Roaming Holiday

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Confessions Of a Part-Time Traveler

There are some amazing bloggers out there who seem to be traveling 27/4, and more power to them because that's pretty adventurous! And then there are the bloggers like me, the part-time travelers, who have one foot on the ground and the other inching towards some new destination. Here's what I've learned so far in my journey as a part-time traveler and blogger. 

It's Okay to Not Be On the Road 24/7

It's easy to feel like you aren't cutting it as a travel blogger if you aren't always off somewhere and in some exotic location every other week. This is a mental hang up I admittedly struggled with at first, finding that place between where inspirational starts feeling like mandatory. As fun as it would be for me to hop on a plane to Europe all the time and make poor attempts at limiting how much I buy at Boots or City Pharma, the truth is I also really like my bed and my apartment, I like having some form of stable routine and being settled. I also am not 100% in love with freelancing right now, and unsure I'd want to make blogging or travel my full-time career as things stand now. And you know, that's okay and it's something I try to remind myself if I get a little too wistful, and something important you should consider too if you're starting out. You can manage a perfectly good blog without always traveling if you're savvy at content.

 Even a Weekend Can Be Enough Time For Adventure

Sometimes you just can't take numerous weeks off for vacation, but there's a lot you can fit into a weekend. From the West Coast, L.A., Las Vegas, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle are short flights to destinations with a lot to do, and even flying out to Texas or New Orleans is possible while still having time to do a lot. From the East Coast, New York, Boston, Cape Cod, the Jersey Shore, Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston, etc. are also relatively short flights and places with tons to do. The trick is don't try to fit everything and the kitchen sink in one go. Pick a handful of things per day and give yourself some time to relax or explore without a plan. 

I Probably Spend More Time Researching Trips Than Being On Them

I do like a pretty good balance between being home and traveling, but I do spend a lot of my down time researching whatever my next trip is, maybe a little too much at times. There's something about the planning that seems to fuel the excitement in the long gaps in between trips; the possibilities, all the directions the trip could go, and discovering a place's past. I'm an unabashed history nerd, so there's something incredibly special about standing in spots where you know some momentous event happened, or famous figures of bygone eras once walked the some paths you're walking on. 

I Still Get Kind Of Sad To Go Home, Though

 

It was the last day of our London trip, mid-morning, and I sat on the small wooden bench outside the Monmouth Coffee of Borough Market. The vendors were preparing for the lunch hour that would come and it was quieter since it wasn't a full market day. Tired, a bit cold, and not entirely looking forward to a thirteen hour flight home but at the same time longing for my bed, I still felt torn. I had fall quite in love with London, and it was bittersweet to leave. Sometimes it is hard to go home. I know, ultimately, I like being home a lot and that it's not like I won't ever visit somewhere again, but on that last day of a trip to somewhere that utterly knocks your socks off, there's that peculiar mix of relief yet sadness to leave.

What kind of traveler are you and where was the one place you went to that made it hard to want to go home? 

 

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