Let’s face it; we all want to escape every once in awhile. But if you are like me, you are a full blown sufferer of fernweh – the longing to travel to far-off places.
Since meeting other like-minded people, I've started to compile a list of all of our similarities in our everyday lives.
1. Daydreaming
You constantly find yourself traveling to places in your head instead of focusing on the task in front of you. This often gets in the way of completing tasks in a timely manner and makes studying or paying attention in school almost impossible.
2. Pseudo-planning
You get on various ticket websites “just to look”, but what you’re really doing is budgeting to see if it is a practical place for you to be able to save up and travel to in the near future. My favorite app for doing this is Hitlist.
3. Instagram adventure overload
Sure you follow your friends on Instagram… but you follow more famous mountaineers, travel bloggers, and explorers. In fact, I rarely see any of my friends' posts because my feed is overwhelmed with hikers, climbers, skiers, and anyone else who loves extreme sports and the outdoors.
4. Scenic backgrounds
Every single background that you can set on any tech device is either pictures you’ve taken while exploring or pictures of places you want to explore. My current phone background was taken in Nepal:
5. You have a savings... kind of
Is it really for emergencies, like you tell your parents? Or is it for the off-chance that round-trip tickets to Nepal drop below $800?
6. You don’t understand those who REFUSE to travel
It comes as a complete shock to me every time I meet someone who doesn’t see a benefit to exploring the world. It shocks me even further when I meet someone who is 70 years old and has NEVER LEFT THEIR HOMETOWN EVEN TO VISIT THE NEXT CITY OVER. (Yes, many of these people exist all over the world.) Also, it is a complete deal breaker for me in relationships if the other person isn’t up for traveling.
7. Money ain’t no thang
Yes, you understand that you need money to travel, but you also know that you don’t need it to be happy. I’d rather be rich in experiences and knowledge than rich with money. The two go hand and hand to an extent; traveling and money. However, you can get a great experience staying in a $10/night hostel or throwing your hammock up somewhere, just as you can staying in a $1000/night resort. It’s all in how you perceive the experience. Recently my friends and I were able to do a climbing trip to Smith Rock for about $40/person for three days.
The important part of having fernweh is to never lose it. Keep your sense of wandering, and get lost in local areas around you until you can reach your travel goals. The world is your backyard; and as long as you never lose your sense of adventure, you’ll one day be able to cross off a few (maybe even all) of your dream destinations off your bucket list!
