The Travel Drug

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Notice I’ve used Travel drug <span><span> and not bug. Bugs are unnerving. They’re small, difficult to see and can be easily escaped. The travel drug I refer to is the good kind of drug. The type you seek for medicinal purposes. My sickness, “Chronic Dissatisfaction”. My need and desire to travel is not small, it’s easy to see and seeing as I’ve wanted to do this since I was 18….I can’t seem to escape the temptation.



Follow me back a few years ago. I was in my bedroom leering at my satisfactory college exam results. The best I got was a B in Film Studies which I loved. I’ve always had a love for media so that grade wasn’t difficult. I sought advice from a family member (Clair) on what to do with my life from there? Clair said that it was no big deal that I didn’t know what I wanted to do, most people my age at that time didn’t. She advised that maybe I look into travelling. After all who knew, I might have found my niche or calling in life. I’d always enjoyed going abroad so I saw no reason not to pursue this. I did my research. Found that people did this kind of thing all the time. They stayed in hostels to keep it cheap, experienced different cultures and got to meet new people.<span> I’d push my face up against the screen looking at photos of different countries (Cambodia in particular), different activities that I’d never done before and I found myself completely consumed by the idea.



So one day: “Mum, I don’t think I’m ready for Uni. I think I’d quite like to go travelling!” My enthusiasm was immediately silenced at her response of: “…No. Don’t be so silly…” and she quickly changed the subject – A customary habit of my mothers. Now, at that time in my life, I didn’t realise that I had a voice. Even as I’m writing this I’m kicking myself wishing I had used my voice to sing my dreams out loud day after day until she said yes! But I didn’t. Instead, I applied to Luton University to study Film, I got in…..and dropped out 3 months later because my heart wasn’t in it and having to pay over £1000 in tuition fees. £1000 that could have got my black ass on a plane to start my journey. Instead, I got a full time job and I’d keep visiting travel sites and indulging myself in travel articles. Eventually I had to tell myself to stop. After all, addictions are unhealthy.

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Comments

[The Travel Camel]

Be true to yourself
Decades ago, the desire to explore the world was so strong that I quit my job and went on a 12 month journey around Europe and Turkey. All of my family and the vast majority of my friends disagreed with this decision - I should use that saved money to buy a house instead. However, these naysayers had never truly experienced the freedom, adventure and discovery (of self, people and places) that travel can bring, so how they can provide such an opinion? In the end you must be true to yourself and not live according to the expectations of others. Don't regret too much about not travelling earlier, being older gives you a different (and I believe fuller) perspective during your travels.

[D MJ Binkley]

Learn to control your addictions
Shavonne, I love where you are going with your blogs! Fantastic! The key is to control your travel addiction and not let it control you. You are on the right path.