9 Things Travel Addicts Are Sick of Hearing – rants of a travel addict!

Being a travel addict, I often find myself in conversations related to travel. Most of them are lovely but once in a while I come across situations where people say the strangest things about my lifestyle. At those times, I try my best to keep a straight face but I don’t always succeed. Why? Because my facial expressions are too honest to lie! If you’re a travel addict too, I know you go through the same too. Below are the things that I and many other travel addicts are sick of hearing and why:

01 | “What? You’re traveling AGAIN?”

“Yes, I’m traveling again. Sorry about that! Please don’t look so mad about it. I travel often. Please live with it.”

Often cute when said with a genuine smile, this statement changes to annoying when it’s combined with an accusatory tone. I absolutely love it when a friend says it out of genuine interest but loathe it when someone says it with a critical look in their eyes.

02 | You have way too much money!

 “Oh yes! I have been winning jackpots every month!”

Not only this statement assumes that it is only rich who travel, but it completely overlooks budget travel possibilities. No I don’t have too much money, but I know how to save. Travel does not have to be expensive if you are ready to sacrifice on a few comforts. Did I ever tell you about a friend who is traveling the world on his bicycle to save money on travel costs? We don’t travel on bicycles but we often camp to save money.

San and I camping to save money

03 | I can’t afford to travel as much as you do.

“Oh, that’s too bad! BTW, I love your new car and your black designer dress that matches with it.”

It’s funny when this statement comes from people who carry expensive phones, wear designer clothes and eat out more than once a week. I have no problem if you like collecting things but don’t whine about not being able to afford traveling.

04 | You need to settle down / have a baby / buy a house.

“Of course! It makes total sense if I live according to what you think is right”

Aargh!! – 9 Things Travel Addicts Are Sick of Hearing

Out of all the statements, this is perhaps the worst one. It bothers me because it assumes that there is a particular way of life that everyone needs to follow. Yes, it’s amazing when people settle down, have babies and buy houses, but it’s not everyone’s dream.

05 | Will you get a perfume / iPad (or any other expensive product) for me? I’ll pay you when you come back!

“Sure! I carry a lot of extra cash when I travel to buy things for people. In fact, I have also paid for extra baggage allowance for my flight JUST for this.”

Traveling on a budget means sometimes not having extra cash to buy an expensive product for a friend and taking money upon returning. It also means occasionally trying to fit everything in carry-on bags to avoid baggage fee for budget airlines. Moreover, even if I’m paid in advance, I do not like the responsibility of carrying around expensive products because I may lose or break them.

06 | Can you change your dates a little? I will come with you!

“Why not. Anything for you. If you want, I will cancel my trip.”

This statement scares me! I often end the conversation here because I do not want to get pushed to travel with people that I don’t want to. It’s important for me to pick the right travel buddy, else I prefer to travel solo. Moreover, changing dates usually means incurring additional costs, applying for new leaves and turning the schedule around.

07 | What about your job? You need to work hard and make money.

“Absolutely! I was born to work hard and be a model employee”

Picture this – when you’re on your deathbed and are thinking about your life, would you be happier remembering how hard you worked OR how much you got to experience by traveling? For me, it’s the latter. Which one did you pick? Bronnie Ware, a nurse who counseled patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives, wrote a book called “The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying” where #1 is not having the courage to live a life true to them and not the life others expected. I live my life the way I want to and I hope you do the same.

08 | Will you organize a trip for me and help me book hotels, flights and connections?

“Oh yes, I have a lot of spare time between my job and my frequent travels specifically for this.”

Grrrr – Things Travel Addicts Are Sick of Hearing

As much as I love sharing my actual itineraries, I absolutely hate organizing trips for others. Why? Because it’s a lot of work and I know I can screw up. I have done it a few times but it’s stressful because if they hate it, it’s my fault for ruining their vacation. Sorry, but a travel addict is not necessarily a travel agent or a tour guide.

09 | Why are you running away from your life?

“You guessed it. I have the most boring life and running away is the only way to make it exciting.”

There are many different ways to run away from life – drinking, avoiding difficult conversations and more.  Traveling is not running away from life, its facing it head on. It teaches you things about life which you can’t learn in the comfort of your bedroom or your office cubicle. I travel to experience life, not to escape it.

Are you also a travel addict and couldn’t help nodding to these points? Share it on Facebook and let your friends know!

Do you know of a few more things that travel addicts are sick of hearing? Let me know in the comment section.

You might also like:

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9 Things Travel Addicts are sick of hearing

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