When travelling for long periods of time, you will go through all manner of emotions that you may not normally experience. Being away, your highs may be higher and your lows lower. But that is the nature of living a more adventurous life. Here are 9 emotions you might experience while you’re away…
1: Anxiety
“a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.strong desire or concern to do something or for something to happen.”
You may find that you’re nervous about stepping out of your comfort zone and into the unknown. It may feel a bit like fear some of the time but it is totally normal and also not at all a negative thing. Being anxious about something is just proof that you’re on an adventure. If you’ve ever listened to Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Sunscreen’ (highly recommended), you’ll know he advises you to ‘do one thing every day that scares you’. So take his advice and bite the bullet, but don’t worry if you find yourself a little nervous at times. Just relax and remember, this is what you wanted and it’s going to be great!
2: Anger (but mainly frustration)
“a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.
the feeling of being upset or annoyed as a result of being unable to change or achieve something. the prevention of the progress, success, or fulfilment of something.”
This will mainly be from the amount of mosquito bites you’ll get. But just sometimes, you may feel frustration at a delayed flight, or communication issue – especially when you haven’t slept or are jet lagged. In these cases (which we hope you never experience!), just remember how lucky you are to even be in a position to travel.
You are part of the world’s population who are able to save up and venture out to see the wonders of the world. Never ever forget that. Or what a privilege it is that you get to see and meet people that you never normally would. So every time you feel yourself getting a little aggy, just be thankful it’s at something like this and not frustration with the morning rush hour traffic.
3: Awe
“a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.”
This will be one of the best emotions. You’ll feel awe at beautiful places, beautiful ways of life and the beauty of travelling itself. Remember to savour these moments, because you’ll be keeping them forever.
4: Joy
“a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.”
While, at first, you will take great pleasure in experiencing the novelty of travelling, you will soon find you take joy in the little things. Such as a cleaner hostel, or a bathroom which provides hot water or maybe even a shorter bus ride to your next destination. Once you’ve been on the road a while you really do start to appreciate every little thing.
Whether it’s a particular local beer you’ve grown fond of, or a slightly less humid area, joy can be found in almost anything once you learn to appreciate it! Generally, you will find you are happier while travelling – having none of the normal stresses of life, but swapping them for other challenges that are worth going through.
Note to any smokers out there: travelling is a great time to think about quitting! It’s a perfect environment as there are minimal day-to-day stresses, no routine and so many things to keep you distracted you will barely notice you’re missing anything. If you’re interested, why not check out our article on how to quit while you travel.
5: Admiration
“respect and warm approval.”
You will do a lot of admiring on your travels. Whether it’s at a beautiful temple or stunning natural beauty. It might even be admiration for the way others live, whether that be locals or fellow travellers you meet along the way.
6: Amazement
“a feeling of great surprise or wonder.”
The majority of people will do at least a smidgen of research before setting off on their travel adventure. But no matter how many travel guides you stick your head into, nothing will compare to the real deal. You might find that when you reach your destination, you will be surprised by what you discover there. Whether it’s a little culture shock or just a difference to what you expected, a book will never quite prepare you enough.
7: Submission
“the action of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person.”
In this case we mean totally falling head over heels in wanderlust. The superior force here being the travel bug.
8: Love
“a strong feeling of affection. a great interest and pleasure in something.”
There will be a lot of love on your travels. For the world and everything you find within it. You’ll fall in love with the places you go, the things you do and the people you meet. And when or if you return home, you’ll realise how much you love all the little things there too.
9: Optimism
“hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something. Philosophy: the doctrine, especially as set forth by Leibniz, that this world is the best of all possible worlds. the belief that good must ultimately prevail over evil in the universe.”
Some say that travel restores your faith in mankind. You might come to realise on your travels that, despite what people say about one another, the majority of people are not out to get you. We are all much more similar than we are lead to believe and travelling is the best way to experience that first hand.
Negative Feelings:
If you get any negative feelings while you’re away, don’t ignore them or see them as a bad thing! These may just be your instincts giving you a heads up on a particular situation. If you have a really bad vibe about a place, most of the time your guts are right (so long as you’re not normally a travel hypochondriac). Don’t feel bad if you have negative feelings towards a place you visit. It may just not be for you. And it will help you define what you’re looking for next, making your experience of the next pit stop even better!