me it should be.

Absolutely anyone can do this – really – just on different levels. It is just that first step that is hard as Scott Gilbertson says, but once you have taken it, you view life, immediately, from a different perspective. I have taken this first step a number of times since I was the age of 18, so it is a little easier for me, but the last time I had to take that step, it was very hard as I had been swallowed up in the world of work. I recognised this, and this scared me enough into taking the plunge into the unknown again. I am better for it, and have met so many wonderful people and have gained many wonderful experiences as a result. Why work 14 hour days when you can have a life and only work four hour days? I know which one I prefer (and no, I don’t have a huge bank balance, or inherited wealth).

By: Celine

Celine — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:33:50 +0000

I agree with Nora. It’s a great idea to have a blog or to send email dispatches for the people at home. I tend to do the latter, since my family isn’t really tech savvy.

As for relationships changing, this tends to happen even without traveling – the trip just accelerates the process. Personally, I keep very few friendships so that I can give these relationships the focus and effort they deserve. This makes it “easier” (in a way) for me to forge strong bonds that rarely change despite the distance.

By: Nora

Nora — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:47:46 +0000

@Downtown – I actually travel with my partner, which is different from solo travel. But we as a unit tend to experience many similar feelings that a solo traveler would in terms of relationships with friends and family back home. The solace is that we have each other to smooth out those lonely times.

@David – I’m headed “home” for a visit shortly (solo), and already feel that I’ll be outside my old social circles by virtue of my experiences on the road and too much water under the bridge. But who knows…I too, would not trade in my experiences for the world, and I believe that the really important friends and family members will rally to celebrate with me (or at least browse through a few pictures with me).

This brings up an interesting point: if you keep a detailed blog and email people regularly when you travel, your friends and family have the ability to keep up with the important events of your traveling life. So arriving home is not an exercise in playing “catch up”, but rather building on what you have…..thoughts?

By: David

David — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:15:17 +0000

I traveled on my own (backpack and on foot) between 1995-1999.

The reason for my journey was not only to discover myself, but also to explore the American Landscape and expose myself to as many different opinions, lifestyles and perceptions on Life as possible (all of which helped me re-define myself and world view).

I kept in contact with friends and family via email and postcards, and the occasional phone call – yet when I returned home, everyone mentioned how much I had “changed” and I found it difficult to find interest in the same things that had always held my social circle together.

I developed new friends, new ideas and new perspectives on life while I was on the road, and while I still love my friends, a lot of us don’t have the same relationship we used to.

It’s taken a little time to settle back into the routine of being in one place over a long period of time, but I have a wealth of stories and experiences in my “mental backpack” that I wouldn’t change for all the world.

By: Downtown

Downtown — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:11:35 +0000

What long term psychological and social effects would you expect to experience after 2 years traveling alone?
I am interested in the psychology of solo adventurers – what common factors motivate them to undertake solo travel, and what long term effects would you expect to see after a long period of isolation from one’s community, friends and family.

By: Nora

Nora — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:10:56 +0000

This is a very thoughtful and insightful article – thank you! As a full-time traveler for over 2 years, I’m starting to see the consequences of my choice to be a vagabond…the judgment, the lack of understanding, and the friendships that suffer for it.

And I agree that the use of the word “vacation” is a misnomer to all that is long-term travel. If people are jealous, I believe it is because the vagabond’s life is shrouded in exotic mystery and unrealistic ideas of what it is like to travel full-time, work on the road, etc. Fun and rewarding, it is. But a vacation, it is not.

That is not to say that I have any regrets for my choice to travel. But the lack of empathy that comes with the territory can make it a hard choice to make – and live with – while remaining self-confident and assured.

By: Fred Sigman

Fred Sigman — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:32:41 +0000

For many of us, long-term travel is not simply a lifestyle, but a way to make a living; a way to live. As I have been globetrotting since age 10, it was natural that my chosen professions would be supported by travel (not the other way around). Thoreau understood this. ““A traveler. I love this title. A traveler is to be reverenced as such. His profession is the best symbol of our life. Going from – toward; it is the history of everyone of us.” Profession, as in professing a way of living, a way of making a living.

As for the accusation of being a bum by some: two words…Dharma Bums.

By: Rolf

Rolf — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:58:41 +0000

I’m happy to do an interview, but you might check out the content at the “Interviews” link at left first. Given Wikipedia’s reference requirements, they might well be the best bet.

By: Lis Carpenter

Lis Carpenter — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:36:06 +0000

Is it possible to interview you? I am working on the Wikipedia article on vagabonding and someone marked it for deletion because I did not have sufficient content. I was flabbergasted!

Thank man!
Lis