Travelling is the worst idea I've ever had.

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[thedavidboland]

I hope you enjoyed these stories and reflections from years of adventuring which are now in the distant past. Wishing you a happy journey today, wherever you may be. <3

[Buffenmeyer]

I used to think in terms of “working - then going on vacation.” Then one day I realized that my life is the vacation. Make every moment count whether away or at home. 😊

[ItsMeNanaD]

I travel & camp to get away from people, not to join them. I never feel more lonely than when I’m surrounded by people. I prefer the solitude. It’s a break from “regular” life for me. Most people fly to destination areas for their vacations; I pack up my camping equipment & my dog & off we go to find remote places to camp so we can recharge in nature. I could never travel full time & not have a home base to land. As much as I love traveling & camping, I love coming home as well. I’m already “lost” enough, I’m not looking to add to it by having no home base, by having to search day & night for places I’m welcome to stay. That’s just me though.

[kentwood]

A friend of mine who's father was old and soon to pass, spent a Summer together driving to visit and photograph each and every town in their state. They had a blast and the photos and memories he shared with his friends were phenomenal. Every town has a story behind it, something strange and something beautiful. Adventure is everywhere if you're willing to stop and take a hard look. The most important ones are the ones we share, face to face and heart to heart.

[aldonis]

I decided to sell my home and possessions and prepare myself to live in a tiny home after I traveled throughout 2023 and loved it. I had a lot going on, and traveling and meeting new people and places really helped me move on from things while simultaneously stimulating my mind with new experiences both good and bad that would make for interesting stories. I've worked throughout my entire 20 years and just done with it. I have no kids, no gf, no debt aside from the mortgage and just gonna enjoy life. I realized life is more than just money, and I don't want to be defined by what I own, but what I know. I know it's not going to be a glamourous lifestyle, but living in my truck as I traveled was pretty nice (My tiny home will be a 6x12 cargo trailer conversion, so much more comfy!)

[chilloften]

Some of us suffer terribly with nostalgia.
I’m glad to experience the emotion, but it honestly blows my mind and is detrimental on the daily.

[getreal]

Hey David, what you're proving (and showing bravely) is that peace and happiness are always only ever found within our own minds. I've travelled, I've settled, I've had money and I've lived Essentialism and in all that, the most content, the happiest I've even been have been those moments of inner peace, a oneness with the whole universe which just makes you smile inside and out

[AnthonyStJames-ynnr]

I see travelling as how I see treats, they're perfect to enjoy from time to time and in small amounts. If you eat your treats all the time and in unlimited amounts, it will lose its "treat" factor and just be another mundane thing, which will cause you to find a higher treat to please yourself with. Same with travelling, it's fun to do from time to time, but doing it as if you're expecting and mandating it to happen will just lead to unhappiness. In my opinion, getting your basics and your mundane life in order first will make you happier and make you feel the need to escape reality and travel more, and make travels more enjoyable as you're pursuing them for joy, not to drown out something.

[DaDa-kfvp]

I moved to the Big Island with this mindset. Stayed for a year. I learned a great lesson. It’s not where you are, but who you’re with. I was lonely most of the time and missing home.

[harorider]

I remember going to a festival in Miami and spending three days with awesome people. I told my friend “wow… I won’t see them again” and I was depressed. I don’t run away to traveling as often anymore

[ChrisLivingInYork]

Your perspective is fascinating, and I truly resonate with your sentiments. When I reminisce about my travels in my 20s, I realize that my happiest memories often stemmed from spontaneous adventures and overcoming challenges, much like what you beautifully depicted in your video. Moreover, through those experiences, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of myself and what truly brings me joy. Traveling isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience, as I discovered during my recent two-month journey. There were moments when the constant movement became overwhelming, prompting me to reconsider my approach. In today’s world, shaped by the omnipresence of smartphones, the landscape of travel has transformed drastically. Now, with just a swipe, young adults across the globe can access the entirety of the world, instantly. It’s a profound shift that has fundamentally altered the way we explore and engage with the world around us. The world is becoming a lot similar

[AJ-]

2 years and 11 months ago I threw caution into the wind to travel across my country (The US) to work seasonal gigs in order to fill the desire of getting out of my home state, and to thoroughly hike and explore the western half of my country. This video resonates how I feel inside since starting this journey. I don't regret a thing, and I deeply appreciate the ups and downs I've experienced, but at the same time, spending 3-6 months connecting and getting to know all your coworkers, the locations, bars, locals, etc. Sometimes it just feels so hollow. The gig will never end until it does, and then all those things go away, and I'm in my fully loaded outback driving to the next job. I don't think regular traveling was ever meant to be a normal lifestyle for the average joe, just a short portion of our lives, that is unless you find the right ensemble crew to do this with. I don't know, kinda just rambling at this point. I wouldn't discourage traveling to anyone I think, rather I'd just heed the warning that nothing is permanent on the road, and as rule 1 stated, inconsistency is the only consistency.

