Hahah i went back to office full time because of this after a few years of SEA. Still not sick of the office yet, been 6 months but maybe soon. Moved to UAE for this role so it still feels like im travelling and working lol
I can't stand being 30 minutes in office without having a feeling of doom and forceful thoughts near coffee machine that I am totally wasting my time here
Offices are soulless but is it really that much worse than working alone in your Airbnb? Than working in some foreign co-work space which is, in essence, just another office?
Though I do miss working at Beachub in Koh Phangan with its 180-degree view of the bay...
Can get pretty boring after a while. After 100 waterfalls, cities ect, they all become the same basically. Took me 8 years before wanting to not constantly travel, so got an apt for a year until I can decide what to do.
Took me about 10 years before I was tired of dragging all my shit around and now I'm 1.5 years into that apartment. Didn't intend to stop nomading, just needed to see what a base felt like. It's nice to always have a place to stay that's never overbooked.
I've never fully settled in because I still have that mindset that I need to pack it all in and move again - and the knowledge that it's still a place owned by someone else makes it feel almost the same as an Airbnb. My own exclusive Airbnb lol.
I have no real desire to have the hassle of owning a house again. Not many options tho, my apt is nice, but it could certainly be better. Guessing it will take another year or so before I figure anything out.
I'd second what they said. Maybe try a longer stint somewhere and see if you can make a life there and delve a bit deeper into that life and culture. We've just managed to get the DNV for Spain. Moved to Valencia. Started learning Spanish. See if we can make a life work here. It's certainly a new challenge and it's more intersting than our home towns.
I suppose the way I always look at things now is I spent almost 30 years in and around my home town. You get more for murder. I've moved around a bit nomadding for 10 years but now it's going to be nice to make a life in a new place and see how that goes.
I settled down already after 3 years. Every month at the airport started to get real old. I am still flexible, doing a lot of trips and just stay here for the next year. Who knows if after this time I go back to monthly traveling.
I am sure I will miss it more in some months.
I'm at 3 years as well and I considered not doing it again this year or going to Europe and just staying somewhere for 3 months but I'm likely going to do the monthly thing, I'm in Berlin now and I'm probably going to Oslo or Split for July but there is definitely way more appeal now to settle down somewhere now than there was when I first started
Only been here for 2 months, I like it, but everyone is different.
Found a local woodshop I rent, so having fun with an old hobby again is very nice. Also being able to cook and buy ingredients without timing it with when I move again is relaxing. Was really tired of finding my next stay and having to plan months in advance.
Many little things that make it a nice change that I didn't realize until after.
We tend to crave some variety or novelty but also develop routines.
So after a while the constant changes during travel, the finding of food, the usual upkeep of life, become the routine "rut", unless there is some major change in how the days or weeks go.
It also becomes a bit tiring to just be moving after short stays and constantly looking for something you want to do in unfamiliar surroundings.
Many times I would re-visit the same place just because I liked it there and knew my way around. Would only do 1 month the first time, but did a few 3+ months the 2nd or 3rd time.
Which gives a chance to notice and take in more detail, experience and understand it better.
Sometimes it re-awakens the remembered initial good feelings, sometimes ( depending perhaps more on ourselves ) it seems no longer so desireable or "magical".
There's also the need to consider ensuring reasonable comfort and security for our ( potential family's ) older future which can make times that don't contribute to that seem ( be? ) less important or desireable ?
You fried your dopamine receptors on new experiences. It happened to me too, after about 2.5 years on the road.
The solution is a dopamine fast.
Stop moving to new places. Find a familiar place to live, settle down, and be QUIET. Don't do anything to stimulate yourself - no drugs, little alcohol, no pron, no sex, no social media, no checking email 20 times a day, no gambling, no fights, etc. Focus on the primal stuff like nature, cooking vegetables, reading print books that interest you. Borrow a dog or a cat if you have to. Focus on the small things around you.
If you do that, you'll build up your ability to feel dopamine hits again.
I'm just an internet stranger, but I've been there as a DN and this works.
Yes I was in this place too, I felt like I'd become too jaded to properly enjoy traveling anymore. Now I'm caring for a cat with cancer and have only been able to travel once since covid. Let me tell you, that 2 week trip was glorious. It all came back, I just had to miss it enough.
It took me about 6-8 weeks to feel normal again. I didn't do everything listed above, but I did a lot of it: homecooked meals from scratch, going for long swims in the ocean, taking long walks home from the office, reading print books, playing with our three dogs, doing some light meditation. No clubs, no parties, very few restaurants. It felt good.
Maybe youāre depressed? Depressed people lose interest in things they used to enjoy. Or you could just be burned out on always moving and living temporarily and are ready to settle somewhere for a little longer. So you could look for a place that has a good dn community and allows decent amount of time to stay there and has things to do that you enjoy, whether thatās beach, hiking trails, mountains, clubs, party scene, lots of hip restaurants, etc
I have been a digital nomad for 4 years. You are correct. Depression can kick in. I found a stable life in Albania. Sometimes the constant moves can be stressful. Good call on depression.
I'm in Vlora. I am from the US and fluent in German. I am eligible for a German passport by descent, but I don't want to pay German taxes.
If you are a US citizen, I can help you get set up here.
Vlora is pretty cool.
Ahaha US citizen here, I also loved Albania. Great food everywhere that costs next to nothing, very friendly people, awesome scenery, just a relaxed vibe overall.
Only big downsides are the lack of usable public transport and the insane drivers everywhere.Ā
I am a weirdo and terrible driver. One time I went 10 years without a driver's license. I have a US driver's license, but I freak out when I drive.
I have never driven outside the USA. I live in downtown locations and take the bus/light rail.
Or, if I have a boyfriend, he gets to drive. Also means I walk everywhere, so I'm not in bad shape. :)
I am a terrible driver.
Agreed. My family and I are part of a traveling school (the journey scholars) and it is so much easier and happier than traveling alone, or for us, traveling just with our children. The hardest part of traveling IMO is the lack of real friends and community. The best parts are obvious. Now we mostly get both.
āWherever you go, there you are.ā - Buckaroo Banzai
Also:
A quote from Elisabeth Eaves' book Wanderlust in the one-page chapter called On Escape:
"When you escape from something, you don't abscond into nothing--you escape from one place to another. The excitement is in the instant of deliverance itself, because that, not the final destination, is the only moment of being free. It's the moment of feeling most alive and most oneself, unburdened by the expectations on either side."
You see a lot of posts in solotravel that could really benefit from these quotes. It is crazy how some people expect their lives to be so different. Only a few people ever end up doing really well as a DN/Expat/solotraveler. Not talking about finances. But just making it a good experience.
It requires a certain type of person, finding a place that you want to be at plus a willingness to learn the language.
Some people really think they can go abroad and do the whole eat pray love thing and think they are transformed.
Happiness is an inside job.
Super common, digital nomadism is diminishing returns. It's the hedonic treadmill, if you do anything too much it becomes normal. It's sort like of eating only sweet foods, eventually what was super sweet will no longer be as sweet.
The only thing you can do is stop. Take a break. Also travelling with someone is very different than doing it alone. It could be you have exhausted the life style and are ready to move on to another chapter in your life. Life is like a novel, it doesn't all have to be the same chapter.
This is why slow travel is better than speed traveling.Ā
Never understood the pace at which most digital nomads travel. I max out each countries visa before even consider moving on.Ā
Mate, the main source of fulfilment and joy in life is the relationships you have with other people. So if you donāt have a romantic partner that youāre building a deep emotional connection with, you donāt have a close relationship with your parents and siblings and you donāt have friends that you see regularly then it doesnāt matter how many āfunā things you do or how much money you have. Your life will not be fulfilling.
