I'm a homebody! I'm like holidays but prefer to stay in the UK because I *hate* flying, BF took me to Paris a few years ago and I couldn't eat a thing all weekend because I was so stressed about flying home I spent the whole weekend feeling sick, not quite the weekend he had planned!!!!! x

I am a homebody. I love to be home just puttering around, cleaning, fixing, gardening.:)

I am like others who love the idea of travel, but flying is such a gigantic hassel these days, and I detest sitting in a car for hours on end. And after 5 days I am itching to get home...doesn't matter where I am, so 7 to 14 days is tough for me..I do get anxious!

We traveled and camped so much as a child i have had my fill! I also don't have any desire to travel out of the country right now...too bad because there are a few places i would like to re-visit!

I spent a few years interviewing (unsuccessfully) to be a flight attendant - so I think you could put me in the love to travel camp! As a kid we moved pretty often, but still within the state of CA, never living anywhere more than 6 years. The longest I've ever lived anywhere is Tahoe but even that 18 year stint has been broken up with a move to OR in '96, and several FL moves from '03 thru today.
That said, I can get anxious while actually traveling - whether in a plane or car. I like being new and different places, I don't always enjoy the mode of transport to get there!!

I'm a traveler at heart. I think I'm at my best when there are new situations and new places to explore.
But I also love to stay home and can make myself very comfortable in it.
Bat for both teams, definitely.

I would have to say I am a traveler I love to go and see new places and explore. My husband got out of the service after 6 years but I seriously believe I would have enjoyed it if he stayed and gave us new reasons to leave our town and go elsewhere every few years. I get itchy if I don't get out of town often even day trips or quick weekends away. I think have given that little bug to my kids too, since we take them everywhere we go. They are good travelers as well.

I'm a homebody but don't mind a bit of travel if I have a place to go back to, a refuge, like a car or hotel room. It's kinda hard now that I get random panic attacks.
Our kids enjoy traveling--as long as they can bring their game machines LOL. I expect traveling with them will get better now that public washrooms aren't so fascinating to them. We visited so many bathrooms while on trips that we just started taking pics-- "aw remember this washroom--Niagara Falls!!--Good Times, good times!".

so interesting to hear everyone's perspectives...what i'd like to know is "check luggage or carry on only" !!!

I love Sveta's idea of a "homebody away from home"!

My last trip overseas we rented an apartment for 2 weeks in one city. We could do our own marketing, cooking, and had time to get to know the city. That's my idea of a perfect vacation!

bj1111 - carry on only it at ALL possible!

I don't think I'm 100% in either camp, but if I had to pick, I'd say homebody.

I'm about 50/50. I'd probably be put into Team Homebody if someone else had to pick a box for me. I'd love to travel a lot more than I do, if my budget and schedule allowed for it.

I'd say homebody. I do travel, and I like a solo trip once in a while, but usually can't wait to get home.

April, that's an interesting idea. I moved around a lot as a kid and young adult, so it makes sense that I'm more of a homebody now.

I'm a traveler, but my traveling has been pretty much cut off at the knees. I don't get vacations anymore. Used to spend summers in England and Jamaica, when I was young. Have traveled Europe and China. Commuted between states for work for a couple of years.

Hm, everyone who likes to travel says they bat for both teams because they also enjoy being home when they are home. But I think that's pretty typical. There are people who hate being home, but I don't think that is very common. So I'll take the fact that we all like our homes as a given (for the most part), and say I'm a traveler.

I love going to new places and seeing new things. It's fun and interesting. Of course, I DO miss home when I am gone. Since adopting cats, I feel that more acutely, because I really miss them when I'm away.

I think April's psychological assessment is interesting--I'm someone who lived in one house my entire childhood. I did, however, spend 2-3 months in Greece every summer during my middle and high school years (with my brother, but without my parents, so I didn't have that layer of security). Even though that was travel, we always went to the same place (lived with family), and I always wished we could see new places. I wonder how that impacted my current enjoyment of travel. I think that my brother is the same way that I am about traveling.

I certainly can enjoy a great trip. However, home is where I really want to be. QM summed up my feelings quite well, and April's example was thought provoking and helpful in understanding why familiarity is my friend.

Wow -- really interesting responses! I'm very intrigued by how many self-proclaimed homebodies there are in this thread.

Steph -- good call. I think travelers are fine at home *and* crave the adventures of travel, whereas homebodies are more often actively unhappy when they have to leave home.

traveler! I love traveling and find it stimulating to be in different places and doing different things. Usually I come back and still wish I were on the trip...

I am a traveler! I have a running list of places I want to travel to next. Each year, I try to plan at least one trip to a country/location that I haven't visited before, at any moment you can find me contemplating about or actually planning our next vacation. I get very excited about our upcoming trips, I put together detailed itineraries, read travel websites for tips and suggestions for weeks before each trip. I study city maps/transportation options ahead of time and get pretty familiar with our destination even before I ever set foot in that place. While travelling, I love reading about the history/cultural significance/political events of each and every location, most of the time you can see me with my head buried in my travel guide. I try to make a point of sampling local delicacies, I purposefully avoid familiar foods and chain restaurants. I take plenty of pictures and upon our return post detailed, long, picture-heavy posts of our travels on my personal blog for my parents to read. So yes, I am definitely a traveler!

Traveller. I'm 20 and have been on 11 overseas trips (I've also travelled throughout NZ). 6 of these trips have been to Australia (Sydeny x2, Melbourne x2, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast) and the other 5 were to China/Singapore, America/England, Japan, New Caledonia and the Cook Islands. 5 of these trips I did without my parents as part of school groups and with friends.
I think the psychology of travellers and homebody's is quite interesting. I lived in the same house my whole life and I definitely feel like I have a safety net because my parents are always in the same place. Also I definitely see myself living overseas when I'm older but that relates a lot to the national psyche in NZ. We feel we're a small country and to really make a mark you have to go overseas so almost everyone does the obligatory OE.

I am a mix. I enjoy being home very much. And I enjoy traveling at least once or twice a year if the funds allow it. One thing I do not like, is vacation time and sitting at home or repeating a trip. If I am off or work, I want to see somewhere new!

I love to travel but i hate to leave my house. Does that make sense? Thus i always end up trying to pack my house in my suitcase. XD Ugh and i also hate to pack. I'm avoiding it right now actually.... >.>

Another one for loving the "idea" of traveling, but not the reality of it. I enjoy the excitement and enthusiasm of going to a new place and often crave "getting away from it all", but then the process of getting there (driving or flying)is so exhausting. I also start craving my home comforts too, especially for the children.

Having a 3 year old that will NOT sleep unless she has been rocked in the rocking chair and is in her own bed is not fun for anyone. With little ones, we are usually all so wiped out by day 2 that we are ready to come home. I have many fond memories of beach trips with my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins as a child. I am so impressed that my parents were willing to do the work that I NOW understand is involved with traveling with children.

I think we will travel more when the pre-schoolers are older. It makes me a little sad for my older kids (13 and 15) because I KNOW we would be going more if it was just them. But then, their lives are rich in a different way with having younger siblings.

I'm catching up with threads I've missed. I can relate to both travelers and homebodies but am more of a traveler and feel sorry for those who are afraid to travel. I'd encourage those with children of any age to travel with them to age appropriate places, including camping trips. It builds such great memories and my sons are seasoned travelers who have traveled the world as young adults. It also is a great education and promotes a world view.
When they were quite young we often tent camped on a beach or in the mountains. They were very happy collecting shells or stones and climbing on rocks and panning for gold, etc. It worked best not to push them too much. When you live in Kansas, just experiencing the ocean or mountains is an exciting experience.