Imagine being 10 years old on your first long flight, going through tons of security and getting to your final destination just to find out your luggage has been lost. I don’t have to imagine it because it happened to me. It was really embarrassing walking around Washington D.C. in cut off sweatpants in 90-degree heat.
Traveling is a blessing to those who get to experience it. However, not everyone enjoys traveling. One of those is myself.
I grew up traveling almost every summer. I’ve gone to the beach many times. I’ve been to Washington D.C., St. Louis, Colorado, Dallas and Disney World. I was too young to remember, but according to my mother I’ve also been to Galveston, New Orleans and Mexico. I even traveled to Beijing, China, this summer, with a short pitstop in London.
Although I can’t say I’ve traveled everywhere, I have had quite a bit of experience traveling. With that experience, I’ve developed many opinions on traveling.
You may think since I am someone who has traveled her whole life that I would love traveling. However, that is quite the opposite.
I do love experiencing a new place and culture. However, the actual idea of traveling is terrible to me.
Long car or plane rides are horrible. I get car sick and am terrified of flying. Also, there is no way to travel comfortably on a car or plane. You may find a comfortable position, but it won’t last forever. I experienced this on a 13-hour plane ride this summer. Also, no matter how many times I got up and walked around, my feet still got swollen and it was super uncomfortable.
Going through an airport is scary. Millions of people are everywhere. Someone is running to catch their flight. Someone is sleeping in the corner. Security guards are everywhere, which is a good thing except when they are required to be scary and mean.
Packing for a trip is stressful. What if I forget something? What if there isn’t a Walmart close to where I’m going? What if I forget the most important thing in my entire life, and my existence is detrimental without it? That one is a little dramatic but you get my point.
Being away from home makes me homesick. I am very much a homebody. I like to be at home with all of my things where they are supposed to be and where I can easily get to them. Plus, all my people are at home. Do you know how hard it is to call your mom and talk to her 7,000 miles away and 13 hours ahead? It’s difficult.
Now I know, this might seem like a lot of complaining. To be honest, I wouldn’t disagree. It is very difficult for me to enjoy everything that happens on a trip. Which is why traveling is stressful for me because I hate to be a bother or a burden on a trip. Sometimes, even if I’m asked what I want to do, I don’t have an answer.
At times, I am perfectly content doing whatever someone else wants to do. Other times, I wish I was just back home sitting on my couch doing nothing. My couch is my safe place.
So all this is to say, I do travel and I will continue to travel, just not often. No trip will be perfect and there will be times where I hate it.
However, often the actual trip overshadows the stress of traveling. When I look back at the trips I’ve taken, I don’t remember all of the bad things that happened or the stressful moments I had. I mostly remember all of the amazing views and new people and cool adventures. The experiences and the memories made on each and every trip are worth the stress and anxiety or car sickness that may come with them.
