Summary

A mother recounts her anticipation and preparation for a five-week solo trip to Europe with her toddler, reflecting on the reasons why travel is compelling despite its challenges.

Abstract

The author is gearing up for an extensive solo journey to Europe, which includes an 11-hour flight and various modes of transportation while managing a 2.5-year-old. Despite the daunting prospect, the trip is fueled by the allure of London, a family reunion in Istanbul, and the inherent addiction to travel's transformative experiences. The article delves into the psychological draws of travel, such as the necessity of living in the moment, the refreshing disruption of routine, the opportunity for self-reflection and perspective, the chance to strengthen bonds with loved ones, and the ability to appreciate one's life upon return.

Opinions

Travel induces a range of stress levels but is nonetheless addictive due to the heightened experience of being present and engaged in the moment.
The routine-breaking nature of travel is seen as beneficial, offering a chance to develop new habits and refresh one's daily life.
Distance from everyday life allows for clearer perspectives on personal relationships and issues, often leading to valuable insights and changes.
The author believes that spending time with meaningful people, even under difficult circumstances like contracting Covid, is a significant reason for enduring the strains of travel.
Travel can lead to a greater appreciation of one's home and life, sometimes providing a stark contrast that highlights the good in one's own environment.
The act of planning and controlling trip details is a coping mechanism for the author to manage travel-related anxiety.

Why I’m Looking Forward To an 11-Hour Flight With a Toddler (Alone)

The real reasons why traveling is addictive

Next month, I’ll put myself through an ultimate test of parenthood: I’ll spend 11 hours on the plane with a 2.5-year-old. Alone. Then take a train and an Uber. Then another Uber and train back. Three more hours on the plane. Then repeat the whole journey backward. Alone.

The only place in the world I would go through all of this for? L-O-N-D-O-N.

When friends asked me and my husband if we could watch their dogs and their house while they vacationed in Greece, I said “Absolutely!” before I even thought about it. Only to discover that my husband won’t be joining me, and he won’t be able to watch our daughter either. On top of that, my parents insisted that I might as well “stop by” Istanbul for a family reunion.

So here I am, planning a five-week trip to Europe with a toddler. Or quietly having a panic attack in the middle of the night.

All this got me thinking about why we love traveling so much. Yes, there are postcard places to see and foods to try but there’s more to it.

Despite moderate to extreme stress levels it induces, traveling, big and small, is addictive.

Which is why many times I returned home exhausted, vouching to stay put for at least a year, only to start planning my next trip a month later. I know I’m not alone.

This is why, I think, traveling can be so compulsive.

You live in the moment

We’ve all heard that we should live in the moment. Yet most of us have no idea what it means.

Traveling does exactly that: it pushes you to live in the now. The challenges of getting there, being there, and getting back all require your immediate presence.

And being present is a natural high.

I’m addicted to snowboarding for the same reason. When you’re up on the mountain, you’re not thinking about what you’re gonna have for dinner. You’re just trying to get down without killing yourself or someone else. And that can be more liberating than it sounds.

You can change your routine

Like a toddler, I love my routines. They keep me sane, safe and productive. They provide the structure that I need to function.

Yet as much as we need and crave routines, it’s helpful to break them once in a while.

When traveling, we’re an open book. My therapist says that any change in place and pace is a great opportunity to build new habits. So I’m planning to take these five weeks to break my daughter’s eating routines (long story) and build new ones.

Surely, having your schedule turned upside down can be stressful, but it’s also an excellent opportunity to throw out the old customs and establish new ones.

Whenever I return home from traveling, filled with new ideas for my daily life (no more emails when I wake up!), I know that I have a window of a few days when I can implement the new habits, or I’ll slide right back into the old ones.

Be mindful of this the next time you go on an adventure and seize the moment.

You get to see your life from the distance (literally)

There’s something about taking a step back from it all that helps you to see things more clearly.

When things get too complicated at home, I often take a mini-break, as little as two days, to get away and clear my head. It works every time.

But even when nothing needs sorting, travel will help you put things in perspective.

Suddenly, that silly thing your husband does looks like just that — a silly thing. And a toxic relationship with a friend is seen more clearly.

There’s no substitute to traveling when it comes to paradigm shifts.

You get to see people

For my family, and many others, traveling is the only way to reconnect with family and old friends.

Relationships are everything, and if it means having to travel halfway across the world to spend a week or two with people who matter the most, it’s all worth it.

In the end, it’s the week I spent in Rome with my parents or the three weeks in Mexico that I will remember for the rest of my life. Sure, we got Covid and all hell broke loose, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

People are worth the time and money that goes into traveling.

Just make sure they are the right people before you buy a plane ticket.

(Sometimes) it makes you appreciate what you have more

Nothing helps me to reevaluate my life as leaving it for a couple of weeks.

I’ve returned home from vacations relieved to see my country and my people, and I have returned from trips with tears in my eyes, reluctant to come back.

A friend recently told me she didn’t want to travel back to England because she was afraid to get depressed on her return back to the U.S. Sometimes, I know exactly how she feels.

I’ve spent the last six months, making positive improvements in our life, so I could take another European trip without returning home disappointed. I think it’ll work out. But only travel will tell.

When you can visit a great place and still return to your own with relief, all is good in life.

For now, I’ll obsess over every single detail of my upcoming trip, like the control freak that I am, hoping it’ll relieve my anxiety.

These days, I kick myself for being such a travel addict. Yet I know as soon as I unpack my bags in April, my mind will begin to wander…