Do's and Don'ts: Curing the Travel Bug

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Living with the Travel Bug

So you've caught the travel bug and you don't know how to stay still too long? It feels like all you can think of is traveling, and that day to day routines seem more restricting than comforting? You don't know all the places that you want to go, you know you just want to go? Yeah, that's a rough case of the travel bug. And as someone who has previously been stuck, grounded, trying to save up money to travel, I have learned a few tricks to keep the bug at bay.

Don't

Don't resist or ignore the bug. If you've caught it, they say, you've caught it for life. Uh oh! So acknowledge it and don't repress it. Repressed feelings are never good. So think about why you suddenly have this strong urge to discover the world. What brought you to this moment? And what specifically it is that you want to see?

Tacoma, Washington, 2013

Do

Try something new in your city. Part of catching the travel bug is the desire to experience new things. So until you can get yourself abroad, scratch that itch by trying something new in your city. Maybe it's a place to go to, maybe its a restaurant. Before I left, me and my mom had tried a new brunch place, which was cool to discover something new about my hometown and it gave me that excitement of something new.

Don't

Don't worry about the now, think of the future. Build up the excitement. Allow yourself to indulge in the fantasy of traveling. Thinking about now makes you think about how you aren't traveling, thinking about the future allows for you to see yourself as an adventurer.

Do

Explore a nearby city as a tourist. One thing everyone asks me is what is San Francisco like, and honestly, I don't know. One way to help ease the travel bug is by discovering new cities. So maybe go to that big city that you live close to and see it as a tourist. It's cheap since you live close, but it still gives you that experience as a traveler that you've been yearning for.

Gondola at Lake Tahoe, 2014

Don't

Don't forget to plan your dream trip. Search Pinterest. Read guidebooks. Research flights. Make a bucket list. Allow yourself to be consumed with the idea of traveling, so that when you get the opportunity, you know exactly what you want to get from it. It also helps you set goals. I know everywhere that I wanted to see I planned a budget for myself. Then I made sure to make money and stick to my budget so that my dreams could come true.

Do

Go on small, nearby adventures. I got to go to Yosemite, Seattle, and Lake Tahoe with my cousin and it did help give me that sense of adventure without spending much or going far. So take a trip to a city that you've always wanted to see in your country. Weekend trips are nice because you never have to miss work (although that'd be nice) and you can get a taste of city and adventure.