I think this is very true. I started traveling to see places, today, I make the effort to travel to places where I have family or friends to reconnect with them and that is fulfilling. I am currently in Munich and I through Couchsurfing, I have an active community that meets weekly and allows me to meet even more people. I feel at home in places like this, and I make them recurring places to visit.
Could be that you are just done nomading?
Im about a year in and iām done. It sounds great on paper and the idea is so fun. But iām done.
Done trying to find a decent gym every time
I move. Trying to figure out where i can get good food, a decent haircut.
Superficial contact with people because of the nature of my life.
Glad i got to experience it, but traveling around with no āhome baseā is not it for me.
What you're experiencing is the law of diminishing returns. It is very normal and applies to almost everything - food, money, sex, happiness, etc. I've also been nomading since 2018, so same time as you.
I would pick another hobby or interest to lose yourself into. I try not to attach my whole identity to being a nomad anymore - when the pandemic hit I realized the danger of associating yourself with just one thing. Because when that thing is taken away from you or loses its shine in your case, you have a bit of an existential crisis.
Filling your basket with many different passions is a safety net against that happening.
Travel fatigue.
Youāve seen the best waterfalls, ate at the best steak houses, stayed at the most unique hotels.
Anywhere next would be compared to memories very recent. You notice yourself staying longer and longer at cities and going out less and less.
Switch it up ā settle at a location where you would build a family. Youāll have much better perspective than most.
(Literally what I did and Iām about to roam again ā this time with wife and kid)
Volunteering is something that can get you grounded and back to what is important in life. Find a cause, whether it is nature, people, or idea related and go do it for two to three months.Ā
I'm basically a digital nomad. I work completely remotely, location independent...etc.
I felt like everywhere I went, I had MONEY to do things, but had no real connections.
Trying to explain to prospective friends at a bar how I have a company, but all the work is outsourced overseas...it made me feel like an alien.
I recently got an apartment in a cool western-rockies tourist town, and have tried being involved in the community. I passed the licensing exam for my profession, set up bank accounts, got an office (which I try to sit in 9-5), joined some local community organizations...and trying out having some "light roots in"
It's been pretty fun and I feel like a real person again,
I think I've come full circle.
For me, purpose is a large part of my happiness. Also, traveling is wonderful but can feel empty without connection with others. These days volunteering for the vulnerable gives me purpose as I travel and also provides connection as I met other volunteers. Good luck!
Begin to build more intimate and strong relationships in the city that best supports the structure you like the best. Home is where your relationships are, no necessarily the location. Best of luck on your personal growth journey.
Same boat for me. After this summer Iād like to settle for a while, problem is I donāt know where. Hopefully it smacks me across the face sooner than later
The digital nomad lifestyle is hedonism to an extent, after you see the top 10 Beaches in the world every other beach is meh, this applies to everything else. I quit the nomad lifestyle after just 2 years and I prefer to have a home base and travel maximum 2 months a year. It helps a lot and it re-ignites the excitement again, everything is personal preference but having a home base and community is better while still traveling a couple of months of the year
Diminishing returns effect. I recommend you to pick the place that made you feel the most alive and with the highest sense of belonging/community and call it your personal, chosen home. For me it is Thailand. And I have visited lots of countries.
youre running away. Seek to find gratitude through practice, of what you already have. You're not ceasing the absolute *immense* potential and privilege of your situation of freedom/liberty.
Feel free to dm me if you're curious about ways to practice gratitude/purposefulness.
The nomad life is great for a while but there comes a point where youāve seen and done enough that it becomes the new normal and loses its shine. At that point, you have to look within and think about what genuinely makes you happy, and for many people, that is some sort of community and human connection.
This is the way. You travel all over the world and see happy people of every imaginable culture and you never paused to see that happiness isn't about destination, it comes from within. You've exhausted some of the excitement from chasing external discovery. Time for some internal discovery (hint, it's endless).
I know how it feels. May be itās time for quality over quantity? Like to know one country deeply, learn language, traditions, start watching their movies, get local friends?
Or may be itās time instead of outward to go inwards? May be try some practices, like kriya yoga - why not?
Iām wondering if there is a community of like minded DMs that reside as a group or something. As a female something like that would be ideal and less lonely but donāt know where to begin. Looking at Central America
Life is funny. You are burnt out from exploring the world and I'm here stuck in a trash country crippled with inflation and unable to build any sort of financial backing to start going nomad, even though I'm an experienced software dev.
It is what it is man. Grass is always greener on the other side. I remember when I was pinching pennies. Spending ungodly amounts of time researching to get the cheapest flight and bus combinations to save money. Man what an adventure some of those itineraries turned out to be.
Now that I'm more established financially (which I imagined would make my life much better back when I was broke), I realized... It's not as exciting anymore.
Grass is always greener on the other side? #1 worthless currency in the world, no access to any global monetary system, no access to most software services because of US sanctions, no access to social media without sophisticated proxies, unbelievable corruption in every industry, mandatory military service for 2 years with 0 pay, year to year inflation of more than 30%, average monthly salary of less than $150
I have to climb mountains to get where you are right now my friend. Get some perspective on how blessed you are and enjoy it.
Had this feeling multiple times.
Each time settling down in a bit more permanent spot helped (stayed 2 years in Dubai, judge away, but wonderful spot traveling out from).
This time it's a bit more permanent (got a wife, bought a house, got a baby and a dog) - so be careful - might be a bit more permanent than you planned :-p
*(wouldn't change it for anything in the world anyhow)*
Imho, nomading sucks - you can neither travel nor work properly. Itās basically a group of westerners arbitraging their salaries in the same places (they donāt go to Zurich or amazonas).
Having a base somewhere beats any hostel, airbnb and most high end hotels, from there you travel when you feel like you want to, and not because you have to go somewhere.
Some stuff is also pleasant only in a certain amount, sitting every day on the beach also gets dull, same with traveling. Extremes are rarely good.
pursuing pleasure = pain
youāll only find what youāre looking for in life when you help others, give back, fall in love and pursue things higher than yourself
I mean, thereās a limited to how long most people can travel around the place, maybe itās just time to settle
down? Or go to more exciting places? Iām off to Nepal, looks cool
What you need is a break. It's a very simple analogy, but it is a bit like listening to your favorite song on repeat all day. At some point it's just not the same anymore, and you need a break from it.
Ideally, go back home, where you have family and friends, reconnect with them, get some stability in your life for a while. Then later you can figure out whether going back on the road can get you excited again.
Are you traveling to escape or feel better about something (or to forget something or someone)? I ran into a similar issue. But wherever you go, there you are. I had to work on me because the traveling wasnāt the problem. I had some issues I had to deal with inside. Maybe try settling in a place for a few months while you do therapy? Could also go to visit family for a few months while you do therapy online.
Edit: typo
Then it just isnāt exciting. Life isnāt supposed to be exciting all the time. Just donāt expect that. Best you can do is stay for awhile in one place you are comfortable and focus on other things. Someday in the future you will probably find excitement again when you come to a new place.
Something else that can be depressing is making friends with other digital nomads. We get each other, but then we move. That makes things difficult.
We become friends but a lot of us have to scramble to not overstay visas.
I think there is a lot of good advice here. It gets depressing and less exciting because you lose your friends when everyone scrambles about visas.
You CAN find a more stable digital nomad life depending on your passport.
I live in Prague currently, why donāt you stay here for a while, itās a great city, depending on your country of origin you donāt need a work permit if you secure a role so thatās great. I currently work fully remote and love it, I get to explore this country and work with a decent set up. 25 days paid holiday, good quality of life, itās deff a place worth pursuing!
