Very few people enjoy returning home after travelling, yes its good to see friends and family but you are leaving a life of calm, adventures and new friendships.
Occasionally some travellers may also find it hard to return home, emotionally, back to your old life, where nothing has really changed, the world has moved on slowly without you, everyone else is still the same, doing the same thing day in and day out. You realise you are the one who has changed, you are know no longer the same person you were when you left. You have a new perspective on everything, you have come back with a new mind set, new knowledge of the world and yourself.
Some travellers may find themselves feeling lost or lonely back in their bubble, with a new idea on what else is out there, your heart aches for adventure, new things and the unknown. “Travelling, it gives you home in a thousand strange places, then leaves you a stranger in your own land” I agree with the quote as it identifies that people can create a new idea of what home is, where it is and feel strange or unwelcome in their old home.
Whilst travelling you accumulated a lifetime of stories that you want to share with everyone, you want them to learn from your experiences, gain knowledge and sometimes influence other peoples ideas on life.
Some of the hardest parts of returning home can be leaving behind friendships, especially if you have been travelling with the same people for a while, you have stories and experiences with people all over the world. For a period of time your paths crossed into each others lives, you will always share these times together and remember the experiences. I have met up with friends I met travelling a year or so later and nothing has changed, it’s as if you never left each other, you carry on from where you left off because you have mutual stories to talk about.
The numerous travelling experiences I have been on, I have met people who share the same interests, desires and need for adventure as me. You can spend hours talking and discovering others stories, identifying you are similar in mind and make friends easily. Although this is great whilst you are travelling, once you return home and see your childhood friends you discover all the things you thought you had in common aren’t your priorities anymore. You are still friends but you have changed, your perspective has changed.
Every time I return home, the first night I arrive home and lay in bed I get flooded with mixed emotions. This no longer feels normal, no longer feels like home. The more you travel, the further your mind can move away from your hometown. Travelling is an addiction, leaves wanting more, to go back, the desire to discover new places, once you have experienced the idea that the world can be different and discovered the jobs you can do, it can be hard to go into a 9 to 5 office job.
There is so much truth and honesty about the travel experience in the post. It’s so much more than just visiting a place, and you summed it up very nicely 🙂
Thank you 🙂