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I spent nine months traveling the world and had a lot of fun, but I don't plan on traveling again.
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Because I was on a tight budget, I often turned down cool experiences to save money.
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I also struggled to form true friendships and didn't have a place to call my own.
While working remotely in 2021, my boyfriend and I packed up and traveled to 22 countries in Europe and Latin America.
These were some of the best days of my life, but I quickly realized that many of the videos I saw on social media glorifying full-time travel didn't necessarily depict the downfall of the lifestyle. I did.
More and more people are becoming digital nomads. Countries like Italy have introduced special visas for remote workers. But during my nine months abroad, I learned that lifestyle isn't everything.
This is why I will never travel full time again.
I found myself constantly looking for places and experiences that felt like home
While traveling full time, I found myself constantly searching for places and experiences that felt like home.
In a way, it was cool to feel like a local in a new city. However, when I returned home and took a short vacation, I began to appreciate the differences between the places I visited, rather than trying to find anything like home.
I like having a home base these days. Short trips can help break the monotony of life without sacrificing the comforts of home.
I felt like I was always thinking about money.
When I was traveling full time, I was on a tight budget. While traveling, I drained my wallet and ate cheap food in order to maintain some kind of financial security.
I told myself I wouldn't go to all the museums I wanted to go to, and instead of indulging in local cuisine that might have been out of my budget, I bought a cheap meal for dinner.
Where I overspend is when I forget that this is a new normal, not an endless vacation.
During the first two weeks of my trip, I wanted to hit all the must-see restaurants in Paris. But we quickly realized that in order to do that, we needed to set a strict daily budget for him for the remaining three weeks of his stay.
Of course, in the end it was worth saving the money to be able to travel for 9 months. But now that I go on short trips a few times a year, I have more flexibility to travel the way I want.
Friendships at home changed, and new friendships I made were short-lived.
I think what travelers are looking for most is community. While traveling, it was really hard to find the same quality of friends that I had back home.
Even when I met friends from overseas, it often didn't last long. We find that many people who travel full time only stay in a city for a few days. Even when I found someone I liked, it was difficult to maintain a long-distance relationship.
Traveling full time has also taken a toll on my friendships at home. It was like they had learned to live without me.
When I got home, I felt like we didn't have as much in common as we used to. It took months to get our friendship back to where it was before we left.
I missed having a space to call my own.
During my travels, I stayed in 25 different places over the course of 9 months. It was fun to see so many new places, but I also missed not having a place to call my own.
After spending many nights in a bed that wasn't my own, I felt an indescribable feeling when I returned home. In fact, when I returned, I was able to create a space that was inspired by the places I had visited.
I think traveling should be a priority for everyone, but there are ways to see the world without traveling full-time.
Currently, I plan to travel abroad for 1-2 weeks at least four times a year. This allows you to live a life full of travel without leaving the comforts of home, work, and relationships.
Read the original article on Business Insider