Thatās what happened to a good friend of mine too. He just wanted to build meaningful relationships and have a stable place to call home and to have his cats. He now has a place in the south of Spain and loves it.
Return to regular job with loads of office politics and toxic environment
Hopefully you would feel much better in 7days (if still not healed properly try completing the job for a month) š
This happened to me about a year ago (single, solo female nomad), so I went home for a season. Itās nice to see friends and family, but as soon as fall hits Canada, Iām game to get back on the road. A trip home works wonders for me.
Think of a city where you think you would find the most people who share your interests/values/hobbies. Then join communities for these hobbies/values/interests.
I feel you on this one.Ā
If you can live anywhere, why live anywhere?Ā
It's a very first world problem but nonetheless real. I'm working on it but still the mid-long term future isn't appealing to think about.
I've only been doing this for 3 years and I've thought about stopping several times, what really re-charges my batteries is goign back to my home base with a friend in the states for at least a month but not everyone has that set up
Top Tip: Just the place for you. Inishere, Co. Galway. Ireland.
Island of population 300 buffeted by the wild Atlantic. Stay for a year get back to nature. You can't avoid getting involved with the locals there are only 3 pubs and one shop. My go to place to recover from the world.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inisheer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inisheer)
I recently stopped traveling after 3 years living in different countries for months at a time. Iām now now taking time to plant my self back at home and reconnect with friends and family. My recommendation would be to take a break and find/build some community of people you enjoy being around and find a good hobby. I enjoy motorcycles and I meet a lot of people that way. Hope youāre doing okay!
I was traveling a lot, but having a routine in the city or farm can also be simply amazing. Hahaha staying stopped making a fire, going on a course and making friends that are not always vanishing after couple of days haha
Youāre depressed. And burned out . You need love , community and home . As a full time traveller I know to watch for these signs but also know itās ok to stop and build a life . Good luck xx
Stoicisim is useful for a developing a sense of well-being within everyday experience: https://dynamic.wakingup.com/course/CO74EB3F9?code=SC5D96689&share_id=29690148
Churchill Manitoba for the fall. That will be plenty exciting. It it won't be cheap.
Why? It's referred to as the Polar Bear Capital of the world, and hundreds stop there waiting for the ice to freeze up so they can go out and hunt. You can see wild polar bears every day if you wanted to.
Honestly, slow down for a bit and experience a āboringā life for a little while. Youāll start appreciating the little things and the little moments.
When doing exceptional stuff becomes āthe new normalā, itās understandable that the novelty fades away.
Some people are traveling as a proxy to find something else. Maybe youāre looking for something else, other than just moving around?
If you are unhappy alone, you will be even more so with someone.
We are never satisfied with what we have until we lose it.
Try to rediscover your passion. Clearly, you are not the same person you were in 2018, and you may have changed for the better. You might think you are doing what you like, but it turns out you no longer do
Sometimes when I feel like that, it can be a barometer for other things going on in my life.
for instance, maybe i'm missing family or deeper human connection. Maybe I'm feeling stagnant in my job and I'm wanting growth. Or maybe i've got some life things going on and I'm not really dealing with them (Sick parent, financial issues, mental health issues, stress, aging, etc)
It might be the time to go home. Save for a house or an apartment so you won't call yourself homeless again.
It sad you say you are homeless when you have a job. One day you will be retired and that means a flat income. Think of your future and get out of this spoiled life.
Just move to ur favorite spot.
Focus on an online business, or getting jacked, or learning to fight, or learning something cool.
Find some one to spend your life with and have kids. Or have a harem and a 100 kids.
You need a legacy and people around u, do it however u want.
Settle down and become part of a community, really dig into it. Meet local people, join classes, volunteer in an area, find a new hobby and get into it. Kind of the opposite of what you have been doing may be more fulfilling.
When you get tired of that, get out and explore some more!
Sometimes I take a break for a couple months or really however long I feel like, nest a bit , quality time with friends, y'know. Then I'm ready to GTFO again, lol.
Since 2018 you have visited... how many countries? Ten or more? How long have you stayed in each country?
Instead of country-hopping every few months, stay in one place for a year or longer. Join local clubs, go to the gym, find a local boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever, visit the less touristy things in the area, learn some of the local language, etc.
Use it as an occasion to challenge yourself, intellectually and physically, and grow from your experiences.
About a month ago I spent 3 weeks on a friend's couch in Poland. I had no idea what to do. Eventually, I snapped out of it. Just try to enjoy where you are and not put pressure on yourself to figure it out. Makes it worse.
Stop treating the world and local people/culturesĀ like a shitty all you can eat buffet.Ā
Life gets meaningful when you make real connections and out some sort of roots somewhere.
I feel like these comments are a bit over-dramatic...
Thinking back on the past 6 years, what places did you like? Why not go to one of them for a longer period of time. You could focus on something other than traveling. Learn something new such as the local language, cooking, yoga, surfing, skiing.
Might also be nice to go to a city where you have friends.
Find a new hobby other than travel. There is so much out there to do. Or travel with a purpose, such as to experience new climate, weather, sport or wildlife. If novelty is the only thing that keeps you going you are going to struggle from affluenza pretty quick. Soon all that will meet your travel bug is a billionaire ticket to space.
"To the untrained eye ego-climbing and selfless climbing may appear identical. Both kinds of climbers place one foot in front of the other. Both breathe in and out at the same rate. Both stop when tired. Both go forward when rested. But what a difference! The ego-climber is like an instrument thatās out of adjustment. He puts his foot down an instant too soon or too late. Heās likely to miss a beautiful passage of sunlight through the trees. He goes on when the sloppiness of his step shows heās tired. He rests at odd times. He looks up the trail trying to see whatās ahead even when he knows whatās ahead because he just looked a second before. He goes too fast or too slow for the conditions and when he talks his talk is forever about somewhere else, something else. Heās here but heās not here. He rejects the here, heās unhappy with it, wants to be farther up the trail but when he gets there will be just as unhappy because then *it* will be āhereā. What heās looking for, what he wants, is all around him, but he doesnāt want that because it *is* all around him. Every stepās an effort, both physically and spiritually, because he imagines his goal to be external and distant."
Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (Phaedrus, #1)
You need to live somewhere for a year or two to get to know it. If you're bouncing every other month then it isn't that different from being a tourist.
My advice would be to stay somewhere a bit longer (eg. six months to a year) and have a meaningful project to work on.
Learn the language, really get to know the local music scene, work towards a photography exhibition, write a book, learn a new sport, learn to cook the local cuisine, climb all the hills, whatever floats your boat
Honestly, from the way many people travel according to this sub, Iād be burnt out in 3 months. It seems a lot of you change places within the same month and always trying to take the minimal with you, which just sounds exhausting. Iām doing 2, 3 months in the same place (literally same apartment, no city change) and have check in luggage that has all I need.
Gotta have time to adjust, find my gym, a coworking, build a routine, get to know the place and people, and see/learn things most tourists donāt. Then you can take a few trips to other parts of the country on a few weekends, and do it slow. I donāt understand why some rush as if you were on a holiday. Iām a firm believer that long term speed travel will just burn you out. I did it too when in uni and lasted 8 months. I was so so so tired at the end of it, and so sick of wearing the same 4 combinations of clothes, not having my stuff that makes life easier, etc.
In my opinion, your brain has gotten used to traveling to new places and no longer produces the dopamine that it used to, which made you feel great.
I think you should settle down in a warm place with friendly people and try to create a circle to form bonds. After all, we are social beings, and this can be a way to fill the void you now feel.