[os-qthc]

I'm 37, I have travelled a lot and honestly, I think I slowly grew tired of it. I got to a point when I started to prefer the beauty of the known rather than the excitement of the unknown. I already feel like I've been everywhere and seen everything (even though I've only visited maybe approx. 25 countries). Travelling is expensive (and I always travelled on a small budget) plus when I imagine all the trouble I would have to go through to be able to enjoy one nice beach or one nice view or one nice jungle or one whale or elephant or one nice lake or eat one nice meal or whatever.. it is just not worthy to me anymore. When travelling, you see some beautiful places, experience things which are nice and pleasant, but the pleasant part of travelling is maybe 10%, and the remaining 90% of the time you are suffering for whatever reason (you cannot find any food that you would enjoy, cannot find toilets when you need them, you rent a car with a tank that is almost empty, you get a flat tire or you cannot start the car one morning, you rent a scooter because it is the only way how to get where you want and then you have an accident because you've never driven one, beds or pillows are super uncomfortable, the weather can be pretty extreme, locals shouting and smoking in a bus right next to you, somebody robbing you, you have diarrhoea or other health problems, cocroaches, no electricity, mosquitoes, extreme humidity and sweating, no pavements, no forests, not possible to walk wherever, locals do not understand your problems and sometimes you feel like you landed on a different planet, you name it You cannot just relax and enjoy your day in peace because you are not in control of anything. Not like when you are home. There is a constant overcoming of obstacles and constant stress, rushing, organising, moving, worrying, clutural shocks, expectations not met, dealing with all kinds of people, getting scammed, sometimes being scared of the locals or annoyed by them, constant problem solving, transport issues, food poisoning... it is so exhausting. My colleagues who have not travelled as much as I have complained to me some time ago that they hadn't been abroad for 2 years and I thought.. well, me neither but I just don't care about that anymore. Last 2 summers I spent 2 weeks with my parents chilling in their garden, reading a book, going on bike rides either alone or with them, going on walks in the forest or swimming in a lake and I felt so incredibly relaxed and rested and joyful. Best holidays ever. I have never been so rested after any of my travels. Simple things bring so much joy when you are in an enviroment that you know, with people you know, doing things you like and everything is predictable to some extent. It is so much more relaxing than jumping into the unknown where every day is full of the unpredictable and you need to be constantly alert and constantly lower your standards and suffer in conditions that you are not used to only to enjoy a nice beach here a nice mountain there, exotic fruit and food that will eventually give you diarrhoea 🤣 Also, I have to say that in the past couple of years I have gradually become more content with myself, with my life, and overall more happy. I have started to love myself and have gained some self confidence. So I do not feel the need to go to some exotic place to feel happy. I can just walk for 8min from my house to the nearest forest and hike for an hour and I am as happy as I can get 😄 travelling can definitely enrich your life a lot. Travel if you can, but don't chase happiness and fulfillment on your travels. You won't find it there if you don't already have it in you. There is no need to spend every holiday travelling the world. After having travelled to Asia and the US, I have realised that things which I considered normal and was used to were not normal everywhere else in the world. I could write about that for hours. But to finally end this essay: I appreciate what I have and where I live so much more after having experienced life in other countries. There are nice places, things and people everywhere, but I cannot be as relaxed anywhere else as I am when I am in my home country just doing things I love with people I love.

[DialTransmition]

Thank you for posting about this, it makes me feel a bit better about how I personally feel about traveling.
I have never in my life wanted to travel, sure there are places in the world that would be cool to see, but all the things that comes with traveling; the stress, scheduels, money, people, planes etc. I just don't think my fantasy about these places is going to make up for it. Whenever I have told people this I've been treated like some kind of wierdo, literally every single time. This has always made me feel like I'm in the wrong, like something is wrong with me because I don't like doing something everyone else does, making it seem like I'm missing out on life etc.
It's tiring. Why can't I just be happy where I am with what I got? Why do I HAVE to go out for these experinces that don't even appeal to me?

[brianmsahin]

Interesting video. Another Irishman here living in Türkiye for more than 20 years. I too did the big round the world trip, 14 months with a backpack, started in Venezuela during a huge crisis (I suppose there's always a crisis in Venezuela), traveled all of South America, on to New Zealand, then Australia (short stay as I'd lived in Australia before), then onto Indonesia, SE Asia, India and eventually back to Ireland. There are definitely an awful lot of ups and downs, but my friend, when you are, like me looking back almost 20 years since you did it, you'll remember all the good times and forget the awful things! I did find being home to be difficult to handle though, I was bored and still took every opportunity to get away from the mundane. Now, living here, I can find adventurous places to go with ease as Türkiye is incredibly diverse and my wife is as adventurous as me ! Nice to hear your thoughts, I understand how you feel !

[pertsonvelts]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing! Glad to have found you.

[kevin_x]

Another amazing story. Thank you for telling.

[xcm]

It's not traveling when you're just using it as an excuse to run away from your problems and real life.

[bensun]

relatable and beautiful message, thanks for sharing. Been missing living on the road lately, this video helped

[stevierayripple]

Been traveling most of my life and especially for the last 12 years after retirement. I travel about 9 months a year, and it keeps getting better and better ! I'm not going to stop until this 72 y/o body gives out ...