The 7 Curses of Long Term Travel

If I look back at the last six years in which my travel partner Alesha and I traveled around the world,
I don’t ever regret making decision to leave everything behind and embark on this life of long term travel.Every waking moment we are on the road, we feel extremely lucky for the opportunities that have led us to create this lifestyle. Even though we have made some sacrifices to do this, and have worked very hard to save the money to travel long term (and continue to work on the road), the rewards have been more than worth the effort. Honestly, our lives are pretty awesome.But there is a downside to everything, of course, and our lives are no exception. The longer we are on the road, the more we discover what I like to call the “curses of long term travel.” These are the negative effects of being modern-day nomads. Not every day is full of fun, adventure, spectacular sunsets, and cocktails on the beach. Here are the seven things we have struggled with life on the road.
1. It gets harder and harder to be impressed.
After years of exploring the world’s best temples, national parks, museums, and attractions, it gets harder and harder to be impressed. This is the curse we are most affected by today, and we constantly find ourselves becoming nonchalant when visiting places that others wait their whole lives to see. “It’s just another temple,” we’ll say, or, “Meh, we’ve been to more authentic villages.”We need to remind ourselves to appreciate every wonder we encounter, no matter how small or how many times we think we’ve seen the same thing before. Not every attraction can be as mind-blowing as Angkor Wat. But that doesn’t mean that once you’ve been to the temples of Angkor, you never have to visit another historical site again.

2. You miss out on those special (and sad) moments back home.Perhaps the hardest thing to deal with when you are constantly on the road is missing out on the special (and sad) moments back home. Weddings, birthdays and other celebrations pass you by, and a lot of the time, you are only reminded of them through photos posted on social media. Even more tragic is if a dear relative or friend passes while you are away, meaning you never got to say goodbye. And trust us, grieving on the road isn’t any easier than grieving with your family around you.Luckily, through the wonders of the Internet, we can now stay connected with everyone back home via apps like Skype. We also take solace knowing that our friends and family are usually happy for us that we are out traveling the world. It helps us get through the sad moments, even when we are questioning why we choose to be away for so long.

3. Friendships are measured in days, not years.Take a look at your friendship group. How long have your mates been in your life? Years? Decades? Did you grow up together? Those friendships may stay with you forever, but when you are always on the road, it is harder to form such close, lasting bonds with people. Being transient means that we usually only get to spend a few days (or sometimes even only a few hours) with people who we genuinely like and get along with. I’ve lost count of the number of guys and girls I’ve formed incredible friendships with, only for us to part ways and never see or hear from each other again. We share amazing experiences together, and then vanish from each others’ lives. It’s a curse that never breaks unless we stop moving.

4. You’ve changed, but everything else is the same.Returning home after an extended period of time always leaves me feeling like I’ve changed, but everything else is the same. My friends are still going to the same bars and eating at the same restaurants, my home town still looks exactly how I left it, even conversations go back to the same old topics we were discussing years ago. We end up questioning whether we really belong at home, or, perhaps even deeper, we sometimes  rethink what “home” really means to us. I’m not saying I have changed for the better, but the truth is that I have definitely changed.

5. You experience traveler’s burnout. 

If you travel to a lot of countries or over long distances continuously, it is easy to feel completely burnt out. After 10 months riding our motorbikes around Southeast Asia, checking into a different hotel every couple of days, packing and unpacking our backpacks, and spending every hour of daylight exploring new sights, Alicia and I were totally exhausted. We were getting frustrated way too easily, and becoming more and more jaded with life in general. We needed to stop for a few months and recharge the batteries, or risk quitting traveling altogether. The only cure for this is to slow down.

6. You’re always searching for the next adventure.

It’s harder to become impressed, true, but when we finally are, it just makes us want to seek out more adventures. Camping for free on the beaches of Hong Kong isn’t enough. It makes you want to camp on the Great Wall of China or in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Visiting 100 countries doesn’t quite cut it when you know there are 193 countries to explore. It is a hunger you can never satisfy, and every jaw-dropping experience just forces you to want to discover another. It’s like chasing the dragon you can never catch.

