Journalism :: Writing Sample
Hi, my name is Vanessa and I suffer from wanderlust. Do you feel like the very purpose of your existence is to travel, explore and discover all parts of the world? That you’re constantly propelled forward by the infinite attraction to what you have not yet discovered? However, no matter how many places you visit you are still not satisfied. Always wanting more? I’m afraid you too might be suffering from it. If you need further justifications, here are 15 signs you are suffering from wanderlust.
1. YOU ARE CONSTANTLY THINKING ABOUT THE “NEXT”
Next place, next move, next destination that will entice and compel you once you are tired of where you are. The present is important but the future seems so much more alluring. You find yourself making a list of the next possible adventure. Meanwhile, your leave application hasn’t been approved, you start to wonder if there’s a long weekend possibly coming up soon. If not, when’s your next day off? Or maybe your current trip has not even come to the end yet and you’re already thinking about where to go next.
2. MONEY EARNED AND OFF YOU GO AGAIN
Many might be talking your ears off, constantly telling you that it’s silly to spend all that hard-earned money on travel. Yes, traveling requires money and can be expensive. However, no matter how expensive, as long as the adventure seems promising, you WILL make it happen and at all cost. To you, travel is money well spent. Besides, everyone has to have something to work hard for right? While others are trying to make it rain with dollar bills, you’d rather exchange it for the adventure.
3. YOU CONSTANTLY WORK OUT WHAT TIME IS IT IN…
When you’re running late, don’t you just wish you were in Thailand instead, where you’ll have an extra hour? Or when you have a deadline. It would be awesome to be in New York. At least then, you’ll have twelve more hours. How many countries and cities have you added to your world clock on your phone? Be honest!
4. AND WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, WHY NOT CHECK OUT HOW’S THE WEATHER THERE TOO?
What? It’s just a few taps away. Boy, do I love technology!
5. YOU FEEL MOST AT HOME WHEN YOU’RE NOT AT HOME
Comfort zone. What’s that? We prefer to find beauty beyond the confines of our comfort zone. If the thought of sleeping in a new hotel, hostel, bed and breakfast or even a tent in a place far away excites you, you’ve got it bad.
6. YOU ARE ALWAYS PLANNING
You know how to get around a country in the most economic way without ever having visited the place yet. Your friends often ask you for places to go and recommendations on where to stay in a particular country even though you’ve never actually been there. Well, it’s always good to be prepared for the trips you know you’ll take one day.
7. YOU CONSTANTLY CHECK AIR FARES ONLINE
Every airline, every deal you could find, you’re on them. Peak periods, non-peak periods, doesn’t matter. You also can’t help constantly refreshing the page. The fares might get cheaper in the next hour!
8. GETS EXTREMELY HYPED AND EXCITED AT FINDING A GREAT DEAL
It’s better than winning the lottery. Think about the extra money you’ll be able to spend when you’re there. Maybe even travel to more places! Although I must say, winning the lottery sounds sweet too.
9. THEN PROCEED TO STARE AT YOUR PASSPORT WISTFULLY
It’s like having the angel and the devil on each shoulder and it always goes like this:
Just book it first, great deals like this are hard to come by. But I don’t know if I’ll have the time to. Just book it. My leave application might not get approved. Just book it! But I might not… JUST BOOK IT!
-Booking Confirmed-
10. YOU KNOW YOUR CURRENCY CONVERSIONS WITHOUT LOOKING THEM UP
Online shopping becomes a breeze. No need to toggle the currency options. See something you like priced in US dollars or pounds? No worries, you’ve done these conversions many times before.
11. YOU HAVE A COUNTDOWN CALENDAR UNTIL YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE
Isn’t that what calendars are for? Social media is great for that too. The ability to flood your social media platforms with countdown updates till your next trip is part of the joy of having them.
12. YOU ARE A SOCIAL MEDIA NIGHTMARE
The other part of the joy of having social media is having the ability to stalk travel images others have posted. Your very own feed is probably also flooded with many of your own personal travel updates. You also become quite the hashtag pro in order to share your adventures with other like-minded individuals.
13. YOU REGULARLY WATCH TRAVEL VIDEOS ONLINE
Sometimes “regularly” doesn’t even cut it, does it? The initial plan was to watch some travel videos to relax before going to bed. Brilliant plan really. Until you realize it’s 3am in the morning and you’re still on them. At this point, I usually blame the autoplay feature.
14. YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE
People who at the very least have some travel goals in mind. It’s nice to be able to dive into long conversations about future travel plans or past adventures and share tips and advice. Even in a new country, you secretly hope that one day, regardless of language barrier, a kind stranger will strike a conversation with you and you’ll make a new friend.
15. THE FACT THAT YOU ARE STILL READING THIS? HOW MANY MORE REASONS DO YOU NEED?
You have a serious case of wanderlust. So what? If for some reason you're delaying on acting on your wanderlust and you’re looking for that final push to go make it happen, here goes. Don’t let anyone hold you back. It’s your life. You dictate where you go and what you do.
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” — St. Augustine.
So don’t just stop at page one.