I LOVE traveling. If you've never been a traveler, you wouldn't understand it and there's no sense in trying to explain it because you just won't get IT. But that 'it' of travel is beyond amazing. I just got back from a whirlwind trip around Guatemala with my parents and it reminded me, once again, how much I love IT. (more to come on that trip in a later post)
I love travel so much, I might even venture to say I'm addicted to it. According to Dictionary.com (a highly scholarly site), addiction is defined as:
You may be suffering from dromomania, or "mad travellers' disease" - a medical condition that describes people who are driven to wander long distances due to irresistible impulses.
Or you could just love to travel.
So how do you know if you're developing an addiction to wandering around the world? Take a look at this list:
1. Your suitcase is never fully unpacked.
2. You can swear in different languages.
3. The only reason you work is to save up for your next trip.
4. The flight attendants greet you by name - without looking at your ticket first.
5. You have more friends overseas than at home.
6. You plan your next trip before you finish the current one - or as soon as you get home!
7. Fellow travellers ask you for directions in foreign places, and you know where to point them.
8. When you sit down at your work desk you reach for the seatbelt.
9. You have more miles in the air than you have on your car.
10. You own more of those tiny bottles of toiletries than standard ones.
11. Waking up at home feels strange.
12. You try to curve your pillow around your neck, like a travel pillow.
13. Some people collect books, but your room is filled with souvenirs.
14. You're an expert on currency conversions and have a stash of money in different currencies.
15. You panic at the thought of having to stay in one place for too long.
16. You find it hard to sleep without the sound and vibrations from the jet engines.
17. You can pack in under five minutes.
18. Your bucket list is almost entirely travel-related.
19. You wear t-shirts or other items of clothing emblazoned with country names.
20. You feel sad when you walk through your front door.
the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.
I know that if I ever had to stop traveling, I would be BEYOND SEVERELY traumatized! I practically break into a cold sweat just thinking about that nightmarish of a situation. I also know that I am enslaved to travel. Every decision I make boils down to, "will this help me get to (insert next location here)?" Do I really need that Q5 bottle of water (that's about 20 cents) or can I wait until I get home and drink free water? Sure, I'd love to go out to dinner, but I'd rather save that Q40 (~$6) since I know every penny counts towards saving up for my next trip. See a job I like in an area of the world that won't allow me to easily travel to parts I want to--Pass! No thanks. Basically, all of my daily habits/practices/life choices are all based on getting me my next "fix" of travel.
I recently read this article (see below) and loved it. I especially like #s 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 15, 17, 18, and 20. (although not so much 20 anymore, since my Loki boy is at home). Mom was impressed at my #17 and my ability to pack. Everywhere we went on this trip, she constantly made comments like, "why didn't you tell me to pack that too?" "I didn't think to bring one of those." And my favorite, "See, Dani, this is why you should work in travel...you just know things like this. No one else knows to pack those!" Thanks, mama. You'll be happy to know, I don't plan on stopping anytime soon, thus I'll keep those skills honed. After all, it's for my own health to keep seeing the world; it's the only treatment for my 'mad travellers' disease.'
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Do you break out in a cold sweat when you don't have your next holiday planned? Do your relatives barely recognise you anymore? You may be suffering from dromomania, or "mad travellers' disease" - a medical condition that describes people who are driven to wander long distances due to irresistible impulses.
Or you could just love to travel.
So how do you know if you're developing an addiction to wandering around the world? Take a look at this list:
1. Your suitcase is never fully unpacked.
2. You can swear in different languages.
3. The only reason you work is to save up for your next trip.
4. The flight attendants greet you by name - without looking at your ticket first.
5. You have more friends overseas than at home.
6. You plan your next trip before you finish the current one - or as soon as you get home!
7. Fellow travellers ask you for directions in foreign places, and you know where to point them.
8. When you sit down at your work desk you reach for the seatbelt.
9. You have more miles in the air than you have on your car.
10. You own more of those tiny bottles of toiletries than standard ones.
11. Waking up at home feels strange.
12. You try to curve your pillow around your neck, like a travel pillow.
13. Some people collect books, but your room is filled with souvenirs.
15. You panic at the thought of having to stay in one place for too long.
16. You find it hard to sleep without the sound and vibrations from the jet engines.
17. You can pack in under five minutes.
18. Your bucket list is almost entirely travel-related.
19. You wear t-shirts or other items of clothing emblazoned with country names.
20. You feel sad when you walk through your front door.
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