I knew traveling wouldn’t be 100% perfect, but I also did not expect the new snafugs that could upend my whole sunny mood. When you start to travel, you’re drawn to the Instagram perfect locations, the food you’ll eat, the people you’ll meet, the flings you’ll have… the absence of real-life problems, am I right? But anything that’s worth it, isn’t easy, and you have to expect to not have things always go your way. I’ve learned it’s okay to be annoyed at traveling, even hate things about it. Here’s what I hated the most:
I did not expect myself to be homesick, I assumed I would cast aside any reminders of home for the thrill of the unknown… well well well my life isn’t a movie and we might feel a range of emotions in any given moment! I realized that being homesick did not mean that I wanted to get on the first plane back home…even though there were times I fantasized about it. Still it was a comfort. I knew if things got really bad or traveling wasn’t working out, I promised myself that I would book a flight home and enter the cocoon in my bedroom and chill out for as long as I needed. I’m so glad I stuck it out, but I let myself feel homesick. Sometimes, you want to be in two places at once. Where’s some floo powder when you need it?
- Living out of a suitcase. God sometimes, I could curse that suitcase to hell and back. Living out of a carry on and a weekender bag for four months is a feat I’m proud of, but the reality of it often gave me a headache. Unpacking and repacking, unpacking and repacking was a level of hell completely overlooked by Dante. I don’t know how some people do it, traveling to a new place every couple of days would give be a serious headache. It’s possible my very specific way of packing my suitcase is the reason for my headache, but that’s neither here or there. When I finally got to my coliving spot, having a place to stay for a whole month was a dream.
- Dunkin Donuts. I have no idea why, but one day I was seriously craving a large vanilla iced coffee, a half toasted everything bagel, and an unhealthy amount of cream cheese. It hit me like a train. It’s definitely going to be an incredible treat when I return home.
- Wawa. This is self-explanatory. The need for wawa is always real.
- My bed. My god when I was in a crappy hotel room, all I wanted to do was spread out on my queen sized bed and sleep the day away. Sleep was another desire. 14 hours of it to be exact.
- My parents and my family. This is also obvious, but after living with my parents for 5 months, I missed our morning conversations, my mom’s cooking, and our sunny back porch.
- Philadelphia! My love for philly has taken me by surprise these last couple years. Perhaps because I moved to NYC and realized how much I hated that city. Ultimately, Philly is home. It has a wonderful familiarity about it, it still can surprise you, and I had a wonderful life when I lived there. I’m still missing my one-bedroom apartment and all the walks I would take down little sidestreets. The good thing is that I can always return to Philly if I want to.
- But there’s a time and place for everything, and everything deserves to be missed. I realized that my love for travel can still exist amongst all its shortcomings and irritations. I can want to be in two places at once, both can exist in the same reality. And there’s something very comforting about that.