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They say time flies when you are having fun. I have always had an issue with this statement. For me, time flies when you are doing the 9 to 5. Day after day passes by without incident. Weeks and months pass by like smoke through a keyhole. One of the things I love about long-term travelling is the struggle to clearly remember where I was a couple of weeks ago. The shortest space of time feels like light years ago. Constantly moving, constantly busy and just generally living life makes it difficult to think about the past too much. In just a few days time though, it will all come to an end. 34 weeks after departing Dublin, I will be returning home. What started in Singapore will end in Hungary. A trip full of the most amazing moments, unforgettable sights and incredible food on an almost daily basis.

I think in a way I am very lucky. This is my third long term trip in 4 years. I have done this before, so I know how it feels having to adjust to life off the road after an extended period of time on it. It is certainly the hardest part of a trip, that dreaded fear that it is all coming to an end. It can be a gut-wrenching feeling, knowing almost exactly what the days and weeks after returning home will entail. Fortunately, three weeks after I return home is Christmas. This should provide a welcome distraction from what is sure to be a gruelling adjustment period. But I know I will miss so many things from the road, as I always do. The good, the bad and the ugly of long-term travel will seem infinitely more exciting than day to day life in the small town I call home.

What I Will Miss

First of all, and probably most of all, I will miss the food. For me, it’s the single best thing about travelling. Different flavours and dishes unique to that country or city that can’t be found anywhere other than where you are at the time. I could probably count on one hand the bad meals I have had on this trip. Sure, there have been a few more forgettable ones, but for the most part, the food has been incredible. I have tasted flavours that won’t even be an option once I return home, and that will be so hard to adjust to.

Another thing that I tend to miss is that uncertain feeling that comes with arriving someplace new. Having no idea whether I have just arrived in a town or city that I am going to fall in love with and not knowing how the next few days will pan out. This is a feeling I long for.

I will also miss the people, the nightlife, the different beers from around the world. I tried to avoid it much more on this trip. However random nights out on any day of the week, with people you have just met, is one of the coolest things about travelling.

Then there are the sights. In the calendar year of 2017, apart from a one week trip to Morocco and Marseille and a couple of city breaks in Europe, I saw none of the world. But in 2018, there was the Great Wall of China and the Hong Kong skyline. I watched the sunrise from the top of Mount Batur in Bali and swam with elephants in Chiang Mai. I watched the sunrise while floating through the sky in a hot air balloon above Cappadocia. Waterfalls, mountains, hills, sunsets and so many other natural wonders, the list goes on and on. How can it be a simple process to stop your life consisting of this on a full-time basis?

Ultimately the list is truly endless. There are always surprises on the road and expecting the unexpected is key to loving travel life. I love it! But will all great loves there must be some hate. There are little pieces of home that I crave when on the road that I can’t wait to have again.

What I Look Forward To Upon Returning Home

It’s strange because, in a way, some of the things I look forward to the most are the exact opposite of what I love about travelling. I can’t wait to be able to cook again. It will be a nice feeling not having to venture out in search of every meal, every day. Sometimes it’s nice to just cook up some eggs and toast without having to face the world. Especially on those hungover days when the last thing anyone wants is to go searching for food. I also look forward to spending some days not having to plan ahead. When there is no need to try and fill a day. I can sit around, play the PlayStation or watch TV without any disturbance, and not be doing so in a hostel dorm.

This brings me to those little comforts of home that I can’t wait for. Not being woken in the night by a stranger’s snoring. Or people coming in and out of the room, switching on lights and making a racket at 2 am. Luckily, I have been travelling with my girlfriend, this meant that when possible we stayed in private rooms. Even though I have had breaks from them on this trip, for the time being, I am sick to death of dorm rooms!

Of course, I always miss my family and friends. It can be hard to be away from them for such an extended time. I look forward to being able to go for a pint with my mates in my local pub, as much as I look forward to anything. I will also get to see my dog, which I am very excited about!! My family also got a new puppy since I left home, so of course, the opportunity to finally meet him is very welcomed too.

What’s Next?

Christmas!! I have been either travelling or working a lot over the last few Christmases. I look forward to taking this year for myself. Relaxing and enjoying it with my family and friends. I have also built and ran this blog from my iPhone. I can’t wait to get my laptop back and turn this website into what I envision it to be. My goal is to turn it into something I can be really proud of. I want, for a while at least, to turn it into a full-time job, 8 hours a day working and tweaking the site until I’m happy with it. Even if it doesn’t pay, the bank is not empty just yet so I can afford to do so.

I’m not going to rush back into employment. I want to make use of Ryanair’s cheap midweek flights and see some more of Europe in the coming months. I also plan on travelling to Dublin for a few days next January, exploring my own city as a tourist. Then when I feel ready and the right job becomes available, I’ll go for it. Returning home can be a great opportunity to start fresh, create a new and better routine for one’s self and I plan on doing just that.

It’s quite complex, I think. It could be a case of everything in moderation. But I feel ready to go home, even if it slightly scares me. No more buses, trains, packing and repacking, at least for a while. It won’t be long before I want that in my life again. As I said, I have done this before, I know how it goes. The honeymoon period ends and foreign lands become very appealing, very quickly. In saying that, I don’t see myself travelling for so long again. Shorter, more regular trips will be my travel style for the foreseeable. But to be honest, I cannot predict the future, not even my own. Who knows what the future holds?

About Post Author

The Roaming Irishman

roamingirishman@gmail.com

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