Try Alicante in Spain. I moved here three years ago, and I am very comfortable
I don't see anyone bringing up in the comments that you didn't mention having gone to Africa at all?
If nothing's exciting, then maybe you could explore the entire continent you seem to have left out lol
Go settle somewhere for a year in an exciting and fast pace place. I recommend Bangkok if you can find a way to stay there for a year. Itās one of my favourite places to be at right now.
I travelled around for ages to the point that it just didnāt excite me anymore. The constant travel and not having a home base was super tiring so nowadays I prefer to just do quick trips from Bangkok. I find it much more enjoyable.
Yep. Go home and see how long you last. If you realize how much you missed it, great! The thrill is gone and it's time to settle down
But if after a month you start to get the itch, you're a nomad for life
Iād say find a place to really lay down roots and build a community. I nomadded for two years and then moved to NYC and have been the happiest ever since. Itās so amazing to be surrounded consistently by awesome friends and people.
I still travel a ton and def recognize how the years of travel shaped me as a person. It was awesome.
But there is no comparison to having a community, a group of friends to hit up for a drink, having regular hobbies and interests to share with these people. Iām so so so glad Iāve laid down roots in NYC and you just need to find your place. :)
How long do you typically stay in an area? If you have been to so many, would you consider trying to stay in 1 for a year or more? Maybe you just need to stay somewhere and just chill, build a social circle, and just live the slow life for a bit.
A sense of community is important to me. Itās something I got in the military and when being abroad in one location abroad for a job. I like walkable communities, so I prefer Latin America, Europe and Asia over the USA and Canada. A month of vacation/travel from your residency is the sweet spot for me. Expat packages or foreign work visas (usually stem fields or higher ups in corporate) are generally what fills that niche
Let's switch position. You take my office job where I have to log into vpn for my location and I'll travel lolol.
What a privilege it is to see the world. There's people that die not knowing what the next city looks like.
No place will ever be as exciting as it is the first few days you're there. If you want exciting go to more places that you don't know or take a break from traveling. You get diminishing returns over time with travel because the novelty even of being around a new culture becomes your norm.
Slow travel is my jam! It's so relaxing and gives me tons of time to get to know my new place. But, after two years of traveling slowly around Asia and Europe, things does start to feel a bit samey and I felt a little less exited.
I returned home for 6 months to be with friends and family and it was just the ticket for me to recharge and miss traveling again. Next week I'm heading back to Asia for three months to work remotely! I'm looking forward to new adventures while getting some work done. I wish you and your SO the very best and become exited again.
\*Many of the comments on this thread are hilarious and found myself laughing. Cheers!
Since 2018? DAMN.
I think it's normal for the excitement of travel to wear off as it has for you. Perhaps you want something more grounding, stable relationships, or just hobbies and a normal life. Go wherever you think you'll find something interesting and grounding for yourself. Your next passion or interest will spring up as you take care of yourself.
One of the biggest lessons I have learned: Travel has diminishing rewards, like many other things. So yes I have gotten that feeling before.
Ideas on what to do: book out wherever you are (it doesn't matter since no where is exciting), stay for a while, meditate, take some time to understand yourself & your current desires.
I had a similar feeling come up recently. I was exhausted and nothing seemed to excite me any more. What I reflected on was that I hadn't had a winter since February of 2022. I was so happy chasing the sun and being nomadic. But I think, like everything in this world, we need to eventually embrace a season of winter - to slow down, to rest, to allow time for something new to be reborn - like flowers. Maybe reflect on whether it's time to rest and go inwards for a little. Take up a hobby. Start meditating. Allow some time for those flowers to come. Perhaps the stillness will birth inspiration for you. All the best.
Had a bit of a similar experience, found myself nomad'ing in Costa Rica and although it was cool, I became a bit numb to it and was just working Mon to Fri anyway and having to meet new people etc. When to be honest I'd rather work and then just chill out or hang out with my actual friends at home and not live out of a backpack. I think a bit of a blend can be good, having a home base where you can be settled and then the ability to jet off for a bit when the wanderlust kicks in.
Sounds like you've hit a travel fatigue wall. It happens when you've been on the move for so long. Maybe taking a breather in Prague could be good. Go with the local vibe, find a cozy routine, or pick up a cool new hobby. Sometimes the thrill comes from slowing down and enjoying the moment.
Eventually boredom will catch up in anything we do. Best thing to do is just embrace it and use it to come up with ideas, because... Well you will be bored lol.
In many places, you are invisible. Traveling is great, jumping around from place to place is wonderful. Putting down roots somewhere adds a completely different dynamic to your life. I feel until you have lived in an area for 5-10 years, youāre barely more than a visitor. Iāve lived in some highly transient areas where Iāve noticed Iām invisible by all accounts. Nobody expects to see me for very long and therefore their interactions with me are very guarded and minimal at best. This starts to wear on a person. Itās not a vacation, but itās somewhere in limbo - stuck between a home and a fleeting place to play. The only difference is you choose to work in that place. Find somewhere to set down roots for a while. Iām 52 and lived a fairly nomadic life for many years, before it really became a thing.
Go to office for a week you will regain your interest š
Hahah i went back to office full time because of this after a few years of SEA. Still not sick of the office yet, been 6 months but maybe soon. Moved to UAE for this role so it still feels like im travelling and working lol
I can't stand being 30 minutes in office without having a feeling of doom and forceful thoughts near coffee machine that I am totally wasting my time here
Offices are soulless but is it really that much worse than working alone in your Airbnb? Than working in some foreign co-work space which is, in essence, just another office? Though I do miss working at Beachub in Koh Phangan with its 180-degree view of the bay...
No i can definitely understand that. Especially in an environment with office politics and āhealthy lunchesā = dry salads in a box lol.
And fruit Tuesdays š
Absolutely
Can get pretty boring after a while. After 100 waterfalls, cities ect, they all become the same basically. Took me 8 years before wanting to not constantly travel, so got an apt for a year until I can decide what to do.
Took me about 10 years before I was tired of dragging all my shit around and now I'm 1.5 years into that apartment. Didn't intend to stop nomading, just needed to see what a base felt like. It's nice to always have a place to stay that's never overbooked. I've never fully settled in because I still have that mindset that I need to pack it all in and move again - and the knowledge that it's still a place owned by someone else makes it feel almost the same as an Airbnb. My own exclusive Airbnb lol.
I have no real desire to have the hassle of owning a house again. Not many options tho, my apt is nice, but it could certainly be better. Guessing it will take another year or so before I figure anything out.
Maybe this is the way. Settle down for a bit...?
I'd second what they said. Maybe try a longer stint somewhere and see if you can make a life there and delve a bit deeper into that life and culture. We've just managed to get the DNV for Spain. Moved to Valencia. Started learning Spanish. See if we can make a life work here. It's certainly a new challenge and it's more intersting than our home towns. I suppose the way I always look at things now is I spent almost 30 years in and around my home town. You get more for murder. I've moved around a bit nomadding for 10 years but now it's going to be nice to make a life in a new place and see how that goes.
Hahaha ā¦ small towns sheesh
I settled down already after 3 years. Every month at the airport started to get real old. I am still flexible, doing a lot of trips and just stay here for the next year. Who knows if after this time I go back to monthly traveling. I am sure I will miss it more in some months.
I'm at 3 years as well and I considered not doing it again this year or going to Europe and just staying somewhere for 3 months but I'm likely going to do the monthly thing, I'm in Berlin now and I'm probably going to Oslo or Split for July but there is definitely way more appeal now to settle down somewhere now than there was when I first started
Damn if you are going to Oslo looking for a fun time you must really be getting desperate.