7. The idea of settling down scares the heck out of you.“When are you going to stop traveling and settle down?” asks everyone, ever. It is the dreaded question that  full-time travelers get asked all the time. If you’ve made it past your gap year and never stopped moving, then you know that nothing is more frightening than the idea of getting a full-time job, getting a mortgage, and rejoining the rat race. Some people call it running away, but who says that is how we are meant to live our life? Why does a life of unwanted responsibility have to be adhered to? When I feel completely happy making a minimal income and living a basic life, why should I have to change that?

To be clear, I am not saying that these curses are preventing me from continuing to live the life I want. They are not. I am saying, though, that they are important to know if you are considering a life of full-time travel yourself.

Ultimate Castaway Experience: Vacation on a Deserted Island

The travel company — reportedly the first of its kind — specializes in sending clients to remote, uninhabited islands for the ultimate anti-tourist vacation.The locations are beautiful, with beachfront stays in Indonesia, the Philippines, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. The luxuries, however, are slim. (In some cases, electricity qualifies as a luxury.)

When booking, customers get to choose between two modes: comfort and adventure. The former is for travelers who crave seclusion without giving up basic necessities; the latter seems best for “Survivor” runner-ups and die-hard “Man vs. Wild” fans.For the most part, Docastaway trips are not entirely fend-for-yourself experiences. A guide usually accompanies the travelers, although true daredevils can opt out and go solo at certain adventure mode locations. At comfort-mode lodgings, meals are served buffet style by a “staff” and you can partake in activities like paddle boarding, kayaking, and boat excursions to neighboring islands.For example, the Devil’s Island excursion in Oceania (380 euros a night) ranks as extreme on Docastaway’s isolation scale, which means you’re paying for a life-or-death experience, not a luxury hammock. Guests eat “what nature provides.” So what does that mean? The company hints at the island’s free-roaming hermit crabs and fish in natural pools. The description also warns, “Should there be a storm the castaway will have to wait up to two weeks to be rescued. Therefore, much patience will be necessary and also flexible dates.” There’s also no beach on the island, but hey, there is a climbable volcano you can climb!

Daydream: Plutonic Passageway in Joshua Tree National Park

We know how it is.
You’re stuck at your desk and the day seems to be going on forever. Your mind starts to wander — at first to “anywhere but here,” but then to exotic, faraway lands where your everyday problems and stress melt in the presence of true paradise. You want to go to there, and we want to go with you. Every day at 3 p.m. Eastern, we’ll send you a picture of the place we at Yahoo Travel are daydreaming about so we can all take that mental vacation together.
Let’s go to Plutonic Passageway in Joshua Tree National Park!!! This park is famous for its trees, hence the name. But it has a lot more to offer. There's the constant sunshine, geckos, roadrunners, and jackrabbits, and you might even see a rattlesnake! The sunrises and sunsets are our favorite part; they have a way of enhancing the already stunning landscape into a visual experience you are sure to remember. Disclaimer: The heat can rise well above 100 °F in the summer, so you will want to stay hydrated and bring plenty of sunscreen. You could also go in the spring or fall when the temperature is almost perfect.

The Matterhorn

Situated in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy is one of the most famous and
distinctive of all Alpine peaks. The Matterhorn is a pyramidal-shaped colossus, standing at a
skyline-dominating 4478 metres (14,690 feet). Its four steep faces rise above the nearby glaciers and face
the four compass points, north, east, south and west. Although not the highest peak in the Alps its fame is
due to its almost impossible shape; an unusual landform with a summit that appears to extend over its north face,
making it look like a cobra about to strike.The Matterhorn's History
The formation of the Matterhorn (and the rest of the Alps) began some 50 to 60 million years ago when the African
and Eurasian tectonic plates collided, and layers of sedimentary rock that had formed in the seas between them were
thrust up above sea level. Experts suggest that the Matterhorn began as a rounded hill, but gained its distinct
pyramidal shape as a result of natural erosive forces over the last million years.
The first successful ascent of this iconic peak was on July 14, 1865 by a team led by English illustrator,
climber and explorer Edward Whymper. He had previously made several unsuccessful attempts on the summit.
The climb was marred by tragedy as four team members lost their lives in a fall just below the summit during
the descent. The second ascent occurred just three days after Whymper’s triumph, from the Italian side.
The mountain’s difficult north face wasn’t climbed until July 31 and August 1, 1931.
The Matterhorn’s north face overlooks the Swiss Zmutt Valley, whilst the south stands guard over
the Italian ski resort village of Breuil-Cervinia. The Theodul Pass, a trade route used by Ancient Romans and
Celts as early as 100BC connects the two destinations. Unknown to most, the Romans originally named the Matterhorn,
‘Mons Silvius’. In fact, it wasn’t until sometime during the 1500’s that Germans named the mountain, the Matterhorn,
derived from “matte” meaning meadow and “horn” meaning peak.

