Day 25 of the A to Z Blogging Challenge – Thoughts on Being a Nomad
Yearning to be in the tropics again (yoga under the palm trees in Kuna Yala)
Everyone has an addiction (or two, or three), a yearning for something. An attraction that rarely, if ever, fades. As a nomad, mine is travel. One look at a world map or globe and my eyes are fixed, my heart beats faster and my thoughts wander to all the places I would like to visit and experience. I think “There is so much to see in this world!” and I immediately wish to pack my bags and jump on a plane. Every. Single. Time. I look at my wall-sized map and this happens. (I am also always as intrigued by how all the continents can be pieced together, made whole like a puzzle.) Luckily, this particular map hangs in my childhood room in Belgium, where I only spend a few weeks a year. At other times, I hope it inspires my 7-year old niece during sleepovers. She might follow in my footsteps one day. Sorry, brother!
This yearning for adventure feels very different from a craving for chocolate, alcohol, candy or cigarettes, and not just in a monetary way (yes, I picked an expensive addiction, all right). More mental than physical, this draw is instigated by a wildlife documentary on TV, a news story on a certain country, a National Geographic article, a glimpse into an atlas, a travel account in a magazine or newspaper, a guide book on a shelf, photos from someone’s vacation, blogs from fellow travelers, or an email from a worldly friend. Or, by an article I am writing or a photo book I am compiling. Unlike being able to go to a store and buy into the desire, a travel addict has to wait. And save money. And dream on. And believe that one day she will be out there again. She will. But not just yet.
Sunset at sea in the western Caribbean
What are you yearning for? What food are you addicted to? Do you give in easily, or spoil yourself as a reward? How do you deal with a travel addiction?
Tomorrow is the last day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. My Z stands for Zzzzzonked Out! Even nomads get tired. 🙂 All my previous A-Z blogs of April 2016 can be found here. If you enjoy what you read, please, leave a comment or like Roaming About on Facebook. Thanks for stopping by!
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April 29, 2016 at 09:37
Liesbet, I have that same yearning and I know what you mean. This year, I’ve decided I want to see more of the U.S. (where I live so its cheaper) but I keep longing for far away places. Money is definitely the major issue, but also time away from work/family/responsibilities. If not, I’d probably be spontaneously traveling all the time. Happy trails!
April 29, 2016 at 09:57
Luckily, the US has so much to offer! You are right, Anne, it is surprisingly cheaper here than in say Europe, Australia or New Zealand. I am kind of stuck in this country for a few years now as well and I am looking forward to exploring the parks in the west soon. We all make our choices and we better be happy with them! 🙂 Happy US travels!
April 29, 2016 at 10:30
At present I yearn for travel across Rt 66 – maybe one day we will. I wrote on southern food and memories. https://everyonehasafamilystorytotell.wordpress.com/2016/04/28/blogging-from-a-to-z-april-2016-x/comment-page-1/#comment-437
April 29, 2016 at 12:16
Aaah, the epic journey across Route 66. I think it is in my future as well, whenever we live and travel in a camper again. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Jeanne!
April 29, 2016 at 11:15
My name is Stephanie and I’m addicted to chocolate. 🙂
April 29, 2016 at 12:17
And that, Stephanie, is one of the reasons I leave for Belgium on Sunday… to get me some really good dark Belgian chocolate and bring it back to the States. Fancy a bit? 🙂
April 29, 2016 at 12:23
I’ve always enjoyed travel, but I’ve noticed that what I seek has varied through the years. In my teens and twenties I wanted exotic cultures: Jerusalem, Caracas, Tokyo, London… In my 30s and 40s it was all about the landscapes, as I rafted the entire length of the Grand Canyon, saw my first glacier, slept in a yurt in the Colorado Rockies. My 50s were all about Caribbean islands and tropical beaches. Now I’m eagerly wondering what’s next?
April 29, 2016 at 14:25
Exciting choices of the past! And, the nice thing is… there are so many choices for “next”! How about a combination of relaxing places and cultural stops, reachable by sailboat or RV??? I’m up for that (the RV part) next! 🙂
April 29, 2016 at 12:56
This is a great post. My favorite part was when you said “Unlike being able to go to a store and buy into the desire, a travel addict has to wait. And save money. And dream on. And believe that one day she will be out there again.” It’s so true, and I’m currently feeling it right now. I have the time to travel to Europe this summer, but do I have the money? Maybe, I suppose, if I find the right flight. :-/ And so I stay up late at night researching and dreaming … yearning. I am so jealous of your upcoming trip to Belgium! If you need someone to send chocolate to, I volunteer! 😉
April 29, 2016 at 14:23
I encourage every blogging friend to swing by our current place in Western MA and grab a bar of chocolate. I am planning on bringing lots this time. I booked my trip in May, because it was relatively affordable with Aer Lingus (US$700 return). I am only flying to see friends and family, not sightsee, though. Going this summer was cost-prohibitive… And, the weather is so lovely in New England over the summer anyway, that we plan to do some camping trips around here, in Vermont and maybe in Canada. You might get lucky with a discounted ticket, though. Good luck!