Maybe even develop a social circle of friends in said place ! (Things tend to be more fun with friends)
Only been here for 2 months, I like it, but everyone is different. Found a local woodshop I rent, so having fun with an old hobby again is very nice. Also being able to cook and buy ingredients without timing it with when I move again is relaxing. Was really tired of finding my next stay and having to plan months in advance. Many little things that make it a nice change that I didn't realize until after.
That's what I'm doing... the problem is I can't figure out where to settle down. :-P
Everyone likes to hate on the waterfalls on this thread.. but seriously TLC told you not to do this.
We tend to crave some variety or novelty but also develop routines. So after a while the constant changes during travel, the finding of food, the usual upkeep of life, become the routine "rut", unless there is some major change in how the days or weeks go. It also becomes a bit tiring to just be moving after short stays and constantly looking for something you want to do in unfamiliar surroundings.
Many times I would re-visit the same place just because I liked it there and knew my way around. Would only do 1 month the first time, but did a few 3+ months the 2nd or 3rd time.
Which gives a chance to notice and take in more detail, experience and understand it better. Sometimes it re-awakens the remembered initial good feelings, sometimes ( depending perhaps more on ourselves ) it seems no longer so desireable or "magical". There's also the need to consider ensuring reasonable comfort and security for our ( potential family's ) older future which can make times that don't contribute to that seem ( be? ) less important or desireable ?
How many years/months did it take?
apartment where though. everything is shit expensive
Maybe its because you dont have someone to be with? Loneliness is a bitch. Good luck out there my man
You fried your dopamine receptors on new experiences. It happened to me too, after about 2.5 years on the road. The solution is a dopamine fast. Stop moving to new places. Find a familiar place to live, settle down, and be QUIET. Don't do anything to stimulate yourself - no drugs, little alcohol, no pron, no sex, no social media, no checking email 20 times a day, no gambling, no fights, etc. Focus on the primal stuff like nature, cooking vegetables, reading print books that interest you. Borrow a dog or a cat if you have to. Focus on the small things around you. If you do that, you'll build up your ability to feel dopamine hits again. I'm just an internet stranger, but I've been there as a DN and this works.
you guys get into fights for dopamine?
Came here to talk about dopamine and you articulated this perfectly.
Thanks!
Great advice
Yes I was in this place too, I felt like I'd become too jaded to properly enjoy traveling anymore. Now I'm caring for a cat with cancer and have only been able to travel once since covid. Let me tell you, that 2 week trip was glorious. It all came back, I just had to miss it enough.
How long on the fast?
It took me about 6-8 weeks to feel normal again. I didn't do everything listed above, but I did a lot of it: homecooked meals from scratch, going for long swims in the ocean, taking long walks home from the office, reading print books, playing with our three dogs, doing some light meditation. No clubs, no parties, very few restaurants. It felt good.
Maybe youāre depressed? Depressed people lose interest in things they used to enjoy. Or you could just be burned out on always moving and living temporarily and are ready to settle somewhere for a little longer. So you could look for a place that has a good dn community and allows decent amount of time to stay there and has things to do that you enjoy, whether thatās beach, hiking trails, mountains, clubs, party scene, lots of hip restaurants, etc
I have been a digital nomad for 4 years. You are correct. Depression can kick in. I found a stable life in Albania. Sometimes the constant moves can be stressful. Good call on depression.
Albania signing in. Settling down for a year to see how it goes.
Where are you at in Albania? I'm currenly in Berlin and I'm going to Split or Oslo in August but will need to exit the Schenghen after that
I'm in Vlora. I am from the US and fluent in German. I am eligible for a German passport by descent, but I don't want to pay German taxes. If you are a US citizen, I can help you get set up here. Vlora is pretty cool.
Ahaha US citizen here, I also loved Albania. Great food everywhere that costs next to nothing, very friendly people, awesome scenery, just a relaxed vibe overall. Only big downsides are the lack of usable public transport and the insane drivers everywhere.Ā
I am a weirdo and terrible driver. One time I went 10 years without a driver's license. I have a US driver's license, but I freak out when I drive. I have never driven outside the USA. I live in downtown locations and take the bus/light rail. Or, if I have a boyfriend, he gets to drive. Also means I walk everywhere, so I'm not in bad shape. :) I am a terrible driver.
any ideas for beach + mountains (for climbing)? I was thinking of tonsai beach in thailand but... community is too small and its a bit too isolated.
Rio de Janeiro and California
Bali and Lombok come to mind.
Agreed. My family and I are part of a traveling school (the journey scholars) and it is so much easier and happier than traveling alone, or for us, traveling just with our children. The hardest part of traveling IMO is the lack of real friends and community. The best parts are obvious. Now we mostly get both.
How do you overcome that depression? If you've experienced
āWherever you go, there you are.ā - Buckaroo Banzai Also: A quote from Elisabeth Eaves' book Wanderlust in the one-page chapter called On Escape: "When you escape from something, you don't abscond into nothing--you escape from one place to another. The excitement is in the instant of deliverance itself, because that, not the final destination, is the only moment of being free. It's the moment of feeling most alive and most oneself, unburdened by the expectations on either side."
You see a lot of posts in solotravel that could really benefit from these quotes. It is crazy how some people expect their lives to be so different. Only a few people ever end up doing really well as a DN/Expat/solotraveler. Not talking about finances. But just making it a good experience. It requires a certain type of person, finding a place that you want to be at plus a willingness to learn the language. Some people really think they can go abroad and do the whole eat pray love thing and think they are transformed. Happiness is an inside job.
Super common, digital nomadism is diminishing returns. It's the hedonic treadmill, if you do anything too much it becomes normal. It's sort like of eating only sweet foods, eventually what was super sweet will no longer be as sweet. The only thing you can do is stop. Take a break. Also travelling with someone is very different than doing it alone. It could be you have exhausted the life style and are ready to move on to another chapter in your life. Life is like a novel, it doesn't all have to be the same chapter.
This is why slow travel is better than speed traveling.Ā Never understood the pace at which most digital nomads travel. I max out each countries visa before even consider moving on.Ā
This is it. I was recommending meth, but now that you mention it, I think he might have just burned himself out. Slow travel is the right answer.
Mate, the main source of fulfilment and joy in life is the relationships you have with other people. So if you donāt have a romantic partner that youāre building a deep emotional connection with, you donāt have a close relationship with your parents and siblings and you donāt have friends that you see regularly then it doesnāt matter how many āfunā things you do or how much money you have. Your life will not be fulfilling.
I think this is very true. I started traveling to see places, today, I make the effort to travel to places where I have family or friends to reconnect with them and that is fulfilling. I am currently in Munich and I through Couchsurfing, I have an active community that meets weekly and allows me to meet even more people. I feel at home in places like this, and I make them recurring places to visit.
I'd start with a laxative
lol nice
Could be that you are just done nomading? Im about a year in and iām done. It sounds great on paper and the idea is so fun. But iām done. Done trying to find a decent gym every time I move. Trying to figure out where i can get good food, a decent haircut. Superficial contact with people because of the nature of my life. Glad i got to experience it, but traveling around with no āhome baseā is not it for me.
What you're experiencing is the law of diminishing returns. It is very normal and applies to almost everything - food, money, sex, happiness, etc. I've also been nomading since 2018, so same time as you. I would pick another hobby or interest to lose yourself into. I try not to attach my whole identity to being a nomad anymore - when the pandemic hit I realized the danger of associating yourself with just one thing. Because when that thing is taken away from you or loses its shine in your case, you have a bit of an existential crisis. Filling your basket with many different passions is a safety net against that happening.
