3.02.2010

On wanderlust and traveling (without leaving home)


"Buy the ticket, take the ride."
-Hunter S. Thompson

I've had a serious case of wanderlust these past couple of weeks. Perhaps it's the long and extra-wintry winter we had this year (and the consequent string of days spent tucked away indoors, venturing out only when necessary). It's not so much a desire to travel to any place in particular (though I've got that too.) It's more of a yearning for the spirit of travel. The adventure. The movement.

It's a hankering for the open road and the feeling of being just a little bit lost in an unfamiliar place. A craving for the thrill of the new, the strange, the unusual. The feeling of not knowing exactly where this road will take me, or what's around that corner. The freedom of carrying only a backpack on my back and a map in my hands, liberated from most of my earthly possessions. That child-like wonder at the newness and peculiarity of it all. The pleasant confusion of deciphering a new set of words, flavors, and subway systems. The trail itself, and being unsure of where it leads, but feeling that it's somehow important - critical, even - that I get there. Wherever there might be.

My fiancé and I will be exploring Italy this summer on our honeymoon (just four short months away!), and I've been brainstorming ways to capture the momentum of travel in my everyday life until then. Some ideas:

Visiting new (to me, anyway) museums
Exploring quirky neighborhoods
Trying an unusual recipe
Spending a Saturday hiking a trail we've never hiked before
Striking up a conversation with the barista at the corner coffee shop
Taking a new route, even if it's just to the grocery store or the mall

Thinking about ways to "travel" within my own life has sparked a whole new way of thinking about my day-to-day existence. I've been asking myself: Where can I stretch beyond my comfort zone? How can I get from A to B in a new and different way? Where is there room for growth?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. How do you cope with wanderlust? How do you "travel" within your everyday life?

P.S. Thank you all so much for your supportive comment's on yesterday's post. I've found that setting intentions is another effective way to create movement (to "travel") within my life. If you blogged about your own intentions for March, please share a link - I'd love to read them!

Image via Free Bird.

8 comments:

The Depressed Yogi said...

Augh I feel the EXACT same way. I yearn to travel and explore and basically not have any obligations or material posessions to worry about. I feel so... chained to my desk/office/job/life. I'm not sure what to do to get over it, but I'm definitely looking forward to a petit trip to NYC in Aril!

Rachel said...

I have anti-wanderlust. BF & I have been travelling back & forth far too often. I just want to be in one place.

But I hope that you get your travel on very soon!

Lexington said...

Thank you so much for this post. I have been feeling the same way and I love the idea of finding ways to travel within my life.

Elisse said...

My hubby and I are looking forward to our post-poned honeymoon to Italy this summer as well! I can't wait to explore this amazing country, that friends and family have gushed about :)

While I yearn to step outside the boundaries of my usual stomping grounds, I'm trying to "be a tourist in my own town" and organize a day to see my city with new eyes.

Have a great week :)

Eva said...

The only way to cure wanderlust is to actually go somewhere. It doesn't need to be far or out of country.

I related to this post a lot because wanderlust is one of dominating topics in my life. I hope you'll have a blast in Italy. I always do.

Pauline Wiles said...

You've come up with some great suggestions for mixing things up a bit! A few I might add:
- Go to the library or bookstore, and check out a section you wouldn't normally choose.
- Walk a route that you normally drive, and see what you discover that's new.
- Do a routine thing at a different time of day. (Gym? Grocery store?). Places can take on a different vibe, depending on the time.

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

A dinner at an exotic restaurant usually quells the wanderlust for a little bit. I'm dying to go to Tuscany right now but it's just not in the cards.

Pink Heels said...

This is the best time of year to visit the museums in D.C...before all of the tourists descend upon our beautiful city and stand on the wrong side of the metro escalator. LOL

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