I recently read an interview with Jeannie D, where she spoke about the recent collapse in her relationship and her seemingly idyllic life. She's the girl we all want to be- fabulous job, beautiful, great body, bubbly personality. In the interview, she said that yes, she does get to travel overseas all the time and stay in the best hotels. but she misses out on birthdays, weekends, and general family time. I guess that after travelling for a while, the cities all blur and if you do something everyday, it is bound to become routine and mundane.
I run Jozilicious, a lifestyle and travel blog.
I started this blog with the intention of sharing my past travels, as well as future travels I hope to experience. I had no idea that the blog would result in me being able to go on "media trips", which are basically fully paid holidays for me, and a partner in some cases.
I remember the first hotel stay I got because of the blog. It was a night at the Fire and Ice Hotel in Melrose Arch, back in January. I was SO excited that the manager would even take time out of his diary to speak to me, let alone offer me a night at his hotel. I know nothing about journalism! I told all my friends and family and I was on a high all week. Then, as time passed I got more and more invites to stay at places in and around JHB, and then they started becoming international!
While this has been absolutely amazing and has allowed me to visit places I wouldn't normally be able to visit (because one can only afford so many holidays in a year), it is starting to become routine for me.
I don't mean to sound ungrateful AT ALL- this has always been my dream job and I'm so thankful that my blogging hobby has turned into something this fruitful- but I'm now in a place where I have something happening practically every second weekend. I don't seem to have any free time, and I know that's self inflicted. I just worry that I've put too much on my plate, (or in this case, passport) and this may cause my holidays to be less than what they should be. For example, I've been dreaming about going to New York forever. After a year of saving, now that I'm actually going next month, I keep thinking about the 15 hour flight I have to endure to get there. Previously, this would have been a complete non-issue, simply because it's New York!
This got me thinking: do we crave normality and routine? Are we meant to exist in the 9-5 'rut' that so many of us are caught up in? Even if being on a permanent holiday was our job, would we eventually still see this as "work", just because it is something we do regularly? How much "disruption" to routine can we handle, before we crave being at home? I can't count the number of times I've read tweets or comments from people saying things like "there's no place like home", or "so good to be in my own bed again". The same goes for people who immigrate. They hang out with people from their home country, and (in most cases) crave local food, sport and so on. Maybe home really is where the heart is.
I guess the answer is to make the best of your current circumstances, whatever they may be. If you are lucky enough to travel, soak up the new sights and sounds as much as you can. Don't lose sight of the fact that travel is a luxury, one that many people simply cannot afford. Flight delays, missing bags and irate non- English speaking taxi drivers are all part of the experience. I believe that exposing yourself to how others live adds to your outlook on life and grows you as a person.
If, for whatever reason, you're unable to travel right now, turn your home into a space that you love. This can be done by buying a new piece of furniture, adding some cushions, candles, paintings, or maybe by even just doing some spring cleaning. There are loads of people who have to travel for business, and would much rather be right where you are- at home with their families.
So where does this leave me, and my arguably #firstworldproblem of "too much travel"?
I'm going to take every opportunity that comes my way (as far as my annual leave allows), embrace it, and be really thankful for it! In a few years my circumstances may be such that I'm unable to travel, and the last thing I want is to have regrets about a "misspent youth" ;)
Check out Jozilicious at www.joziliciousblog.co.za
Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