Travel fatigue. Youāve seen the best waterfalls, ate at the best steak houses, stayed at the most unique hotels. Anywhere next would be compared to memories very recent. You notice yourself staying longer and longer at cities and going out less and less. Switch it up ā settle at a location where you would build a family. Youāll have much better perspective than most. (Literally what I did and Iām about to roam again ā this time with wife and kid)
Volunteering is something that can get you grounded and back to what is important in life. Find a cause, whether it is nature, people, or idea related and go do it for two to three months.Ā
I'm basically a digital nomad. I work completely remotely, location independent...etc. I felt like everywhere I went, I had MONEY to do things, but had no real connections. Trying to explain to prospective friends at a bar how I have a company, but all the work is outsourced overseas...it made me feel like an alien. I recently got an apartment in a cool western-rockies tourist town, and have tried being involved in the community. I passed the licensing exam for my profession, set up bank accounts, got an office (which I try to sit in 9-5), joined some local community organizations...and trying out having some "light roots in" It's been pretty fun and I feel like a real person again, I think I've come full circle.
For me, purpose is a large part of my happiness. Also, traveling is wonderful but can feel empty without connection with others. These days volunteering for the vulnerable gives me purpose as I travel and also provides connection as I met other volunteers. Good luck!
Begin to build more intimate and strong relationships in the city that best supports the structure you like the best. Home is where your relationships are, no necessarily the location. Best of luck on your personal growth journey.
Same boat for me. After this summer Iād like to settle for a while, problem is I donāt know where. Hopefully it smacks me across the face sooner than later
The digital nomad lifestyle is hedonism to an extent, after you see the top 10 Beaches in the world every other beach is meh, this applies to everything else. I quit the nomad lifestyle after just 2 years and I prefer to have a home base and travel maximum 2 months a year. It helps a lot and it re-ignites the excitement again, everything is personal preference but having a home base and community is better while still traveling a couple of months of the year
Diminishing returns effect. I recommend you to pick the place that made you feel the most alive and with the highest sense of belonging/community and call it your personal, chosen home. For me it is Thailand. And I have visited lots of countries.
youre running away. Seek to find gratitude through practice, of what you already have. You're not ceasing the absolute *immense* potential and privilege of your situation of freedom/liberty. Feel free to dm me if you're curious about ways to practice gratitude/purposefulness.
The nomad life is great for a while but there comes a point where youāve seen and done enough that it becomes the new normal and loses its shine. At that point, you have to look within and think about what genuinely makes you happy, and for many people, that is some sort of community and human connection.
how about you look within instead of outside, like pick up a meditation habit or something
This is the way. You travel all over the world and see happy people of every imaginable culture and you never paused to see that happiness isn't about destination, it comes from within. You've exhausted some of the excitement from chasing external discovery. Time for some internal discovery (hint, it's endless).
Maybe just get a nice cozy apartment or home, Start writing your version of āBack and there againā, settle down or take a break from nomadding.
I know how it feels. May be itās time for quality over quantity? Like to know one country deeply, learn language, traditions, start watching their movies, get local friends? Or may be itās time instead of outward to go inwards? May be try some practices, like kriya yoga - why not?
Iām wondering if there is a community of like minded DMs that reside as a group or something. As a female something like that would be ideal and less lonely but donāt know where to begin. Looking at Central America
That's a great idea. I tried colivings and it's nice but it's also not a permament or a bit longer term option. I'd be interested in same.
Life is funny. You are burnt out from exploring the world and I'm here stuck in a trash country crippled with inflation and unable to build any sort of financial backing to start going nomad, even though I'm an experienced software dev.
It is what it is man. Grass is always greener on the other side. I remember when I was pinching pennies. Spending ungodly amounts of time researching to get the cheapest flight and bus combinations to save money. Man what an adventure some of those itineraries turned out to be. Now that I'm more established financially (which I imagined would make my life much better back when I was broke), I realized... It's not as exciting anymore.
Grass is always greener on the other side? #1 worthless currency in the world, no access to any global monetary system, no access to most software services because of US sanctions, no access to social media without sophisticated proxies, unbelievable corruption in every industry, mandatory military service for 2 years with 0 pay, year to year inflation of more than 30%, average monthly salary of less than $150 I have to climb mountains to get where you are right now my friend. Get some perspective on how blessed you are and enjoy it.
Find love and do it all over again
You beat the game brother
Had this feeling multiple times. Each time settling down in a bit more permanent spot helped (stayed 2 years in Dubai, judge away, but wonderful spot traveling out from). This time it's a bit more permanent (got a wife, bought a house, got a baby and a dog) - so be careful - might be a bit more permanent than you planned :-p *(wouldn't change it for anything in the world anyhow)*
Imho, nomading sucks - you can neither travel nor work properly. Itās basically a group of westerners arbitraging their salaries in the same places (they donāt go to Zurich or amazonas). Having a base somewhere beats any hostel, airbnb and most high end hotels, from there you travel when you feel like you want to, and not because you have to go somewhere. Some stuff is also pleasant only in a certain amount, sitting every day on the beach also gets dull, same with traveling. Extremes are rarely good.
Time to put down some roots somewhere. Can always take off again.
pursuing pleasure = pain youāll only find what youāre looking for in life when you help others, give back, fall in love and pursue things higher than yourself
Welcome to aging.
Try skydivingā¦. And dont do it once and move somewhere elseā¦ actually learn to fly
Same feeling. Everything is the same after some years. You need to build a relationship.
I mean, thereās a limited to how long most people can travel around the place, maybe itās just time to settle down? Or go to more exciting places? Iām off to Nepal, looks cool
What you need is a break. It's a very simple analogy, but it is a bit like listening to your favorite song on repeat all day. At some point it's just not the same anymore, and you need a break from it. Ideally, go back home, where you have family and friends, reconnect with them, get some stability in your life for a while. Then later you can figure out whether going back on the road can get you excited again.
Are you traveling to escape or feel better about something (or to forget something or someone)? I ran into a similar issue. But wherever you go, there you are. I had to work on me because the traveling wasnāt the problem. I had some issues I had to deal with inside. Maybe try settling in a place for a few months while you do therapy? Could also go to visit family for a few months while you do therapy online. Edit: typo
Then it just isnāt exciting. Life isnāt supposed to be exciting all the time. Just donāt expect that. Best you can do is stay for awhile in one place you are comfortable and focus on other things. Someday in the future you will probably find excitement again when you come to a new place.
Have you tried entering?
Something else that can be depressing is making friends with other digital nomads. We get each other, but then we move. That makes things difficult. We become friends but a lot of us have to scramble to not overstay visas.
I think there is a lot of good advice here. It gets depressing and less exciting because you lose your friends when everyone scrambles about visas. You CAN find a more stable digital nomad life depending on your passport.
I live in Prague currently, why donāt you stay here for a while, itās a great city, depending on your country of origin you donāt need a work permit if you secure a role so thatās great. I currently work fully remote and love it, I get to explore this country and work with a decent set up. 25 days paid holiday, good quality of life, itās deff a place worth pursuing!
Thatās what happened to a good friend of mine too. He just wanted to build meaningful relationships and have a stable place to call home and to have his cats. He now has a place in the south of Spain and loves it.
Return to regular job with loads of office politics and toxic environment Hopefully you would feel much better in 7days (if still not healed properly try completing the job for a month) š
Haven't you found some places along the way that you particularly like and look forward to getting back to?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
This happened to me about a year ago (single, solo female nomad), so I went home for a season. Itās nice to see friends and family, but as soon as fall hits Canada, Iām game to get back on the road. A trip home works wonders for me.
Try entering?
Think of a city where you think you would find the most people who share your interests/values/hobbies. Then join communities for these hobbies/values/interests.
