Have you ever wondered why millennials are always talking about leaving? They always talk about how they can’t wait to get out of the lake that anchors them. They’re always dreaming about traveling to new parts of the world because they want to “experience something different” or “get away from [blank].”
As a millennial, I never questioned it. I just knew I wanted to go somewhere new and I wasn’t the only one. I’d watch videos of people going on these amazing excursions and I wanted to be like them. I wanted to experience all of those things and more. So like any millennial on a mission, I saved up some money and began planning my next adventure.
The saving period was crucial. But once I had the money, I’d book a flight or train ride to my destination. The angst that built up until the trip date was always crazy. I just couldn’t help the feeling of joy that leaving my town brought me.
But then… I got to my destination. And everything took a nice long pause.
I was there.
And the joy I hoped to discover was never as sweet as I expected it to be.
You see, every time I collected enough money to leave, an imaginary ticking clock began. I stopped living because I couldn’t wait to leave. I romanticized how much different things would be. But in reality, when you travel you’re the same person in a new location.
My reason for wanting to travel wasn’t to experience anything new but to get away from my life here. Every time I had the sudden urge to go somewhere it was because something wasn’t going right and I hoped to figure things out elsewhere. You know, to clear my head.
I made myself believe that I could figure things out somewhere else. I’d see pictures of others being happy in different places and I thought I could find that same peace. I also didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity of being young and going places.
I’m not saying this is fact with every millennial. But, I noticed I began to romanticize travel when I pictured my life being different - better - somewhere else. Social media definitely had a little influence because it fed me pictures of what other people’s “happiness” looked like. Which made me envision my own happiness within theirs.
It definitely taught me a lesson. Whether I'm stationed in my hometown or in the glaciers of Alaska, my problems come with me as I pack my bags. Now, when I book my flights, I make sure I'm doing it for the adventure, not as an escape route.
