Today carries an equally exciting/scary feeling in the air. As I sip my coffee and stare out the window onto the runways of Bangkok Airport I can’t help but come face to face with the transition I am undergoing.
In just a few hours I will be sitting on one of those planes and heading to New Zealand, a country who’s as many points of interest as Colorado.
While I love New Zealand, Staying still has never been a strong suite of mine. Usually, I change countries every couple months, and while I have tried to stay longer in some places, my wanderlust always gets the better of me. The symptoms start manifesting after a few months.
First comes the endless daydreaming, next I look at pictures of places and countries I’ve never been.
The final stages are the cold sweats, and involuntary shaking for which the only remedy is looking for an insanely cheap flight. No matter how hard I try, I always get travelitis.
In fact, if I stay put for the entire year in New Zealand it will be the longest I have been in spent in one country in over 7 years.
In the movie Up in the Air, George Clooney’s character, Ryan Bingham, has a travel quote he says when talking to a room full of people who travel for work. He says, “The slower we move the faster we die, and make no mistake moving is living.”
This line rings true to my core. Something inside of me is always pushing me to move. Even when I get a little burnt out on travel, I feel it there gnawing at the back of my brain. It pushes me to go to the unknown, venture to the next horizon and experience another culture.
But coming into my fourth-year of travel, I want some to fight it…..just a little.
I want to experience all the points of interest in New Zealand, travel slower, and enjoy some of the things I have to sacrifice daily in order to live on the road.
I’m looking forward to settling in one place for months at a time and take a break from packing everything I own weekly. I can have a core group of friends, not just hitting a massive reset button on my social circle every time I move.
Who knows I might even try giving dating a go. Something I’ve tried a couple of occasions on the road but something that has never worked out.
It’s nearly impossible to date someone if you are on the other side of the planet.
Most of the time I am watching sunsets, exploring sites, wandering cities alone – it might even make you think of some of the best explorer quotes.. I want to have someone by my side to share these moments with.
Staying put in the same country for a year gives me that opportunity.
I am fighting my wanderlust completely. I am planning on switching cities every few months in New Zealand often.
My first month there is a whirlwind. I am partnering with Haka Tours on an epic trip around the country.
During the tour, I am Swimming with Dolphins, Bungy Jumping, hiking the Tongariro Crossing, Doing the Shotover Canyon flying fox, and more.
It is going to be an epic month.
After that, I am thinking about heading to Queenstown for a few months. I want to settle in, have a home base, and travel slowly.
I’m not entirely fighting my wanderlust, just containing it to one part of the world for a bit so I can recharge, catch up on writing, and experience New Zealand to its fullest.
Well, I’m a part-time Vagabond, so I like having a home base and going from there. But man, it’s going to be a whole new world for you. Have fun!
Thanks buddy! I am excited. Where are you these days?
Still hanging out in Maine, prepping for a baby and planning a few wishlist trips.