![]() ![]() I no longer feel the same need to spend thousands of dollars to be pulled into the FOMO of another city, another restaurant, another viewpoint, another building. I've seen the world, and what lies beyond is no better. I'm ready to raise kids, stay closer to home, cook my own meals, enjoy the hikes and restaurants and sights in my own backyard and state/country. There's a passage in "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" which speaks to contentment being the person who, from their home field, can look at the misty mountains and the horizon and know that beyond them lies great beauty, but also knows the beauty is not better - only different - than what is right in front of them. It's easy to get caught up in the FOMO of other people's adventures, and maybe I'm just getting old and spoiled for experience. For all it's highlights, it can also be a carnival of disappointments and frustrations and exhaustion. Swap some details, it's all pretty samey.ĭoes anyone else feel this way? Flying sucks. Solomon Islands, India, Nepal, Guatemala. It's all like this." 10 years later, yeah, they were right. Change the language written on the wall and a few signs, we could be anywhere. They said "honestly, I know you're excited to see all these places, but look around. Early on when I started travelling for work, someone who had done it a lot told me the same. Not trying to sound like an old foggie, lol and I also realize anyone without more travel experience might think I am crazy. Most people's Instagram / blog hyperbole just doesn't match up to reality. Most "must try" dishes don't live up to expectations. But fast forward many years, and I also realize that I have just as much beauty in my home country.Īs a foodie - after dining at hundreds of restaurants and trying food all over the world, most cities and areas follow the same trend: Only 10% of the food blows your mind, and you have to really search to find it. The views from the Darjeeling tea gardens, incredible. Giant's causeway and the Cliffs of Moher did not disappoint. Hiking Pico do Arriero was one for the books. Even nature itself - my favorite thing to travel and see - is getting to the point of "another viewpoint." It wasn't like that initially - riding the Scottish highlands by motorcycle was unbelievable. After enough majority world countries, it's all pretty much the same. The Taj Mahal and Haggai Sophia are world wonders, and I'm glad I saw them, but after a while these places tend to feel more like "another building." After enough European cities, the novelty of cobblestone streets and narrow alleys wears off, and it's just another city. Once you've seen 20 cathedrals and palaces and mosques and so-on, they're all the same. Getting on in age and having been through tons of travel now, I came home feeling a bit over travel. After a couple year break due to pandemic, I just got back from Portugal & Spain (including some time in Madeira).Ī few incredible experiences hiking and dining. ![]() India, Nepal, Fiji, Papau New Guinea, Indonesia, Taiwan, China. Numerous popular European countries, all of the UK. I've been to a couple dozen countries for both work and play. ![]()
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