Thinking of packing it all in and heading off travelling?
Have you got seriously itchy feet, are in need of getting away from your life for a while or desiring to fulfil a lifelong ambition to travel the world?
Travelling is a wonderful, wonderful opportunity, a suitably mind opening experience, but do not allow yourself to fall into the travel trap they call “discombobulation”.
What is it?
It’s a form of travel weariness, disorientation, a state of confusion that creeps up on you after several months of travelling.
There is one simple solution to the dilemma-you stop moving and stay put or else you go home.
This is how you identify discombobulation:
-feeling strong aversion to all forms of moving vehicles whether it be trains, planes, boats or buses
-sudden disinterest in striking up conversations with fellow travellers
-a feeling of boredom overwhelms you at a tourist attraction
-the act of trying out a new language or using a new currency, which used to be exciting suddenly, becomes a chore
-your backpack begins to feel like a millstone around your neck
-your brain is a jumble and is struggling to process everything you have seen so far
-It all becomes a bit of a blur
-You feel like a leaf blowing in the wind, uprooted, and swimming in a sea of ever moving movement.
-jet lag and changes in time zones and climates make your head feel dizzy and messed up
-the logistics of travelling and pre planning required are beginning to wreck your head
The moral of the story is to keep your ticket as open as possible. And personally I would not recommend people to buy round the world tickets. Mine cost 2,300 with USIT, which afforded me seven stops around the world, to be used up within 12 months. Which when you thing about it, is pretty mad. It is an incredible amount of time on planes, and involves so much jumping in and out of countries that there is no opportunity to get to know one culture.
These round the world tickets are very popular, and reasonably good deals are to be had. But it is sheer madness.
To pull it off, you would need to be stone mad, the type of person who is mega energetic, finds it easy to mix with people, and loves nothing better than to be constantly stimulated by new places and people. As you whirl through the backpacking world you need to have a strong sense of yourself, an ability to steady yourself through ever changing environments. Most likely you are a free spirit or a restless soul. The lack of stability challenges even the most grounded of people.
So, in sum, if you fancy a bit of travelling, my advice is to have a plan, be focussed, and have a purpose or a theme. Randomly following the backpacking trail around South East Asia gets boring. To really get the most out of your trip you need to have something creative going on, photography, art, writing etc. Or to have a special interest in your destination. Otherwise its just meaningless, and you could be anywhere really.
Above all though, the length of time you are away is important. You start off in a state of high receptivity where everything is so amazing and stimulating, but after a while the novelty begins to wear off, and you are simply getting too much of a good thing. You need to know how long to stay on the road for, how much is enough. Planning too far ahead can be risky, as you never know what can happen along the way. The key is to never allow yourself to get to the discombobulation point, to quit while you are ahead.
