OT: Are you a traveler or a homebody?

Di

(website)

Veteran

Some of both? I really need a good balance of the two, or I get cranky.

14 years ago

Lynne

Veteran

I've been asking this myself, lately, April! I am very happy at home, and if I'm travelling I'm more interested in walking and exploring on foot rather than seeing the monuments/sights per se. Enjoying the atmosphere of a new place and watching people go by is far more fun to me than sitting on a bus listening to a pre-recorded tour guide! More than once we've returned to the same place for a second holiday rather than chosen somewhere new. And my favourite souvineers are useful everyday items rather that remind me of a special place; you usually won't find me in the souvineer stores!

So in answer to your question, I think I'm on the bench :).

14 years ago

Joha

Active Member

Definitely a traveller here.

I love beeing on the road and discovering new things, Wandering around new cities at the break of dawn, talking to so many interesting people, seeing something different every day.

As I child (about 6 years old) I went to visit my grandparents in a different city (unaccompanied), and when was about 10, my parents sent me on a trip to another country with other kids for a summer camp and thats were it started I think....

Just love to be up and away. And I learn so much that way. Not only about other cultures & people but also about myself....

14 years ago

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

100% homebody and proud of it!

14 years ago

Deborah

Veteran

I have just come back from my first overseas trip and I loved it. I am a bit of a homebody but what I realize is that if my family (husband and son) are with me, I would happily travel any wear, but if I have to travel (say for work) without them I really don't like it. I am probably a bit of both.. I do love being at home.

14 years ago

Deborah

Veteran

I have just come back from my first overseas trip and I loved it. I am a bit of a homebody but what I realize is that if my family (husband and son) are with me, I would happily travel any wear, but if I have to travel (say for work) without them I really don't like it. I am probably a bit of both.. I do love being at home.

14 years ago

Astrid

Veteran

I like to travel and see new things, but I'm a homebody at heart! I'm always happy to return home after some time en route.

14 years ago

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Good question! I was expecting to see lots of travellers like myself. Don't you think it also has to do with your situation, and maybe your age? I was 100% a traveller until we had kids. Now I am a homebody, more by force than by choice, although part of me loves being at home.

14 years ago

Lynne

Veteran

Two of my children are travellers and are highly portable, and one is a homebody. Guess who requires the MOST luggage?

14 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Here's the thing: I'm both!

I LOVE to travel. I crave it. Right now I'm getting antsy because I have a photo trip to Iceland planned in August, and I can't wait. Last year I spent two months driving across the US -- just myself, a tiny camping trailer, and my photo gear, and I absolutely loved it. I only got homesick after day 60 (out of 69 days away).

I find my wanderlust pretty fascinating, since I am the child of a serious agoraphobic. My mom was not comfortable going anywhere she did not already know, much less going to another country. In her 80 years, she never flew on an airplane, and I don't think she ever ventured out of the state of Maryland during my lifetime.

But when I'm home from my travels, I like to be at home. I love our home and always look forward to returning, even when enjoying my adventures. Years ago, I used to go out most nights to see live bands, drink with friends, etc., but now I'm much more content to be home with my husband, the dogs, and a good book or an episode of Treme or some such.

So I would say I'm a balance of both, if such a thing is possible. I think I'm incredibly lucky that I get to experience both!

14 years ago

Lynne

Veteran

Iceland, Janet! Awesome - are you flying direct, or via Copenhagen?

14 years ago

Debora

Veteran

Definitely a traveler! I love exploring new places and different cultures. My husband served 25 years in the Air Force and we were fortunate to have had wonderful assignments.

Laura, you raise an interesting question. Both of my children were very young when we had our overseas assignments - my son was only 8 weeks old when we moved to Germany. We toted those kids everywhere! Would they have preferred to remain in one place? I'm not sure. It certainly wasn't easy on them to pick up and move every two or three years, but then again they have grown into well-adapted, highly tolerant individuals. I can confidently say that they have benefited from their travel experiences and exposure to the larger world around them.

We have been settled now for six years and I still get itchy feet. Now that my son is a busy high schooler, travel opportunities are few and far between. We are making college visits this summer and even those excite me. Any excuse to explore a new place or town!

14 years ago

Irene

Veteran

I like traveling as long as it doesn't become stressful, that's why I don't like it that much. I don't think I would like traveling on my own, but then when I travel with other people I end up in little arguments most of the times, which is a bit unnerving. I'm going to Sofia (Bulgary) in a couple of weeks because I have a Bulgarian friend that will spend her summer there with her family, although she lives in Spain now. I can't wait to see somewhere so different from where I've been so far, but I'm happy there's not too much to see (like in Rome or in London) that I will feel bad if I can't cover it all.

14 years ago

Queen Mum

Veteran

homebody through and through. Not that I don't enjoy a nice vacay, but after a bit I'm always ready to get back home into my own bed and my own kitchen.
Even after having a couple busy days of running around, I always have to work in a day at home to recover.
I am also on team introvert. I wonder if they are related.

