Oftentimes the blog world goes on and on about how incredible travel is and I am no different, I do to. I do that here on Land of Marvels because I truly believe that, because my life has changed because of it, I have changed because of travel. But one thing I really strive to do here on Land of Marvels too is to tell the truth and be honest, about life and about travel. It’s one reason I started this Truth About Traveling series a long time ago, as a way to be open and honest about some of the harsher truths of our world and about travel.
The thing is, I genuinely love travel. But it’s also important to note that travel and seeing the world isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, just like life isn’t that way as well. It isn’t always loving the places you visit or feeling great while exploring. It isn’t always glamorous. And I’ve posted about all those things over the years. Travel can also be sort of underwhelming, it can leave you wondering what all the hype was about or why you spent time to visit when you really just didn’t like it. And that’s totally ok.
I think the biggest disservice we do to travel is not share about the gritty details that make it not so amazing sometimes too: the lack of sleep, the anxiety when you’re lost and don’t know where to head, when flights are delayed or plans are canceled. The truth about traveling is that it isn’t always amazing. And in that, sometimes we must push that aside and continue on, even when we’re underwhelmed or dissatisfied. Because at the end of the day, travel is about pushing boundaries and trying new things. It’s about seeing with your own eyes all those places that are part of our world and we aren’t ever going to love everything or feel great all the time or be totally blown away by everything. Sometimes travel isn’t going to change you or move you or show you the best the world has to offer and that’s part of the fun and part of the joy too. Sometimes travel is about showing you that we’re all human, we all see things differently and we all find awe in different things. So the next time you take that trip and come back feeling underwhelmed or disappointed, that’s ok too. The goal is to keep going, to pick yourself back up and embrace the next adventure with open arms not knowing what might be ahead.
Courtney says
I’ve never really given it much thought but I totally agree where you’re coming from. Sometimes traveling is grueling and trips aren’t always as awesome as we were hoping they would be, and that’s totally okay!
http://thecourtneydiaries.com
Casey says
Exactly! Sometimes travel isn’t all gorgeous sunsets and amazing weather, a lot of times things go wrong and that’s ok too!
Emily of Em Busy Living says
I love the nitty gritty details. I want the honestly. Thank you!
Casey says
Totally… the gritty details are often the best part! 🙂
Stephanie Gagnon says
Yes! I felt this way during my honeymoon in Sweden/Norway/Denmark. It was pretty and obviously I loved spending time with my new husband but it wasn’t amazing. It felt very average/American to me. I think because my travels previously have been in Central and South America — and to me there’s something magical about those places — Scandinavia just didn’t blow me away. Plus $$$$$. I’ve been kind of wrestling with this, feeling a little guilty because my husband loved it. But your post captures where I’ve landed. It was beautiful, it was a blessing that we were able to go, got to experience fun/unique things – on to the next one!
Casey says
I’ve had trips like that, where you are just sort of underwhelmed. The thing to take away as you said though is to be glad to have experienced it and then move on to something else!
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished says
So true!! We also sometimes choose to misrepresent a destination by just showing off beautiful, over-edited images. Each place has its pretty and its gritty, and that’s part of the experience of travel. It’s an adventure!
Casey says
Definitely! The great thing about travel is mixing the pretty and the gritty and the good and the bad!
Louise says
I fucked up every day while I was backpacking! Getting lost, losing my money, getting super duper sick. It was still the best time of my life because I know that I’m strong enough to overcome tough shit all by myself. Plus, now I have all these great stories to tell!
Casey says
Definitely! Knowing you can get through all that stuff is a pretty great accomplishment!
House To Laos says
We traveled for 14 months straight and the truth is we did have the time of our lives…but, we still had good days, bad days, sadness, anxiety, stress, and mundane matters (taxes! lost credit cards!) to take care of. you are so right, travel isn’t necessarily about having an amazing day, ever day, it’s the cumulative experience of learning more about yourself through the world, taking on challenges, and growing. And because of that i LOVE travel 🙂
Casey says
Wow, 14 months straight, I’m sure you had a lot of those not so amazing moments. But as you said, it’s about the collective feeling of travel, taking the good with the bad and embracing it all!
Kristin says
Yes! We’re all good at saying things like “life begins at the end of your comfort zone” and just show the beauty that lives there, when the reality is that it’s really, really hard sometimes to push out of your comfort zone! It’s stressful, and things go wrong, and sometimes it takes a while to get to one of those magic moments that keeps you going! I love your truth about travel series, because you take us through those moments and remind us that while there’s a great reward at the end of the journey, sometimes it takes serious work to get there!
Casey says
So so true. We make it sound so easy, but you’re right, travel is often stressful and it’s about thinking on your feet sometimes.