Travel Weary or Just Tired?
Lately, I’ve found myself tired most days. And don’t get me wrong, I’m still having an absolutely awesome time. I don’t know if I’ve become travel weary after 3 months of travelling, or maybe I just need a couple of good night’s sleep not in a dorm room. It’s a strange feeling for me. I’m usually full of beans from early morning through to late night.
I’m thinking maybe it’s the mental energy used to navigate language and new places every day. Normal activities that would take zero energy at home (like finding a café, ordering a meal, buying a bus ticket) can take a lot of energy in a new place where the language is a barrier.
Or maybe, I just need to slow down a little. It’s tempting to try to cram as much into each day as possible because “I won’t be in this town again so I should make the most of it” and basically because it’s so much fun. And whilst that’s true to some extent, you can’t see and do everything, so it seems silly to try.
I’m not the only one either. I have spoken to other travellers who’ve been on the road a while, and they are experienced the same thing. Maybe it’s just a matter of factoring this into travel plans for long term travel – to stop in a place for a couple of weeks and just bunker down to rest.
I’m not sure whether I expected this or not. I guess I assumed I would need to rest, but I haven’t really been doing that. So, I’m going to take a couple of weeks to rest in my home town, in the company of old friends, before I resume my adventures. It’s a nice feeling looking forward to going home (even if temporarily).