It happened in Arizona.
Two weeks into a cross-country road trip that began in New Jersey, my
friend and I drove into Scottsdale, where her pal had offered up his town home
for a few days. We’d swept through Nashville and Little Rock, saw the
stockyards in Fort Worth and pondered alien life in Roswell. We’d crammed our days with sightseeing
and too many stops at Denny’s and our nights with mingling with locals and too
many margaritas. It had been 14 days at full throttle. When we got to
Scottsdale, we lugged our bags into the crash pad and proceeded to stretch out
on the couch watching West Wing marathons and eating pizza for three straight
days.
Whether it’s a road trip or a RTW journey, there comes a time during
travel when a person just needs to stop for a minute.
No matter how juiced someone is to hit the road and keep going, we
humans need down time. We all
reach a point where we need a bed that’s not surrounded by a half dozen other
backpackers, some liquids other than alcohol and food other than the greasy,
processed kind. But it goes beyond those basic needs. When my friend and I
stopped in our little desert haven, we spent some time apart, reading, running
errands, reclining by the pool. Even people traveling solo need a carved corner
away from other travelers.
It’s understandable why travelers want to keep going, going, going until
they’re gone. The very nature of travel calls for a certain keyed-up energy, a
commitment to going all in and leaving no opportunity left unturned, no new
thing left untried. I truly envy the travelers who can bounce from country to
country, city to city, hostel to hostel and still seem joyful and energized.
In the effort to see it all, though, more than one traveler has seen the
stark darkness of complete mental and physical exhaustion. All of a sudden, the
epic journey plotted for months or years comes to a howling halt, leaving a
certain emptiness in its place. All of a sudden, a road warrior desperately
wishes to become a homebody.
The need for down time often is one of the reasons I chose to move
directly to Sydney and then take small trips to other parts of Australia
instead of taking a long backpacking journey. I know myself. I know I need a
base, a place to hang up my clothes and curl up and read. I need a favorite café,
a good pizza place, a neighborhood whose rhythm I know. I know if I spend more than a week in a
hostel, I’m probably going to start breaking things.
Other hardcore travelers have documented how they’ve beaten backpacker
burnout with some “me” time. Bobbi from Heels and Wheels splurged on a nice
hotel room to escape her six-bed dorm while living in Port Douglas, Australia.
Steph from Twenty-Something Travel stopped her
jaunts around Asia during her RTW trip to chill for a few months at her
boyfriend’s crib in Xi’an, China after hitting what she terms No More Rocks
Syndrome. Taking a break didn’t make these travelers weak or diminish the
awesomeness of their adventures. It just reminded them that they’re human.
It’s for that reason I’ll continue to seek out my Scottsdale wherever I
travel in the world.
Related Articles:
Home vs. Abroad: Shedding your 'Role' while Travelling
What is the best thing you have done for free on your travels?
Have you ever stopped in your tracks on a trip? What are your tips for
easing travel burnout?
About the Author
Lauren Fritsky moved to Australia in January
2010, intent on staying just a year. Nearly 18 months later, she continues to
live in Sydney with the American boyfriend she met Down Under and work as
a freelance writer and editor for various web sites. She has traveled around
Australia and visited China, New Zealand, Italy, France, the U.K., Ireland,
Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.
Read her blog at The Life That Broke and follow her on Twitter.
WorldNomads.com keeps
you travelling safely. Whether you’re off for a long weekend, looking for
the ultimate adventure or living the nomadic dream, you’ll stay safe with Travel Insurance you
can buy online, anytime, and the latest travel safety advice. Learn how
to flirt in over 25 languages with our free language guides and have
an experience of a lifetime on a travel scholarship.
We'll also help you share your journey with a free travel blog, get answers from
other nomads to all of your travel questions (try the new 'Ask
A Nomad' iPad app) and donate to a local community development project through
our Footprints program.
WorldNomads.com -
an essential part of every adventurous traveller's journey.