14 years ago

April

Veteran

Here's a psychologist's interpretation: whether you are a traveler or a homebody depends on the interaction between your temperament and your circumstances. (Which is to say, it's exactly like everything else.)

For example, I'm a fairly anxious person. I moved a fair amount as a child, and two months after I left home to attend college, my family packed up and moved about as far across the country as they could. I think the interaction of these factors has contributed to my desire to stay somewhere.

My son, on the other hand, has lived in the same house his whole life, and he *loves* travel. His sense of security is deep, and he doesn't need to foster it by staying home.

14 years ago

Diana

Veteran

Homebody for sure. I love sleeping in my own bed and eating my own food and having access to my entire closet. I do love to explore new places and see new things, but I find it rather tiring. I also dislike a lot of the actual processes of traveling - packing, driving/flying (don't like sitting still for a long time!), sleeping in beds that are not mine, dragging luggage all over the place. Surprisingly I pack very very light though...

14 years ago

Queen Mum

Veteran

interesting April. Not sure where it comes from, but I am definitely more secure when I know what to expect in a given situation, know what tomorrow has in store, etc. I like to see the year ahead of me at a glance and know what my life will look like. I guess you could say I like to have my ducks in a row. I am also not keen on being in situations of sensory overload (like shopping in F21).
And I lived in the same house until I went away to college... but I know there is more to it than just physical location. hmmm, lots of stuff to think about now today

14 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

April, that makes total sense to me. Because of my late mom's situation (which grew out of a lifetime of anxiety issues), she worked hard to build a very safe and secure home situation for our family. She worried about me when I traveled, but she was also proud and in awe of my independence and adventurous spirit, and she loved seeing the pictures I'd bring home.

Strangely enough, some of the times I miss her most now are when I'm traveling and wish I could call her to check in the way I used to.

14 years ago

Jonesy

Veteran

What a fascinating thread! Truly. I really love going to new places, but I hate to fly :). My SO and I still talk frequently about our trip to Italy 14 years ago, but the reality is that we don't travel all that much. With the kids, it's so expensive, and so complicated to plan...But we keep talking about traveling more, so maybe we will get our act together someday.

14 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I bat for both Teams here by a billion trillion percent.

I LOVE traveling. (But always miss the doggies, bed and our snack cupboard).

I LOVE staying at home.

14 years ago

Aunty

Veteran

I am a Dorothy ( there is no place like home )

14 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

April- I am exactly the same as you. I love the idea of travel, but I hate the reality of it. The last time I flew, I broke out in hives all over my body and swelled up (before I ever got on the plane- not from altitude)- it was terrible! I am a homebody through and through.

14 years ago

Girl X

(website)

Veteran

I'm a total traveling homebody. I travel a lot, and I absolutely love it, and when I am wherever I am, I wish I could stay for far longer. But when I'm at home I'm practically a shut-in and dread the idea of even going to the grocery store, let alone another country or continent.

14 years ago

Carole

Veteran

It's always fun to "go" but it's good to come home too. I have always needed some trip or vacation to look forward to, just the planning and anticipation keeps me cheerful. But as Dorothy said, "there's no place like home".

14 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

I'm a traveler! It comes from my parents taking us back to India and all over the US when we were kids. Now, with living here, it is important to get out to warm places and to visit family, and I want my son to be a global citizen and understand that not everyone lives as we do. Soon we'll lower our Christmas present budget and travel more with him instead. Less material goods, more knowledge!

The only thing I don't enjoy about travel is the packing and unpacking... This summer it seems we are never home on weekends, and I do miss decompressing at home (or even having time to clean).

In fact, we're off to Hawai'i in two days!

14 years ago

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I think I can bat for both too.
I LOVE travelling , see new places, soak in new experiences,... However I do not like "intense" travel when you try to cram as much sightseeing as possible into a few days. I prefer to settle into a place and begin to feel it - like being "homebody" while travelling...
I don't know if it makes sense at all...

14 years ago

JulieinMI

Active Member

Homebody here and I'm glad to hear there are others just like me! I do travel though because my husband likes to, and when our kids were younger I wanted them to see new places. I do "travel" to Chicago as our son lives there; but I love that because I not only get to see him, and they have all the good stores that we do not! Which reminds me of that discussion about F21 - my high school son walked into the Michigan Avenue one in Chicago and said it made him physically sick!!!

14 years ago

Freckles

Veteran

I'm a traveller by heart (airflorce brat) and my husband is a homebody so we never go anywhere...

I love my own bed and snack cupboard but since retiring I'd love to travel big time...

14 years ago

Debbie

Veteran

I love to travel but my husband doesn't. He hates flying so I travel when I get a chance I travel with the girls!

14 years ago

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