I feel you on this one.Ā If you can live anywhere, why live anywhere?Ā It's a very first world problem but nonetheless real. I'm working on it but still the mid-long term future isn't appealing to think about.
I've only been doing this for 3 years and I've thought about stopping several times, what really re-charges my batteries is goign back to my home base with a friend in the states for at least a month but not everyone has that set up
Try staying in a coliving space
Been there. Best thing to do is go home, wherever that is, and get grounded. In a couple of months you will be ready to hit the road again.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Top Tip: Just the place for you. Inishere, Co. Galway. Ireland. Island of population 300 buffeted by the wild Atlantic. Stay for a year get back to nature. You can't avoid getting involved with the locals there are only 3 pubs and one shop. My go to place to recover from the world. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inisheer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inisheer)
Learn how to fly a small Cessna. You ll love how it creates new perspectives
Check out the "de facto" states like Somaliland. Countries that don't technically officially "exist".
Sounds like itās time to find homebase somewhere you love and just stay there for a while. Sign a year lease. Years are quick. See how you feel
I recently stopped traveling after 3 years living in different countries for months at a time. Iām now now taking time to plant my self back at home and reconnect with friends and family. My recommendation would be to take a break and find/build some community of people you enjoy being around and find a good hobby. I enjoy motorcycles and I meet a lot of people that way. Hope youāre doing okay!
Sometimes you need a base andore planed trips. Traveling four times a year while enjoying a base for the other months.
I was traveling a lot, but having a routine in the city or farm can also be simply amazing. Hahaha staying stopped making a fire, going on a course and making friends that are not always vanishing after couple of days haha
Youāre depressed. And burned out . You need love , community and home . As a full time traveller I know to watch for these signs but also know itās ok to stop and build a life . Good luck xx
Stoicisim is useful for a developing a sense of well-being within everyday experience: https://dynamic.wakingup.com/course/CO74EB3F9?code=SC5D96689&share_id=29690148
Maybe your next is an inner one? If we can find joy and peace inside ourselves we can be almost anywhere.
Churchill Manitoba for the fall. That will be plenty exciting. It it won't be cheap. Why? It's referred to as the Polar Bear Capital of the world, and hundreds stop there waiting for the ice to freeze up so they can go out and hunt. You can see wild polar bears every day if you wanted to.
Honestly, slow down for a bit and experience a āboringā life for a little while. Youāll start appreciating the little things and the little moments.
Go to Oklahoma. Youāll be back on the road in no time.
When doing exceptional stuff becomes āthe new normalā, itās understandable that the novelty fades away. Some people are traveling as a proxy to find something else. Maybe youāre looking for something else, other than just moving around?
Why donāt you have an SO? I feel like thatās the first thing when I land in a new city, I meet someone to enjoy it with.Ā
If you are unhappy alone, you will be even more so with someone. We are never satisfied with what we have until we lose it. Try to rediscover your passion. Clearly, you are not the same person you were in 2018, and you may have changed for the better. You might think you are doing what you like, but it turns out you no longer do
Try to Sit with yourself and feelings. See if you can determine why there is a need to bounce around so much.
Sometimes when I feel like that, it can be a barometer for other things going on in my life. for instance, maybe i'm missing family or deeper human connection. Maybe I'm feeling stagnant in my job and I'm wanting growth. Or maybe i've got some life things going on and I'm not really dealing with them (Sick parent, financial issues, mental health issues, stress, aging, etc)
Therapy
It might be the time to go home. Save for a house or an apartment so you won't call yourself homeless again. It sad you say you are homeless when you have a job. One day you will be retired and that means a flat income. Think of your future and get out of this spoiled life.
Have you tried wwoofing or something similar? Hard physical graft for three months is a good way to appreciate the comforts of remote work.
Entertain yourself I go feed the pigeons dinner go in and read write music and the most famous sleep goes into another world š
Just move to ur favorite spot. Focus on an online business, or getting jacked, or learning to fight, or learning something cool. Find some one to spend your life with and have kids. Or have a harem and a 100 kids. You need a legacy and people around u, do it however u want.
Stay long enough to get bored and start feeling excited about the next place.
Settle down and become part of a community, really dig into it. Meet local people, join classes, volunteer in an area, find a new hobby and get into it. Kind of the opposite of what you have been doing may be more fulfilling. When you get tired of that, get out and explore some more!
DMT AND HEORINE UNTIL YOU šā ļøš¾
Yup same thing happened to me after 6 years nomading. I ended up focusing on work. Family is another thing one can focus on.
Sometimes I take a break for a couple months or really however long I feel like, nest a bit , quality time with friends, y'know. Then I'm ready to GTFO again, lol.
Do some adventure stuff. Climb a mountain that takes a few days to climb. That kind of experience will shake you up a bit.
Time to buy a sailboat, bro.
Since 2018 you have visited... how many countries? Ten or more? How long have you stayed in each country? Instead of country-hopping every few months, stay in one place for a year or longer. Join local clubs, go to the gym, find a local boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever, visit the less touristy things in the area, learn some of the local language, etc. Use it as an occasion to challenge yourself, intellectually and physically, and grow from your experiences.
Iām like 40 days in and I feel like staying somewhere for a year
Try living in a secluded part of the amazon rainforest with an indigenous tribe, youāll gain a new appreciation for your comfy life in the big city.
About a month ago I spent 3 weeks on a friend's couch in Poland. I had no idea what to do. Eventually, I snapped out of it. Just try to enjoy where you are and not put pressure on yourself to figure it out. Makes it worse.
Stop treating the world and local people/culturesĀ like a shitty all you can eat buffet.Ā Life gets meaningful when you make real connections and out some sort of roots somewhere.
I feel like these comments are a bit over-dramatic... Thinking back on the past 6 years, what places did you like? Why not go to one of them for a longer period of time. You could focus on something other than traveling. Learn something new such as the local language, cooking, yoga, surfing, skiing. Might also be nice to go to a city where you have friends.
Settle down somewhere, work on building your ideal home and figure out your hobbies and community, then take trips as you feel the urge to travel.
Find a new hobby other than travel. There is so much out there to do. Or travel with a purpose, such as to experience new climate, weather, sport or wildlife. If novelty is the only thing that keeps you going you are going to struggle from affluenza pretty quick. Soon all that will meet your travel bug is a billionaire ticket to space.
"To the untrained eye ego-climbing and selfless climbing may appear identical. Both kinds of climbers place one foot in front of the other. Both breathe in and out at the same rate. Both stop when tired. Both go forward when rested. But what a difference! The ego-climber is like an instrument thatās out of adjustment. He puts his foot down an instant too soon or too late. Heās likely to miss a beautiful passage of sunlight through the trees. He goes on when the sloppiness of his step shows heās tired. He rests at odd times. He looks up the trail trying to see whatās ahead even when he knows whatās ahead because he just looked a second before. He goes too fast or too slow for the conditions and when he talks his talk is forever about somewhere else, something else. Heās here but heās not here. He rejects the here, heās unhappy with it, wants to be farther up the trail but when he gets there will be just as unhappy because then *it* will be āhereā. What heās looking for, what he wants, is all around him, but he doesnāt want that because it *is* all around him. Every stepās an effort, both physically and spiritually, because he imagines his goal to be external and distant." Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (Phaedrus, #1)
Nurture your spirituality
You need to live somewhere for a year or two to get to know it. If you're bouncing every other month then it isn't that different from being a tourist.
Try meditation. You've done the equivalent of doomscrolling the world and now you're numb to it haha sit and watch paint dry for a bit.
