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How long is too long to travel? · Added by Annie on 8th Jul 2008
I know a few people, myself and Chris included, who have taken what some people consider to be a really long holiday. I'm not even talking about year long breaks - like Brook Silva-Braga from A Map for Saturday (which, by the way, I totally recommend!!) did - but 3~4 month breaks. Most people look at you in awe and jealousy when you tell them that you’re off and won’t be back for 4 months. Some people, however, tell you that they couldn't handle living out of a backpack or suitcase for that long. Some people try it and love it, others try it and hate it. So how long is too long?
Personally, I believe that if I could travel for ever, I would. I grew up traveling so I guess I'm used to planes, hotel rooms, strange and unknown locations. In fact, I'm not just used to it - I crave it. Some people, however, do not subscribe to the same sort of lifestyle that I do and would prefer to be somewhere they feel more at home, somewhere they are familiar with. Those people often don't travel at all, or if they do, it's a 1 or 2 week stint in a luxury resort in Fiji once in their entire life-time. It is precisely these people who can't understand why Chris and I would ever choose to live out of backpacks for 4 months.
To be honest, even I get sick of sight-seeing after 2~3 months of being on the road. Another museum, another park, another pretty view. It does all become rather mundane after a while. Perhaps it’s because your point of reference shifts to the point where something that most people consider out of the ordinary becomes somewhat commonplace to you and stops being amazing. Or maybe we only have enough space in our brains to fit a certain amount of amazing new things. Either way, once things stop being amazing to you, you will probably get bored and want to go back home.
For most people, you’ll probably also stop using your brain as much as you would if you were still at your 9-5 work / study back home. Sure, that's what holidaying is all about right? A bit of down-time and relaxation? Yes, but if you’re too relaxed for too long, you’ll probably get bored and crave something to challenge your mind. Traveling (in some countries more than others) can in itself provide that challenge but it's still not quite the same as sitting down and trying to write a software requirement specification for a high availability and precision technology solution, is it?
Having said all that, it certainly doesn't mean that after 2~3 months I'm ready to go home. For me, personally, it means that after 1~2 months I'm ready to start exercising my brain again. It means that rather than vacantly staring at another well architected building, I'd rather be doing something more meaningful and useful to me, like learning how to speak the local language or volunteering at a local charity. Basically, it means taking time out of your down-time to do something challenging and difficult. Perhaps subconsciously I feel that I need to give myself a reason to want / deserve some more mindless relaxation and down-time. Taking a ‘break’ from your holiday to do a course or some volunteer work also means that you’ll probably have to stop moving and base yourself somewhere for a week or two, rather than constantly being on the move – which can be very tiring.
So maybe it’s not about how long your holiday is in total, but more about how you spend your time while you’re on the road. If you’re thinking about taking a year long holiday to travel but don’t think you could handle doing ‘nothing’ for that long, why not try breaking it up by alternating between 1~2 months of sightseeing, and 2~4 weeks of doing a course, doing some (mentally or physically) challenging community or working on a business? You may just come back relaxed, more worldly and perhaps a better person for it! Comments:
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