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The premise is simple enough, and you can share your exact region if it's not already in your bio, but you certainly don't have to, but perhaps, if you could particularly specify which region of the US (or international) you are from. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest satisfaction with place or desire to travel, and 1 being lowest:
How well do you like where you are living now, all things considered, and ignoring other elements? For me, my area is a 6. That may sound harsh, but in all honesty, it's perhaps less, in some ways, the fault of the overall area, and more, environmental variables out of the area's control entirely that I don't like as much (natural scenery, weather). If those two alone were different, it would potentially be an 8.5-9, or even higher.
How strong is your wanderlust, or innate desire to travel to other places? For me, I think it's absolutely a 10, and frankly, I'm not sure that really accurately describes just how strong my desire is to see and explore different, new places, almost regardless of how popular they are or are not.
I guess what I'm trying to see, or, to use an academic term, what my alternate hypotheses and null are :
H1: That there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between having a somewhat lower (say, less than 8) enjoyment of the area, and wanting to get out more, AND perhaps, that if one is in an area that truly suits oneself perfectly, that perhaps, even with some mutual positive correlation of enjoying the area and wanting to get out, that feeling of contentment in current place might make overall wanderlust or travel bug factor drop down some, though perhaps less of a strong relationship than those who aren't completely content in their current area... unless of course the possibility exists that they aren't really excited by where they live, but don't really want to go anywhere, either (perhaps, no place would make them happy)
I am also curious to see how some of these responses vary by region. Look forward to hearing your feedback
I live in Southern California and my satisfaction with where I live is a 9. I can think of ways it could be improved, but I can't think of actual other places where I would rather live. I like the scenery, I like the weather, I like the amenities.
My desire to travel is about a 6. I like traveling, and I like seeing other places. However, I discovered when I was in my teens and went to Japan twice by myself, that a major part of the fun of traveling for me is experiencing new places with friends and family. I am not at all afraid to travel alone, but I don't enjoy traveling alone. I find it lonely and unsatisfying. Since I don't necessarily have people who would like to go everywhere I would like to go, that is a very big factor for me. Maybe I'll get to some of those places someday; if not, I'm really OK being here most of the time, or traveling just to the places that my friends/family and I mutually agree we would like to go to.
As for people's innate desires, I think that gets back to the old "things vs. experiences" divide. Some people crave one, some crave the other, or both in differing degrees. There is no right or wrong, although I think there is a societal push to promote having experiences and downgrade having things, but experiences are not inherently superior.
I enjoy traveling and generally have taken every opportunity to travel, but that slowed down to almost none with Covid. It's a good time to stay away from the airlines with all the craziness happening there. I cancelled a trip to Yellowstone and I want to get up into Canada and they have barely opened the border back up, finally, so maybe when summer come around and the snow melts off I will get up there. The border has been closed because of Covid.
I do not see what satisfaction with where you are living has to do with enjoying travel. I can't see any relationship between the two at all.
I live in central Oklahoma and I'd rate this place at about an 8 for me. There's a few things that could be improved but overall I quite enjoy living here.
Now I love to be on the road and seeing new and different places, whether alone or with friends. Part of why I like Oklahoma so much is because of how diverse it really is and how close it is to a lot of other places I enjoy seeing. I'd probably rate my wanderlust at a 9.5 or 10, simply because if I had the time and the money I'd probably spend every other week driving around and just exploring every random little corner I can find.
I live in the Tampa Bay area and my satisfaction is about a 7. In many ways this area is perfect, but I’d prefer some mountains, a Mediterranean climate, and more history. Honestly, based on all my travels Europe is probably the best place for me but that comes with some problems too (ie taxes). There’s nowhere all that similar to Europe in the US so my satisfaction here couldn’t be a 10. I think it might max out around 8 if I were in Washington so to give Tampa Bay a 7 is actually pretty good.
My desire to travel is getting lower as I get older. I’d put it at a 5 now, I’m not that old but I’ve already seen a lot of great places and enjoy the comforts of home too.
I live in the high desert of New Mexico -- that scores a 9 for me. It could be a little less windy and we could use a little more rain now and then. Otherwise, the four-season climate is perfect. I could go on and on. I wanted to move here when I first saw the place at 10 years of age, and I finally made it.
I enjoy travel and have been on three continents but there are few places that I want to visit these days. In general, I'd give travel a 6 or 7 because I hate flying under the current conditions and the way people are treated. I'd like to revisit a few places. I spent most of a month in Ireland as the pandemic was spreading and I'd like to go back and visit when there was less stress. I'd like to go back to Peru and visit the north of the country. I enjoy the old hill towns in Umbria. I have a 2000-mile road trip coming up soon and I enjoy train travel.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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Very happy living in Miami—year round, warm weather oceanfront environment with exciting, international, vibrant and top tier urban amenities in a socially liberal city but fiscally conservative state (no state income tax, less tolerance for and presence of homeless, etc). Satisfaction level is 9+.
Still enjoy traveling, predominantly to Europe and Latin America, with Miami being a hub for American along with the cruise capital of the world and a good, geographically located departure point whereas many visitors and residents from those mentioned areas “come to me”. My international travels will resume shortly and while I remain in good physical shape.
Last edited by elchevere; 03-02-2022 at 10:26 AM..
I live "on the lake" outside of Charlotte. The only reason I don't rate the place a 10 is because it of too far from the beach (3 1/2 hours) and mountains (1 1/2 hours). I don't really need a car as everything is within walking distance and the streets are extremely safe from violent crime. Despite three really hot/humid months that I don't really mind, the weather is really great. The only place where I have been in the U.S. that enjoys better weather is San Diago. I have always had a wonderlust and travel regularly. I've visited almost 60 countries, lived in four and married women from three different countries/continents. I also enjoy all the amenities I require. If I don't find them here, I drive 20 minutes into Charlotte and they are there. I am also 30 minutes from the international airport that takes me wherever I wish to go either domestically or foreign. So, my rating here is "9". There are places I would prefer to live overseas, but I would have to be a multi-millionaire.
Seattle is a 9 for me. Big metro, good walkability/bikeability, tons of interesting people, culture fits me better than almost anywhere else, very safe compared to a lot of bigger metros, and I enjoy the sense of progress and optimism here. There might not be anywhere in the country that's better for me, I just have a few minor gripes: the culture is a bit generic because of all the transplants and the PNW being settled fairly recently; being closer to other cities would be nice; it sucks how early everything closes; and the light rail coverage isn't great (even after all the Link expansions, a lot of the city won't be covered).
My wanderlust is a 10. I've explored all over my state (been to every county in WA, and all but 4 in OR) and most major US cities. If there were any practical and affordable way for me to constantly move from city to city (or country to country) while holding onto my friendships, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'm planning to try out digital nomading at some point soonish, once I can get a 100% remote job and the international travel situation is a bit more predictable (i.e. no lockdowns or quarantine periods happening).
I guess I think of cities like foods. I can have a favorite one while still wanting to sample others.
I enjoy traveling and generally have taken every opportunity to travel, but that slowed down to almost none with Covid. It's a good time to stay away from the airlines with all the craziness happening there. I cancelled a trip to Yellowstone and I want to get up into Canada and they have barely opened the border back up, finally, so maybe when summer come around and the snow melts off I will get up there. The border has been closed because of Covid.
I do not see what satisfaction with where you are living has to do with enjoying travel. I can't see any relationship between the two at all.
That's fair and not saying that isn't valid. Just wondering if someone who truly thinks where they are is "heaven" might be less likely to want to get out and see some other places, vs. someone who only has a medium or low appreciation for the place they actually reside in. For some, that may be the case, for others, not so much.
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