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Falls is a three-tiered, 2425 ft waterfall, situated in Yosemite National Park, California. If the three
tiers are considered as a whole, Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America and the fifth highest in
the world. The three tiers include the Upper Fall (1430ft), middle cascades (675ft) and the lower fall (320ft)
Sections of Yosemite Falls
Upper Yosemite Falls
Water drops 1430ft at the Upper Falls, which means that even individually, it would place among the top 20 highest
waterfalls in the world. Unlike the Lower Falls, the Upper Falls are not easy to access. In fact, reaching the Upper
Falls requires taking a 7.2 mile round trip, with 2700ft elevation gain. The majority of the route is exposed to sun,
 and therefore it is recommended to start early in order to avoid the midday heat.
Middle Cascades
The middle cascades are located between the Upper and Lower falls, and cannot be seen from the majority of vantage
points. In a series of five smaller cascades, water descends a total of 675ft.
Lower Yosemite Falls
At the Lower Falls, water descends 320ft; almost twice the drop of Niagara Falls. It is the easiest section to
access, with only a short walk from the Yosemite Lodge to the base of the falls required. If visiting in spring,
then be aware that the viewing area will receive a lot of spray from the falls. However, by the middle of summer,
the spray is replaced by calm, cool air and possibly a little mist.

Meteora

The Meteora are a collective of natural sandstone rock pillars, which have served as places of worship throughout
modern history. With an average elevation of 313m (1027ft), the Meteora rocks stand proudly at the centre of an
extraordinarily beautiful Greek landscape, housing 24 monasteries in total, of which 6 remain active. Inscribed on
the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988, Meteora attracts tourists to the region in their thousands each year.

History of Meteora
The name, ‘Meteora’ stems from the Greek adjective, meteoros, which means ‘middle of the sky’. Aptly named,
the rock formations of Meteora jut out of the ground like giant fingers made of stone, allowing the various
monasteries to sit, suspended in the air. It has taken millions of years for various forces of nature to sculpt
out these unique rock pillars. Geologists believe that this process began approximately 60 million years ago
during the Palaeogene period.
As early as the 11th century, monks occupied the caverns of Meteora. However, monasteries were not built until
the 14th century, when the monks sought somewhere to hide in the face of an increasing number of Turkish
attacks on Greece. At this time, access to the top was via removable ladders or windlass. Nowadays, getting up
is a lot simpler due to steps being carved into the rock during the 1920’s. Of the 24 monasteries, only 6
(five male, one female) are still functioning, with each housing less than 10 individuals.

Penon De Ifach

The enigmatic Penon de Ifach stands proudly at 332m at the head of Calpe, surrounded by the shimmering blue of
the Mediterranean Sea. It is a huge calcareous rock, joined to the mainland by a detritic isthmus. With a
protected surface area of just 45 hectares, Penon de Ifach is one of the smallest nature reserves in Europe.
Despite its size, the reserve attracts approximately 100,000 visitors each year.
History of Penon de Ifach
Throughout history, Penon de Ifach has served several purposes. In the 4th to 3rd centuries before Christ,
there was an Iberian village at the foot of the rock, on its western side. Later, in Roman times, the settlement
moved to the isthmus joining the rock to the mainland, though findings confirm that the sides of the rock were once
again inhabited throughout the Middle Ages.
Penon de Ifach once served as a landmark for mariners. It was then used as a watchtower, with its lofty height of
332m providing a superb vantage point to spot approaching pirates and invaders. Despite best efforts,
continuing attacks from the sea forced inhabitants down to the village of Calpe.
Originally, the municipality of Calpe owned Penon de Ifach. However, in 1872, it became privately owned.
After having several different private owners, it was purchased by the Generalitat Valenciana Authority,
before being declared a nature reserve in 1987.