Wanderlust: Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

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If a millennial takes a trip and no one is around on social media to see it, did it really happen?

There’s no question about it, there is a huge pressure to travel and have incredible experiences.

FOMO is a real thing, and many people have actually experienced it (myself included).

You know what I’m talking about.

You get onto Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and see that Emily is currently on her way to Puerto Rico. You can see her stupid little plane fly all the way across the map.

While you sit in your pajamas, eating ice cream out of the carton, binge watching Netflix.

And all you can think is, “Omg, I need to go to Puerto Rico. I heard it’s beautiful there. My friend Charlie just went, and I saw his pictures, and they were AMAZING. I need to plan a trip SOON. What am I doing here wasting my time on my couch when I could be out THERE, seeing the world?”

Now first, I need to set something straight. I don’t think there is anything wrong with traveling. I personally love to travel, whether it’s taking a day trip to the beach or a plane to Europe, I enjoy a vacation as much as the next person. Experiences are a great thing to want, within reason.

However, I have felt serious pressure to live “big” by going out and traveling.

And somehow it feels if I don’t get out and travel, then I’m not really living.

Does anyone else feel like that?

And I’ve honestly wondered to myself, “What if a person were to stay in their small town their entire life, and never travel anywhere outside of their little town. What if they stayed right there and had a family, and never went anywhere or did anything. Would their life be of any less quality than the person who has traveled all over the globe and has seen the 7 Wonders of the World?”

And then I hear the voice in my head scream, “OF COURSE they wouldn’t be as happy! Happiness is EXPERIENCING things. It’s eating amazing food (photogenic food that is) and going out to concerts, and seeing amazing cities and visiting historic landmarks and “finding yourself in the great big world.”

I mean, how many times have we seen this picture?

All this is missing is the word “WANDERLUST” sprawled across it.

And your one thought is “Oh god, yes, this is all I want out of life. To just sit on that big rock and look out on the world and escape this mundane work life of mine and really find out who I am. “

And immediately following that is the thought “Man, how does that travel blogger do it? I wish I could quit my job and travel the world for a living.”

Two problems with this.

1.) I know it’s glamorized, but if we all actually tried it, not everyone would like traveling the world for a living. I would probably be someone who would get sick of it after 2 weeks.

2.) Why do you have to take a trip to find out who you are?

A few years ago I made my travel bucket list, and since making it, I have done everything in my power to frantically check those places off my list. But what I have discovered from trying to chase satisfaction through experiences is this:

Experiences eventually end.

You of course have the memories and the endless pages of photos, conveniently stored on your Instagram account. But at the end of the day, you end up back in your living room, still in your pajamas, eating out a different carton of ice cream, and now with an empty bank account.

And you’re still not satisfied and not any closer to “finding yourself.”

It’s that whole “YOLO” nonsense we are living by. God forbid you actually stay in a difficult or uncomfortable situation for too long. That means your wasting your time, wasting your LIFE, and remember, you only get to live once SO YOU BETTER DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

Again, experiences aren’t bad. I’m all for them. But when it gets to the point that
amazing experiences = a meaningful life, that’s where I think we have believed a terrible, terrible lie.

1.) Sunshine all the time makes a desert.

Life is not always full of good experiences, many are often bad experiences. But that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate the beautiful lessons those painful experiences teach us.

2.) “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Those big dramatic experiences in our lives are few and far between. Those “mountaintop” moments only last for a short amount of time. Life is mostly made up of lots of small moments, spending time with a friend, watching a beautiful sunset, or enjoying a good book.

So even though experiences and trips are great things, they aren’t everything. It’s really those moments we’ve mistaken as “filler” moments, that actually matter.

So next time you see Emily is taking a trip to Brazil for the third time, appreciate the “small things” like sitting in your pajamas, eating ice cream, and binging on Netflix.

Because Netflix is the stuff life is made out of, right?

What do you think?

Have you felt pressured to live “big?” Have you been bitten by the “Wanderlust” bug? Do you feel your life is meaningless unless you fill it with Instagram inspiring experiences?

Comment below, I’d love to hear what you think.

Later Gators,