Are long-term trips to endless vacation?
What are the main false ideas of this particular type of travel? I would like to approach this article to two groups of people:
- Those who really don’t know the difference between a long -term trip and vacation / vacation
- Those who are convinced that a long -term trip It’s like being on a permanent vacation.
I admit it: I have been a little angry and frustrated lately. I know that I shouldn’t worry much about what people say about my trip. However, sometimes it annoys me when another friend or relative suggests that everything I do these months is lying on a beach, sipping a cocktail after the other and doing absolutely nothing.
It bothers me because I can feel their aura of superiority as they said, “Good for you, just relax and enjoy life while we are here, work on real jobs and earn our honest life in a responsible way.”
Does this seem familiar to you? I bet this is the case if you are a digital nomad or a long -term traveler! There is always a “aunt Sally” for each of us, trying to lower yourself and making you feel like a useless tramp. I’m not like that, but these people irritate me nevertheless.
So what is the reality of the facts? Let’s see, in relation to what people think of a long -term trip and what it is (depending on my experience).
Long-term trip: what is it?
1 | Long -term travelers are rich:
A year on the road? Heck, you must be a millionaire! It is one of the main false ideas on travel. Where do you devil people have this bad idea completely?
Well, if you think of the average cost of two weeks of vacation in high season in any “vacation place”, you know that it will not be cheap. This is probably the main difference between the holidays and a trip: The holidays are relatively Much more expensive than a long -term trip.
To stay on the road for a long time, travelers sometimes compromise a lot in terms of comfort and always try to find original ways to save money on food, accommodation,, and transport.
At more than one opportunity, I had to be flexible and say yes to quite unpleasant beds, used to bizarre insects crawling on my legs at night (hello scorpions, cockroaches and huge spiders) and eat street dishes every day to avoid running the mom during the first month of my “epic” trip.
When I took the Phen Phen bus to Siem ReapI had to sit for more than 8 hours on bumpy roads without aerial and a single stop in public toilets (a smelly hole in the ground without rinsing water). This is not exactly what you call “relaxing holidays”, right?
Don’t get me wrong, the experience is worth it and enriching On several levels, but these are not a vacation.
2 | Travelers relax on the beach all the time:
Relaxing on a beach and sipping a cocktail is typical For a vacation, not a long -term trip. After all, during your vacation, you only want to take some time in your stressful life, your work and your responsibilities.
You want to relax and take advantage of your leave every second. Your biggest effort is to choose what to take for lunch. You can even be courageous enough to include seriously “daring” activities such as kayaking or snorkeling, but you rarely get out of your comfort zone.
You don’t want to stress on vacation, right? Understandable. I understand.
On the other hand, long -term travelers escape anything. The trip is their lifestyle, their “routine”, every day. Some of us work like digital road nomads and remain in place for months to Earn money online And be able to hit the road.
You will not generally see a real traveler in a seaside resort or any other fancy accommodation. We usually prefer to push ourselves out of our comfort zone. We try (and we sometimes succeed) in living as residents, or at least to see not only beautiful places But also the most difficult.
It is not that we are “better” than a normal tourist. This is not the point that I try to have done here. It’s just a choice like the others, and my eyes have neither well nor pain.
Sometimes these dangerous choices can be frightening, unpleasant or difficult, But that’s what travel is. We did not leave our houses to rest on a beach. It could happen, of course, and we will cherish these times more than you can imagine, but it is not the main objective of a trip.
Years after writing this article, I realized how a trip could change you in a way that you would never have imagined. I am now more aware of the environment (after seeing a sea of plastic in many Asian regions, you change or are without conscience).
Now I live again in Europe, and I decided to radically Reduce the amount of plastic I use::
- I substituted all my plastic bottles with windows and I convinced my family to do the same.
- I rarely buy products wrapped in plastic with grocery store. I take them one by one and I use recyclable bags.
- I even tried the organic shampoo and revitalizing it, but unfortunately, my hair cannot manage it.
I mean that a vacation would not go so deep in your skin. A real long -term trip certainly does it.
3 | Travelers do not need a vacation; They are already on vacation!
Many people assume that I have not needed a vacation since I travel. It is not entirely true. Traveling is one of the most enriching experiences in the world, but sometimes it is difficult if you do for months in a row (ask any experienced traveler there, and you will rarely find one who is not tired after a few months).
I know it may seem ridiculous for those who have never tried. Before I start my adventure, it seemed crazy to me too. A few days before my departure, I came across an interesting article entitled “”Travel burnout. “”
“The trip is fun and new and brilliant at first, but after a while, these buses become uncomfortable instead of a new cool mode of transport. This tuk-tuk driver constantly talks about big visits to” special price for you “becomes boring instead of funny. After being on the road for a while, things tend to start nervous.”
I was perplexed. How was it even possible? If you like to travel, you will never get tired of it! How naive of me.
This is perfect, tested by me at the hard time after years on the road, and I could not formulate it in a better way. In addition, it is even more important for those who work while traveling to “take a break” of all chaos. Travel can be intimidating, and we have to stop and “take a vacation” from our trips from time to time.
A few weeks in a hotel or a fancy complex, or even renting an apartment, eating Western food and doing something familiar is necessary for our mental health.
The last point is essential for the Debate “Voyage vs Holiday”. I have lived in an isolated village in Thailand since May, so it’s been three months now to live and work with the inhabitants, and I also have three more months on the road already on my back.
Honestly? For how incredible this experience could have been so far, I can’t wait to make a “break”.
This is why I reserved a ticket for Italy and London, where I will stay for at least a month. Ironically, my idea for a “vacation” comes home in a routine that I wanted to escape when I decided to leave.
Because traveling also taught me to appreciate the little things I took for acquired: a nice hot shower, a western toilet, a huge delicious pizza or even a simple piece of bread.
Traveling is incredible, and I would not change it for nothing in the world, but a vacation is necessary to appreciate the experience even more!
Have you met people who think you were on a permanent vacation? I am curious to know if I am the only one to be frustrated when these people make inappropriate comments on my lifestyle!