Exercising the Travel Muscle

It’s so easy to get caught up in our life of comfort at home. I know how everything works, where everything is. I can almost go about my routine with my eyes closed. While this might not be so exciting, it can be nice to have that simplicity. Unfortunately that means I can easily forget what it’s like to travel. We spent eight months not traveling, and as we started our trip, I could definitely feel that I was out of practice.

Our first day of the Beyond Vacation kick-off trip had its ups and downs. We had our normal pre-trip jitters and stressed about getting out the door on time. Andy accidentally locked the basement key in our basement unit while putting the last load of stuff in there. At least we have until the end of June to figure out where to get something that will cut a padlock so we can rescue our belongings. But we got everything done and made our train with time to spare.

Vianden Castle, Luxembourg

The first few days of the trip, in Luxembourg, and the first few days we were in Amsterdam, all kinds of little things annoyed me that really shouldn’t have. I kept getting irritated with my backpack decisions. The cold rainy weather was getting me down. Trying to choose where to eat seemed impossible. I wasn’t sleeping well, so I was exhausted, which of course made these things worse. I was frustrated with almost everything around me.

After a few days, I realized how easy it is to forget those silly frustrations that come with traveling. Eight months is a long time to go without taking a trip for a travel addict like me. I forgot the weight of my backpack, the momentary panic while looking for a bus, the need to start looking for dinner before hunger sets in.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Traveling is wonderful, but like anything that isn’t routine, it takes extra energy when you’re not used to it. It’s like going to the gym after a long hiatus. Your muscles aren’t used to it anymore, you end up sore, it takes awhile to get back into it, and you kick yourself for ever stopping in the first place. (Or so I’ve heard from people who actually go to the gym.) Travel is like a muscle. If I don’t use it often enough, I forget about the not-so-fun parts too easily.

Sounds like another good reason to travel more often!