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Do you feel happier or more depressed at the beginning of them, or the end of them?
On the three past trips of the sort I've taken (one was not a vacation, but the two others were more or less "vacations"), I felt bad the few initial days about being so far away from home and having to fend for myself for a change - a big change, considering I live with my mother, who (happily, I may add) does practically all my chores. I even thought about re-booking the flight on two of them. However, I got used to it within about three days. When I went to Spain and Morocco in 2008, my first "long" solo trip, within two days of being home I was bored and depressed and went on long, random afternoon "road trips" with the money I had left the first week of being home to cure my "fernweh" (longing for travel). On the other hand, I was a bit depressed the first few days of the trip in Barcelona, and thought about flying out two weeks early!
Funny you asked that because I went back to my hometown for two weeks during the holidays, and I felt sad during the last two full days of my vacation. I often get like this on extended vacations because of knowing that I'll have to return back to reality.
I generally feel overjoyed and full of excitement at the beginning of my trips. At the end, I feel content and am generally planning my next trip and what I would like to see more of/see when I visit a place again.
Really depends. When traveling alone whether for business or fun (usually when for fun I'm meeting a friend at my destination) I can be happy to be back home and want to go home. However when traveling with my family or other close friends or my girlfriend the end of the trip sucks. Usually it hits when I am actually back home as I am a big aviation fan so the flights are usually enjoyable for me.
But one thing I have never been is sad or depressed about going on a trip. I love to travel whether its a 5 hour road trip for a weekend or 14 hour flight for 3 weeks. I get excited a few days before and start preparing. Traveling is just very enjoyable for me. Even the flying!
Always ecstatic to be going away and deeply glum coming "home". If I had a choice home would be the road pretty much. I love travelling and find nothing more depressing than being back home with familiar faces, settings and daily routine. I can't think of anything duller.
It is actually quite a big problem for me. I suffer from Chronic Depression and being away always seems to lift my moods but the come down to earth always sends me spinning down and down... It can really ruin my last couple of days being away as I increasingly get more and more despondent and full of grief. I basically live for my travels and just have to plan the next one simply to remain vaguely sane.
I can never understand people who miss home and are happy to get back. I love my house and the area I live but compared to being away and experiencing new things, meeting new people and simply not having to think about mundane stuff it really does not appeal much !
Some people have a booze or drug addiction , I am addicted to escaping life. And it truly is a pathological problem causing me a lot of serious unhappiness and discontent.
I wish Hubby could be posted abroad at moment's notice. I crave that excitement and novelty. I think it stems from my childhood of being constantly on the move. I need to get away. I would literally welcome a chance to move around constantly.
I don't even understand the concept of being sad or depressed about going away. As long as it's not a war torn zone count me in with bells on and a big smile !
Always ecstatic to be going away and deeply glum coming "home". If I had a choice home would be the road pretty much. I love travelling and find nothing more depressing than being back home with familiar faces, settings and daily routine. I can't think of anything duller.
It is actually quite a big problem for me. I suffer from Chronic Depression and being away always seems to lift my moods but the come down to earth always sends me spinning down and down... It can really ruin my last couple of days being away as I increasingly get more and more despondent and full of grief. I basically live for my travels and just have to plan the next one simply to remain vaguely sane.
I can never understand people who miss home and are happy to get back. I love my house and the area I live but compared to being away and experiencing new things, meeting new people and simply not having to think about mundane stuff it really does not appeal much !
Some people have a booze or drug addiction , I am addicted to escaping life. And it truly is a pathological problem causing me a lot of serious unhappiness and discontent.
I wish Hubby could be posted abroad at moment's notice. I crave that excitement and novelty. I think it stems from my childhood of being constantly on the move. I need to get away. I would literally welcome a chance to move around constantly.
I don't even understand the concept of being sad or depressed about going away. As long as it's not a war torn zone count me in with bells on and a big smile !
I have to say that I have a hard time agreeing with your analysis of your proclivities as an "addiction". I actually think it is a wonderful penchant for experiencing the variety of life. Good for you, I say!
That said, in terms of the feelings at either end of the trip, for me, I think its the practicalities that determine how I feel. When I used to work, I traveled extensively all over the world. I completely and throroughly loved it, but coming back was fraught with tension because I never knew what to expect at work when I got back. Now that I'm retired, I can do the same kind of travel, and look forward to coming home, knowing that the only catching up I have to do is on Netflix.
As to the travel itself, I'm finding that vacation travel is not nearly as rewarding as business travel, as strange as that may sound. I think the reasons are that when you travel for work, you meet locals at work, you can socialize with them, and if you're traveling as a team, its great to share the whole experience - not to mention the fact that you can spend a lot more freely with an expense account!
When you're on vacation, granted its more relaxing, but its very easy to fall into the touristy thing. But thats me...
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