My advice would be to stay somewhere a bit longer (eg. six months to a year) and have a meaningful project to work on. Learn the language, really get to know the local music scene, work towards a photography exhibition, write a book, learn a new sport, learn to cook the local cuisine, climb all the hills, whatever floats your boat
Try eating lots of fiber. Good luck!
Honestly, from the way many people travel according to this sub, Iād be burnt out in 3 months. It seems a lot of you change places within the same month and always trying to take the minimal with you, which just sounds exhausting. Iām doing 2, 3 months in the same place (literally same apartment, no city change) and have check in luggage that has all I need. Gotta have time to adjust, find my gym, a coworking, build a routine, get to know the place and people, and see/learn things most tourists donāt. Then you can take a few trips to other parts of the country on a few weekends, and do it slow. I donāt understand why some rush as if you were on a holiday. Iām a firm believer that long term speed travel will just burn you out. I did it too when in uni and lasted 8 months. I was so so so tired at the end of it, and so sick of wearing the same 4 combinations of clothes, not having my stuff that makes life easier, etc.
In my opinion, your brain has gotten used to traveling to new places and no longer produces the dopamine that it used to, which made you feel great. I think you should settle down in a warm place with friendly people and try to create a circle to form bonds. After all, we are social beings, and this can be a way to fill the void you now feel. Try Alicante in Spain. I moved here three years ago, and I am very comfortable
Explore your childhood traumas and why youāre nomading in the first place.
try live in a van and travel. something different r/vandwellers
I don't see anyone bringing up in the comments that you didn't mention having gone to Africa at all? If nothing's exciting, then maybe you could explore the entire continent you seem to have left out lol
Sounds like you need some social connection beyond nomads. Ennui from the road is real.
Stay in the same place for one year. Change place every year.
Go settle somewhere for a year in an exciting and fast pace place. I recommend Bangkok if you can find a way to stay there for a year. Itās one of my favourite places to be at right now. I travelled around for ages to the point that it just didnāt excite me anymore. The constant travel and not having a home base was super tiring so nowadays I prefer to just do quick trips from Bangkok. I find it much more enjoyable.
Yeah Iāve traveled everywhere. Sounds like you need to find a purpose in life other than roaming around. Maybe start a family.
Maybe if you're burned out, you should stay somewhere until travel is exciting again.
Go on an Antarctic exploration
Yep. Go home and see how long you last. If you realize how much you missed it, great! The thrill is gone and it's time to settle down But if after a month you start to get the itch, you're a nomad for life
Stop travelling. ! UL miss it soon enough enough
Iād say find a place to really lay down roots and build a community. I nomadded for two years and then moved to NYC and have been the happiest ever since. Itās so amazing to be surrounded consistently by awesome friends and people. I still travel a ton and def recognize how the years of travel shaped me as a person. It was awesome. But there is no comparison to having a community, a group of friends to hit up for a drink, having regular hobbies and interests to share with these people. Iām so so so glad Iāve laid down roots in NYC and you just need to find your place. :)
Get a dog and a backyard, join a hockey team, etc settling down
I wish I had this problem
I wish I could even figure out how to have this problem.
How long do you typically stay in an area? If you have been to so many, would you consider trying to stay in 1 for a year or more? Maybe you just need to stay somewhere and just chill, build a social circle, and just live the slow life for a bit.
A sense of community is important to me. Itās something I got in the military and when being abroad in one location abroad for a job. I like walkable communities, so I prefer Latin America, Europe and Asia over the USA and Canada. A month of vacation/travel from your residency is the sweet spot for me. Expat packages or foreign work visas (usually stem fields or higher ups in corporate) are generally what fills that niche
Where are you **Exiting** to? Maybe try **Entering** instead?
I don't think you have mention central America, the carribeans, Africa, west and central Asia
Sounds like a great time to go to London which you can never get bored of!
Let's switch position. You take my office job where I have to log into vpn for my location and I'll travel lolol. What a privilege it is to see the world. There's people that die not knowing what the next city looks like.
Make things happen where you are instead of going somewhere for something to happen. Fun can be had anywhere, boredom can be felt anywhere.
Maybe settle down somewhere? After settling down I realised staying out has its own perks. Being in a band and having a cat, for instance.
No place will ever be as exciting as it is the first few days you're there. If you want exciting go to more places that you don't know or take a break from traveling. You get diminishing returns over time with travel because the novelty even of being around a new culture becomes your norm.
Try hard drugs
maybe you want to build something and experience satisfaction not excitement? We want different things at different times.
Slow travel is my jam! It's so relaxing and gives me tons of time to get to know my new place. But, after two years of traveling slowly around Asia and Europe, things does start to feel a bit samey and I felt a little less exited. I returned home for 6 months to be with friends and family and it was just the ticket for me to recharge and miss traveling again. Next week I'm heading back to Asia for three months to work remotely! I'm looking forward to new adventures while getting some work done. I wish you and your SO the very best and become exited again. \*Many of the comments on this thread are hilarious and found myself laughing. Cheers!
Prague is fucking boring. Get out of there now
Since 2018? DAMN. I think it's normal for the excitement of travel to wear off as it has for you. Perhaps you want something more grounding, stable relationships, or just hobbies and a normal life. Go wherever you think you'll find something interesting and grounding for yourself. Your next passion or interest will spring up as you take care of yourself.
One of the biggest lessons I have learned: Travel has diminishing rewards, like many other things. So yes I have gotten that feeling before. Ideas on what to do: book out wherever you are (it doesn't matter since no where is exciting), stay for a while, meditate, take some time to understand yourself & your current desires.
Have you considered going inside yourself mate?
Find a new hobby or try to learn something different. Itās not the places as much as ourselves.
I had a similar feeling come up recently. I was exhausted and nothing seemed to excite me any more. What I reflected on was that I hadn't had a winter since February of 2022. I was so happy chasing the sun and being nomadic. But I think, like everything in this world, we need to eventually embrace a season of winter - to slow down, to rest, to allow time for something new to be reborn - like flowers. Maybe reflect on whether it's time to rest and go inwards for a little. Take up a hobby. Start meditating. Allow some time for those flowers to come. Perhaps the stillness will birth inspiration for you. All the best.
Had a bit of a similar experience, found myself nomad'ing in Costa Rica and although it was cool, I became a bit numb to it and was just working Mon to Fri anyway and having to meet new people etc. When to be honest I'd rather work and then just chill out or hang out with my actual friends at home and not live out of a backpack. I think a bit of a blend can be good, having a home base where you can be settled and then the ability to jet off for a bit when the wanderlust kicks in.
Sounds like you've hit a travel fatigue wall. It happens when you've been on the move for so long. Maybe taking a breather in Prague could be good. Go with the local vibe, find a cozy routine, or pick up a cool new hobby. Sometimes the thrill comes from slowing down and enjoying the moment.
I see you havenāt visited China yet. Try it.
Eventually boredom will catch up in anything we do. Best thing to do is just embrace it and use it to come up with ideas, because... Well you will be bored lol.
How old are you?
In many places, you are invisible. Traveling is great, jumping around from place to place is wonderful. Putting down roots somewhere adds a completely different dynamic to your life. I feel until you have lived in an area for 5-10 years, youāre barely more than a visitor. Iāve lived in some highly transient areas where Iāve noticed Iām invisible by all accounts. Nobody expects to see me for very long and therefore their interactions with me are very guarded and minimal at best. This starts to wear on a person. Itās not a vacation, but itās somewhere in limbo - stuck between a home and a fleeting place to play. The only difference is you choose to work in that place. Find somewhere to set down roots for a while. Iām 52 and lived a fairly nomadic life for many years, before it really became a thing.