Let's be honest, whether it's from your own personal experience or stories and photos from friends, everyone knows the pros of going travelling and the many, many reasons why it's one of the best things you'll ever do in your life. You could Google 'Why you should go travelling' and you'll be faced with a never ending list of blog posts telling you why you should quit your job and buy that plane ticket before it's too late. Don't get me wrong, I agree with every single one of those posts. But instead of adding to the hundreds of articles that already exist, I thought I'd talk about the worst parts of travelling instead to give you guys a wider understanding of what it's like to live a nomadic lifestyle. Believe me when I say that none of these points would ever stop me from travelling (the good certainly outweighs the bad), but it's always good to be mindful of the little annoyances that occur before you decide to embark on such a massive trip.
1. Friendships/Relationships don't last long
By far one of the hardest things about travelling is having a limited amount of time with people and having to say goodbye way earlier than you want to. Of course not everyone you come across travelling is going to be your bff, but there will certainly be occasions where you meet people that you instantly click and enjoy spending time with... Knowing full well that you only have a matter of days, if not hours, with them - trust me, it's not easy. It's even harder when you meet a guy and there's potential for a relationship (sounds dramatic but things move a lot faster on the backpacker scene!) but their travel plans are the opposite of yours or they're from a different country. From my own personal experience, a guy I got really close to in my hostel only had a month left on his Oz visa when I met him, which meant I was left in a bundle of tears waving him off at the station as he boarded his bus to the airport to fly back to the UK. You've heard the saying 'timing's a bitch', but timing and travel in general makes it almost impossible to establish longstanding relationships that will last longer than a few months (and that's if you're lucky!)
1. Friendships/Relationships don't last long
By far one of the hardest things about travelling is having a limited amount of time with people and having to say goodbye way earlier than you want to. Of course not everyone you come across travelling is going to be your bff, but there will certainly be occasions where you meet people that you instantly click and enjoy spending time with... Knowing full well that you only have a matter of days, if not hours, with them - trust me, it's not easy. It's even harder when you meet a guy and there's potential for a relationship (sounds dramatic but things move a lot faster on the backpacker scene!) but their travel plans are the opposite of yours or they're from a different country. From my own personal experience, a guy I got really close to in my hostel only had a month left on his Oz visa when I met him, which meant I was left in a bundle of tears waving him off at the station as he boarded his bus to the airport to fly back to the UK. You've heard the saying 'timing's a bitch', but timing and travel in general makes it almost impossible to establish longstanding relationships that will last longer than a few months (and that's if you're lucky!)
2. You get tired
When you set off on smaller trips, the thought of getting up at 6am for a 7 hour bus drive after a heavy night of drinking is exciting and you totally don't mind cause you're all about that fun and fast-paced lifestyle. Trust me, I've been there (Straya 2K15!!!) But in regard to longer trips lasting anywhere from a few months to a couple of years, it really starts to take its toll on you and you'll find yourself getting tired and exhausted. There's only so much movement your body can handle, let alone your mental well-being which is constantly being put to the test when things go wrong or when you're faced with uncomfortable situations. Some days you just need to rest (a duvet day on the road if you will), but you stop yourself because how can you possibly sleep in a dark room all day when you should be out exploring Thai beaches in 30 degree heat? You feel guilty for doing nothing, as if you're somehow wasting your once in a lifetime experience. But the truth is, long term travel drains you and you need to remember to look after yourself on the road instead of running yourself into the ground.
3. You gain weight
Unless you're a guy, in which case you'll probably lose a ton. If you stay active (think hiking up mountains and cycling around islands) you'll probably be able to balance out your bad diet for a while. But sooner or later, the amount of junk food and wine/buckets/sugary cocktails you consume will take it's toll and you'll end up like every other backpacker... a stone heavier. Then again you're travelling and having the time of your life, so most of the time you couldn't care less.
4. You miss little things about home
When I first went to Australia in 2015 for 2 weeks, I was so excited about going home and putting on a pair of jeans and a vampy lipstick because I really missed winter fashion and wearing winter clothes. When I went back to Australia in 2016 and ended up living there for 5 months, I started to miss different things like having a car and going on cheap clothing binges to Primark when I wanted to update my wardrobe. It annoyed me that I couldn't buy smoked mackerel or bran flakes without raisins in or chilli heatwave Doritos at the supermarket. I rarely got homesick but it was the little things about home that I missed the most (especially not being able to buy the foods that I used to live off in the UK).
5. Going home
The worst thing about travel? Once you've caught the bug, it's with you forever. It sounds cheesy as hell but it really is true. As depressing as it sounds, the things that used to make you happy at home don't make you happy anymore and it's pretty much impossible to feel content living your normal life when all you can think about is where you want to travel to next. Your life has gone from hopping from country to country without a care in the world, meeting endless amounts of people and having crazy amounts of fun to living back home with your parents, working 9-5 in a boring office job and getting stuck in rush hour traffic. So go and travel, have the time of your life and enjoy every minute. But remember, the hardest part will be going home!
xxx
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