Wanderlust is the strong desire to wander, travel and explore the world. A beach holiday once a year is far from enough, people with wanderlust seek the road less traveled…just about every other day.
Those who suffer from wanderlust simply aren’t happy unless they are discovering new places. They feel an overwhelming need to see every nook and cranny of the earth!
Traveling to far and exotic places will impress most people, however, few people have the impulse to constantly fling themselves across the globe, struggling with new languages and customs all to satisfy their curiosity.
Only Someone who suffers from wanderlust will understand these ten things.
1. Always feeling discontent with the present
When you suffer from wanderlust you are always thinking about your next great adventure and you practically live in the future. It’s hard to focus on the present as you are always counting down to the days to when you will leave your current location.
You get tired of where you are easily and seem to always wish you were somewhere new.
2. Feeling like you can’t relate to people the way you used to
Wanderlust often strikes people in their late adolescent to early adult years. In their early twenties, those with wanderlust often notice they feel completely different about life than they did a few years back and can no longer connect to many of their close friends from high school.
You just don’t get people who aren’t as excited about traveling as you are. You start gravitating towards other people who make exploring the earth a priority.
3. You can’t date someone who doesn’t feel the same
You’re not really attracted to people who don’t make travel a serious part of their life. The way you feel about exploring is the way many others feel religion or politics.
While your friends will only date someone of a certain faith or political orientation, you are only interested in those who also feel the pangs of wanderlust.
4. You can’t stay in the same place
You can’t stand to stay in the same place for more than a few months. You’re constantly enduring the same cycle of initial excitement, contentment and then before long, itchy feet once again.
5. Guilt of always leaving
The majority of people you know are happy for you as you pursue your passion for wandering but there are those closest to you that become sad whenever you leave.
Family members and best friends feel slightly betrayed when you make travel the main priority in your life and it’s hard not to feel guilty sometimes. This is a very common occurrence with expats.
6. A normal job is out of the question
You can’t fathom sitting still in a cubicle, inside, for eight hours a day. You’re always working odd jobs which your friends back home think you are crazy for doing.
You’re fruit picking, scrubbing hostel toilets, teaching English without any teaching qualifications…and your best friend from high school is working their life away as an accountant.
7. You never have as much money as your stationary friends
When you do come back home, it seems like your friends always have so much more money than you. You are constantly spending money on plane tickets and thrills such as scuba diving while your friends back home are working forty hours a week.
Your friends want to go to the more expensive restaurants and take taxis home from the bar rather than walk thirty minutes, and you are struggling to keep your wallet afloat. Your friends don’t understand your need to live as cheaply as possible in between each big-ticket item.
8. You know you sound like a snob sometimes
The more you explore the world, the more you feel the need to express your expert opinion on pretty much everything. You’re not trying to come off as a know-it-all, but you can see your friend’s eyes roll everytime you dole out your incredible expertise.
9. You have a very international Facebook feed
Your Facebook newsfeed always has about five different languages going on. From other travelers you’ve met at hostels to locals of the countries where you’ve lived abroad.
It’s getting to the point where you don’t have to pay for accommodation while traveling half the time because you have friends with couches all over the world.
10. You know the map better than most of your friends
You’ve never studied geography but you can describe where just about any country is on the map. You find yourself appalled when your friend doesn’t know where Malaysia is. When someone assumes that Croatia is in Asia you just lose it.
When you have wanderlust, traveling is not a hobby, it’s a lifestyle and a mindset. It can be overwhelming at times, always craving something new.
Always wanting something far away that takes a lot of effort to get to. It’s when you meet someone else with the same mindset that the struggles of wanderlust become totally worth it.
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