I suffer from ‘Destination Happiness’…
It’s not quite an addiction but more of a complex but I always feel my happiest when travelling. 2018 hasn’t even started yet and I already have three trips booked; they’re only long weekends, but I cannot wait for the feeling of taking off and being 10,000 feet in the sky away from people’s bullsh*t.
I will always say that London is stressful. It’s busy, congested, overpriced, lacks clean air, but it’s home (for now). As much as I ‘love’ living here, my true solace is getting away from it all. I’m grateful I have Europe on my doorstep and the US is only 7-10 hours away but I often wonder how long I can live this life? Sometimes it is all work and no play. I don’t mean just having a job, but maintaining friendships, the constant self-maintenance of being an adult, bills and all of that fun stuff they never taught us in school. Seriously, I’ve learnt more from working than I did in education. Do I need to bring up Pythagoras theorem in my everyday life? No.
Anyway enough waffling, here are my symptoms of my Destination Happiness…
I am constantly looking for holidays…
Sometimes I actually annoy myself with this one and probably my friends too. I can’t count how many times I send links to good deals, with the words ‘Wanna go?’. They’re usually excited for a moment and then comes a flurry of air… I guess 2018 is going to be my year of solo travel.
Travel is a priority for me and if I can do it on a budget, then I will keep scouring for the good deal. Did I ever tell you the time I went to Milan on a Bank Holiday weekend for £25 return? You can read about it here and here.
Yet another bucket list?
I am always making bucketlists, I’ve written a fair few on this blog and whilst I may be ticking them off slowly, sinking myself into travel vlogs and scrolling through Instagram helps keep me inspired when I’m having one of those days. Ironically, I am working on another bucket list post for 2018 which will be up later this week. You can read my other one here.
Food
Always remembering that nothing will taste as good as the countries’ cuisine itself. I’ve been back in London from Mexico for around a month now and the guacamole here is sh*t.
People
Everywhere I go, there is always someone I meet that changes my perception on life. Whether it be for a passing moment or a few days, people make up the places you go to.
Planning
I am a meticulous planner. I like knowing where I’m going to be an hour or week from now. Oddly, I have plans until November 24th 2018, so I better stay alive… Planning a trip from start to finish and allowing for spontaneity along the way is the key to happiness whilst I travel. You gotta allow for a little flexibility in your schedule because again you’ll never know what you’ll find or what people you’ll meet. Let’s just hope none of our travels go down the Taken route, so be safe and use your intuition.
What is your destination happiness? Is it constantly being at home or someone? Or the idea that the next big and bright thing will make you happy?
Whatever it may be, it’s important to realise who you are, that we’re all flawed in some way and it’s okay to find happiness in something. Just remember, everything in moderation. So that’ll be 6 month holidays, twice a year for me.
I’ve also written about my post holiday blues here…
I need a holiday before my holiday and a holiday after my holiday pic.twitter.com/FRzHvXR5Mv
— Char (@char_x0) March 19, 2017
Char xo
*I am also the happiest person in the world after a few glasses of white wine.
crystalsandcurls says
I felt like I was reading my own writing here tbh…I’m the exact same. Travel is literally priority #1 and, as a fellow londoner, i love it…but i’m always eager to escape it x
memoirsmusings (Char) says
thank you SO much for your kind comment (sweetest one I’ve read all year). London is draining but it has this strange magnetic pull that always pulls you back, right? xxx
Amita K (@amerzwithlove) says
I feel like you were reading my thoughts through this post! Everything is so spot on. I’m always looking for good cheap deals, especially when I’m procrastinating. I love living in London because the travel deals are so good, especially when you have Ryanair. I flew to Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen and back to London all for just 40 quid! I don’t have any trips booked yet for next year but I’m sure something spontaneous will come up x
amerzwithlove.com
Katey says
Me too! I get this! I miss being able to get the cheap flights to Europe – it was so nice being able to escape London on a budget flight! Organising holidays makes me feel better, it’s something for me to countdown to!
Debbie says
This is so relatable!
I’m also happiest when I’m travelling and when I’m not travelling, I’m thinking about my next destination. 😩
memoirsmusings (Char) says
It’s an addiction isn’t it?! Literally anywhere but here right? xx