I’ve Caught The Travel Bug – But Is “Wanderlust” Healthy?
Ever since I went on exchange this sense of wanting to travel has grown and I think it has affected me in some ways. “Wanderlust” sounds pretty cliche but most times it’s used as a term to describe a desire to travel, and planning for my graduation trip has triggered thoughts about the implications of the “wanderlust” trend. It is subtle, but I think we sometimes romanticise the idea of traveling to the point it becomes unhealthy. But how can wanderlust be unhealthy?
Why Do We Want To Travel?
To do something different, take on a challenge, have fun with friends and family, learn different cultures, etc.
These are possibly some of the things you would say if I asked you why you want to travel. It is not a difficult question because traveling is this fun thing that most people look forward to, and sometimes we are bored of the daily routine. I love seeing really beautiful scenery and challenging myself to go on adventures, and often day dream about my next solo trip because of the flexibility I have to do things my way. For most of us, traveling is a luxury and if we had the means I am sure we would want more trips.
How often and when do these wanderlust thoughts cross your mind?
What Gives Us “Wanderlust”?
Comparisons on social media
Not many can admit that wanderlust is a consequence of peer pressure to a certain extent. We often get inspiration through Instagram – one of the biggest channels for travel-related content. There are so many picture perfect feeds and highlight reels showcased by travel influencers and friends alike. I am not saying this is a bad thing, and obviously I love to edit and share my curated travel photos too. Unfortunately as humans we tend to compare. In this case we could get envious of other people very easily and have FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).
Source: Aggie Lal on Instagram
Societal expectations to travel
I will be the first to admit that I have told people to chill/take a break by traveling more during their last semester of university. It is probably annoying for people who cannot afford to travel to keep getting questions like, “where are you traveling to this summer?” or “where are you going for your grad trip?”. Somehow the message might be translated into one that says that your break is deemed to be well spent if you got to go overseas. This contributes to an unfulfilled state of wanderlust when this societal expectation is not met.
We always want to be different
Yes, another topic about millennials and our desire to differentiate ourselves and stand out. We like things that are off-the-beaten-track, not touristy, and yet are exotic. On social media, it signals exclusivity and distinguishes our trips from others when we post pictures/videos about the place. There is also positive reinforcement when people ask about the latest trip and comment about how cool it looks. Personally, I guess I want to do things that are different or unique.
You-Only-Live-Once
One reason for the YOLO mindset could be that we are fearful of not getting another chance. I catch myself thinking like this often. For example, when I get older or when I have a family, things like long treks in Nepal would be impossible. It is similar to the carpe diem mindset, where you want to make the most of the present. In this case, we keep thinking of various ways to travel and hence developing wanderlust.
Can You Have Unhealthy Wanderlust?
In general, the symptoms of unhealthy wanderlust are not specific to traveling. I am no expert, but I can foresee some of these being potentially harmful for me if I take my desire to travel too seriously.
When you have severe FOMO
Social media and comparisons have made it easy to be conscious of the things we lack. Some of us might tie the value of our life to the cool moments we get to experience, often through traveling. When your friends are traveling and you don’t, do you feel like you are missing out on a lot? Do you become dissatisfied with your daily life? Does the initial envy turn into self pity? This could then spiral downwards into a continuous unfulfilled state. Such extreme emotions could feel very real, and the negative impact of unhealthy wanderlust on one’s well-being should not be ignored.
Traveling as an emotional crutch
Unhealthy wanderlust could be a form of escapism. I found myself in this category several times, especially since I started searching for flights in response to tough times. One of the warning signs is when you constantly react like that in adversity, and you think you can only be happy if you travel. In reality, problems follow us wherever we go because it is in our minds and is related to how we deal with circumstances. Sure, we can momentarily forget about our worries but traveling does nothing to solve the problem. If you are easily stressed at home, you will be the same overseas. This is not too different from turning to other things like alcohol and various distractions for temporary relief.
Unrealistic expectations
What happens when the long-awaited trip does not match up to your expectations? Perhaps something went wrong with your accommodations leading to a delay. Or maybe the weather was bad and you did not get to enjoy the outdoor attractions. Our obsession with the perfect trip will cause us to be even more distraught after these setbacks. The fact is we have imposed an unrealistic ideal upon ourselves by thinking of traveling as the solution to our problems. What are we going to do when even this “solution” is not making us happy?
Getting Back To Earth
If any of the above “symptoms” of unhealthy wanderlust are relatable, here are some pointers that have helped me change my mindset about traveling. It will just be a short summary because I am not an expert on matters of the heart.
Find self-sustaining ways to deal with emotions/hard times
I guess the first step would be to find ways to be contented at home so that you can be happy without traveling. I don’t really know how to give advice because everyone is different. Maybe you could confide in someone, find a new hobby, or explore your own country. Personally, going to church helps me to deal with my struggles. I find my strength in God instead of depending on myself to make things work out.
Realise the effort that travel influencers put in
It’s not naturally like that! We all know about those memes about travel photos’ expectation vs. reality. The fact is in order to get a good photo, people go to great lengths! For example, when we see a nice landscape photo, we usually don’t see the sacrifice of waking up in the wee hours to catch the sunrise. Others even hire photographers to follow them on their trips, which is not a normal thing. In other words, traveling full time is their career and those photos are carefully curated for income generation. We cannot expect our trips to look the same.
It’s fun to use those photos as inspiration but we have to decide what we really value. How different will our wanderlust be if Instagram did not exist, or if we cannot tell people about our trips? Can we accept that things might go wrong?
Source: Jordan Hammond on Instagram
Think long term
I can totally relate to the YOLO thing. When we get short holiday windows, we really want to go for it and take the opportunity to travel. I felt it the most in my final year where the thought of entering the work force soon caused me to be really time-conscious. However, you will get another chance. It might be even better in future than if you forced out a trip now. The world is so big and we have our whole life to go see it. Even if I miss out on a Patagonia trekking trip now, I might be happier doing it in the future. Who knows, maybe I will be fitter then too?
So I’ve caught the travel bug, and I am trying to spread it around through my blog. However, I hope our wanderlust will be a healthy one that motivates us to think beyond our limitations and comfort zones.
In our society, we face relentless comparison and scarcity-consciousness, and the challenge is to stay above it. It was a little embarrassing for me to share my thoughts, but I don’t want to write a travel blog without acknowledging unhealthy wanderlust. Special thanks to my boyfriend Merrick for being the one to ask me the tough questions. <3