April 29, 2016 at 13:35
It would be easier to ask what foods am I not addicted to – beets, avocados and kumara.
I’m out of chocolate at the moment. Do you mind stopping by Indiantown on your way back from Belgium to drop some off 🙂
April 29, 2016 at 14:19
If only I could have a stopover in Florida to warm my body and my brains! I’d gladly trade some sun for chocolate! You don’t like avocados, huh? No guacomole for you??? But it goes so well with corn chips and margaritas…
April 30, 2016 at 07:52
Doesn’t’t like avocados. Sin’t that akin to “doesn’t like breathing”? 😉
April 29, 2016 at 14:24
A shared word for Y. It fits you (or at least the you that gets shared on this blog). I yearn for the companionship of my family, and I’m lucky enough to have that yearning fulfilled. Sometimes, I yearn for a specific guitar. It calls to me in my sleep, “buy me. Play me.” and I want to oblige, I really do.
April 29, 2016 at 14:31
🙂 So, why don’t you? Buy it, buy it, buy it! I yearn to be talented enough to play the guitar. Buying the instrument would be the easy part…
April 29, 2016 at 14:48
Well, the fact I own five already (and play them often, if not poorly) makes another seem unnecessary. It doesn’t make the want any less present.
April 30, 2016 at 09:38
I guess I now know what your addiction is! 🙂
April 29, 2016 at 22:15
I am, undeniably, addicted to beads, and I give in / spoil myself far more than I should. Which is how I started making my own 😀 Partly it was because I enjoy being crafty, but I’m also cheap. And beads are expensive. And, I couldn’t always find what I was looking for, so what better way to find it than to make it myself!
Chocolate is also one of my weaknesses, but so far I haven’t made a chocolate bar bead. Although I did make a bracelet devoted to s’mores once!
Tracy (Black Boots, Long Legs)
April 30, 2016 at 09:41
Chocolate beads! I love it. Add it to the other hobby of yours and you certainly have a winner. I wonder whether you could sell edible beads? I like it that you managed to turn an addiction in a hobby!
April 30, 2016 at 01:07
When I first met my husband some 40 years ago, he said, “I’m not the type to marry for I travel too much.” He was serious. My reaction? I do love a challenge, and I do love to travel. We’ve had a wonderful time exploring as many countries as we could, including our own. What I know now is that I’m grateful for every single trip we’ve shared, the folks who’ve traveled with us and those we’e met along the way, every photo, every memory, every journal entry and story. For there comes a time when we can’t really travel anymore and we need to stay close to home, doctors, and family. So travel wide and well. I’m still addicted to that journey of the heart.
April 30, 2016 at 09:44
Beth, that is so nicely phrased. I am happy that you followed your heart in love and travels. Such amazing memories. We’ve had a few scares over the years to make us realize that life can change in a second, so we plan to keep traveling whenever we are able and ready for it!
April 30, 2016 at 01:31
I always wanted to be a nomad, free and unbinding to follow the heart:)
https://vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com/2016/04/30/10328/
May 2, 2016 at 17:35
I have a savory addiction: I love potato chips and Bombay / Mumbai mix, which can be pretty hard to find. How long will my stash last? Not long enough! – Lucy
May 3, 2016 at 05:57
I have never heard of that mix. Do you dip your potato chips in them? 🙂 I love mine with salt or the “natural” version and craved them a lot on the boat, since they were unaffordable in French Polynesia. Now that they are available everywhere, I rarely eat them! But, I am crazy for those dried and lightly salted snap pea crisps.
May 3, 2016 at 06:26
Travel, eat and dream…. but with time am more of an arm chair traveller and have travelled the world through books, not only travel but live many life through books…
May 9, 2016 at 08:07
Books can provide us with a lot and in an easier way than doing it in person! It is nice to be able to get confronted with different lives and adventures, especially when impossible to live them all ourselves! 🙂
May 6, 2016 at 10:29
Travel is my addiction as well. It wan’t always, may be because life just didn’t present the opportunity or ability. Now it fills my dreams and I love having several trips planned at any given time.
May 9, 2016 at 08:10
I know that feeling, that anticipation, that joy of imagining and planning! It is is hard to understand how someone could not be addicted to travel! 🙂