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How to Cope with that Pesky Travel Itch!

What do you do when you’re in a rut? When you have high ambitions of places to go, things to do and people to meet, but for whatever reason (work, life, lack of funds, and an unfortunate location) you’re not able to scratch that travel itch? How do you get by until your next big trip?

How to Cope with that Pesky Travel Itch.

Here are some of my personal coping mechanisms to stave off the travel bug:

Schweinfurt Town Hall.
Schweinfurt, Germany
Eating donuts in front of the Brandeburg Gate in Berlin.
The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

I dream. The first thing I do is dream, think, ponder over the next big trip or adventure that I want to take. For me this isn’t difficult. I am a victim of circumstance and a poor economy. I am the one family member in a party of four who has not clinched that international job yet. So I have plenty of fodder for my ruminations; my family’s travels. I see what they are doing, where they’re going, I read their blog posts and look at their pictures and I yearn for the life I once lived and plan to live again.

Taking the Hogwarts Express.
Enjoying Victoria, BC.
Victoria, British Columbia
Enjoying our travel souvenir mugs.
Souvenirs help me remember the good times!

I remember. I remember the places I loved. I remember the places I didn’t love so much and during that time of reminiscence I recall the hilarious circumstances I found myself in. While I’m reflecting on where I’ve been and possibly places I’d like to go back to, I begin to formulate plans for new destinations.

Counting our blessings.
Memories…
Remembering the odd things we've done, like segway driving.
Segways in San Francisco
The Vietnam Memorial.
The Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington D.C.

I plan. Now this is my favorite part. I love to plan my travels. I know there are many inspirational travel posters, blogs and books that are all hell bent on spontaneity. And as a romantic notion, spontaneity is great. I don’t think planning every second of every day is very fun. But I love to plan. I relish in searching for cottages in the Lakes District on Airbnb, watching movies set at Windsor castle while I imagine a certain boy wizard zooming past on a broomstick. I read German thrillers set in a fast paced Berlin and cook recipes I find online that get me ready for my next jaunt. Planning is my opportunity to imagine that I am richer than I am and more adventurous! I pull from every possible opportunity and then choose the absolute musts.

Yosemite NP.
Yosemite National Park
Ireland.
Ireland
Disneyland.

I book. Now this part is thrilling in more ways than one! I go over my finances again and again, I make sure I’ve budgeted correctly; I pick the best possible flight for the least amount of money. I pick my seats. I click the “Buy Now” button. I get a call immediately from my bank’s fraud protection agency. I get all of that mess sorted and at the end I have a date and a ticket. I am ready to go! Except…

Playing games.
Travel games help a little!
Tybee Lighthouse.
Tybee Lighthouse, South Carolina
Mystic, Connecticut.
Mystic, Connecticut

I wait. The wait is excruciating, I try not to count the days because then it feels like even longer. I search through travel posts on Pinterest, I check my calendar. I search for “comfortable, attractive travel clothes” that I never buy, I check my calendar. I go to the store to buy Birkenstocks that my husband reminds me are made in Germany so I wait, and I check my calendar. I go to work, I remind the students that Summer vacation is still far off and we have one more trimester to go, they need to focus (I need to focus), I check my calendar. I’m packing my suitcase, my classroom is clean, everything is in order, we leave tomorrow.

Inventorying my gear.
Travel gear….check!
Trying local foods.

I panic. Do we have the passports? Where are the tickets? Remind me to put my cellphone on airplane mode, I had a nightmare that I forgot and got a $12,000 bill!!! Where are the passports? How much cash should we carry? I call my credit card company to remind them about those tickets I bought, yeah, we’re leaving tomorrow and I really need you guys to not block my card for fraud protection… You have the passports right?

I go.

What do you do when you have that pesky travel itch?

Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.

Shelly

Sunday 15th of May 2016

What a fun post. We house sit full time and travel a lot. We're constantly in the planning stages of what to see and do in our next house sit city. Even still lots of time we still go into panic mode as well :)

Corinne Vail

Monday 16th of May 2016

Shelly, LOL...Sometimes the planning just doesn't feel like enough.

samiya selim

Sunday 15th of May 2016

I love dreaming and planning our travels, and sometimes they come together and I can actually book the many travel fantasies that are in my head :-) Remembering is fun too! Great pictures!

Corinne Vail

Monday 16th of May 2016

Samiya, I think I do a lot more remembering than planning these days...love it.

Rob Taylor

Saturday 14th of May 2016

Booking it truly is the cure... and then booking another trip and then doing it again!! Actually, do the remember is key for me, for sure.

Corinne Vail

Sunday 15th of May 2016

Rob, I agree...get 'er booked and start planning!

Nancie

Tuesday 19th of May 2015

I stare at photos...haha (only half joking), and your photos are great. I'm always thinking of the next trip. Sometimes its a new place, sometimes not. If I'm planning on going somewhere new to me I start researching and planning. I read books, blogs, etc. I start searching for airline tickets, and set up price alerts. When I find a really good deal I purchase if I can. Then, I dream some more :) Thanks for linking up this week. #TPThursday

Corinne Vail

Wednesday 20th of May 2015

Nancie, I think we all look at photos and dream, dream, dream. Even those of us that are often traveling...we always want more!

Malinda @mybrownpaperpackages

Sunday 17th of May 2015

Getting to go at the end of it would certainly scratch the itch. I love to just wanderlust for all the places I will (hopefully) go one day. Thanks for linking up this week for #wednesdaywanderlust

Corinne Vail

Sunday 17th of May 2015

Malinda, Dreaming is half the fun!