Cured of the Travel Bug?

No, I miss it and trip planning. If you’re tired of cathedrals and castles, then visit Asia with it’s beautiful temples. I enjoy being immersed in another culture more than just visiting the famous sites.

I think I will always desire some travel. Travel can be an escape from the pressures of working, etc.. Having said that ... Staying close to home reminded me of the way my grandparents lived. They rarely traveled and only went short distances for short periods of time. Life was about domestic chores, going to church, talking to the neighbors at the fence, playing cards on Sunday afternoon, watching Lawrence Welk on Friday night. It was a simple, more basic way of life. No so technological either.

I think one way of life is as significant as another as long as it's healthy and honest.
Traveling can add to one's personal understanding about history and the broad schemes of life. But once we die, all our knowledge and experiences disappear with us. The next generation carries on and does the same. A rather dreary outlook, I know. But, it can be liberating and calming as well.
Helps us to focus on what's important to ourselves.

No, but I am reprioritzing. Sometimes I’d go on trips to places that I was only mildly interested in because I was curious and kind of felt like if I hadn’t seen X popular spot I’d be missing out. I don’t really care about that any more. There are places I can’t wait to return to and new places I am really, really interested in. I’ll stick to those and not just go to XYZ because it’s there/famous/“important”. This applies to cities or countries, but also sights. I like cathedrals, but will skip some that aren’t especially interesting to me. Skipping the cathedral and going on a cheese tasting is a perfectly viable option!

No but I am trying to not dwell on our inability to travel and be thankful for family and health. It’s a small world.

Not cured! I won't push the situation by traveling now, even to an "open" country. However, it is more obvious to me how much travel positively colors my life. It feels like a need, even though I know it is a big I WANT!

No cure for my travel bug. I think the only vaccine for this bug will be physical disability which I hope is still a long way off. I hope to resume international travel as soon as I'm vaccinated for COVID and believe most others have been too (since the vaccine will be <100% effective).

Cathedrals aren't all the same, though they might seem so to kids or others who haven't spent time learning about them. To me they're generally very interesting, to my wife less so but she indulges me. As your kids indulge you I'm sure!

Tom, I hope you won't give up on travel once we get past this virus, but if you do I'm sure you'll find other interests. And I'll have one less tourist to encounter in all the cathedrals! ;-)

Well, I used the travel money to make improvements to the house, so that was an unintentional benefit. Yes, it does have me thinking a bit about priorities, but then again I lived in Europe for eight years, so it would be different for others.

Would I trade the home improvements for the cancelled trip to Scotland? Honestly, probably not.

If the love of travel is an illness, I don't want to be cured :) My solo trips over the past 10 years have been enormously satisfying and enlightening, and are a much-needed respite from work and the daily grind of life. There are still a few countries I definitely want to see, but if it all stops here I can say I've done my absolute musts at this point. First trip when Europe re-opens will be to London--much as I love Budapest and was sad to miss my 6th visit there this spring, it's London that's been calling most urgently.

I have worked on site through all this and there were weeks where there was little energy for much other than the necessities. I reined in on a lot of mental stuff, then as work stablized I could look a little further outside the necessities. I had a life reassessment some years ago returning from Africa the first time. I looked at travel now as a bit of a carrot to get me 4 weeks, 6 weeks through a covid lab world. Eventually I realized I didn't need the carrot of total relaxation on the beach to keep me going. There were also numerous weeks that I had resigned myself that due to healthy and numerous hobbies at home, I 'could' live a fulfilling life without travel and that I am set up for when health, finances, risk, cost of insurance, 'whatever' terminates the ability to travel, I could still be satisfied.

However, just because I 'could' doesn't mean that I 'want' to terminate travel. I will be honest, the real important bucket list items are ticked, (and there weren't that many that would have led to regret if undone), so the rest are enrichment. I know my list is longer than I have life left to travel in, so the priority changes depending on my mood and what opportunities are out there. I expect I will always be curious about places whether I can go there or not, but that is my drive of life long learning and curiosity rather than the absolute need to see it all.

Wanting to explore can’t be cured.

However, staying healthy and sane can be accomplished by accepting the reality that travel simply isn’t safe at the present time.

I can live with that.

Reading, old movies and pre dawn walks help.

Life goes on.

Tom, I think you're playing devil's advocate. Reassessed, but in the opposite direction. More travel, please. I'm not the same person after each trip - I'm not done experiencing new places, people and things. Old cliche' is true: its the journey not the journeys end. I've seen all the cathedrals I need to see too, but I look forward to the experience of traveling somewhere to see another one. Through this situation, I've learned to not put it off, but to accelerate, since we've seen how things out of our control can limit our options and time.

Even though some of the answers above are very different, I find a bit of myself in each answer.

Hard to really know what the future will bring, and what spouse and I will want to do (once we CAN travel again).

Likely, we will do a much more relaxed trip at the beginning......a week on a BVI or Virgin Island beach......no pressure, no hectic schedule.

While we have been blessed to have traveled a lot, and made travel a big priority for several years, there are still places in the world we would like to see. But, to be honest, if we do not, we are okay with that, too. Or it might just be one big month-long, huge blow-out of a trip.....or just shorter state-side trips to a few of the national parks we have not seen ..............and the wide range in the first part of this sentence basically indicates....we do not yet know. Once travel is possible (in the way each of us on the Forum once knew it), we will all evaluate what next steps are......and it will be fun to read about what everyone has planned. In the meantime, everyone stay safe and count the blessings we have.....there are so many in the world that would quickly trade problems/frustrations/situations with any one of us.

I think the pandemic has many of us rethinking what is truly important to us.

Cured of the travel bug? Just the opposite for us. It has made us realize just how important it is in enriching our lives and broadening our perspective. While we could live a contented life in our own tiny bubble, we still want more than that in what is left of our lives. And since the pandemic has drilled home the fact that you never know when life can throw a huge stumbling block in your path, we are even more determined to travel and experience new places, people and things while we still can.

So for now we cocoon at home. But we are still planning for our next adventures, once it is safe to go.

Tom said "We are the same person no matter where we go." I don't believe that is true for us. I believe that our travels have definitely helped to shape how we look at the world. And as a PS, I like Cathedrals. And castles. And temples. And other bits of architecture that we don't find at home. To each their own.

We love travel, and have been fortunate to have been able to take trips to Europe every year from 2015 - 2019. There are many things that could prevent travel, including personal health issues, financial problems, or the need to take care of aging/sick relatives. Of course, there is the inevitable day that comes when travel is no longer feasible due to advancing age and infirmity.

i still enjoy the memories from previous trips, but find it difficult to contemplate further travel at this time. We will return to Europe when it is safe and fun to do so.

The only thing that will cure (?) our travel bug will be our inability to move. Without the virus, we would be in Venice today getting ready to board our ship for our vacation within the vacation. And tomorrow we cancel our Caribbean cruises scheduled for Jan and Feb. But we are saving a ton of money. Maybe 22 will be all first class.

We normally do two overseas trips a year, as well as visiting family in the USA.

This year has been great for our bank accounts, but we very much miss travel.

We have two overseas trips planned for next year, safari in East Africa (July) and trip to Italy in October.

A vaccine should be available by Spring, that is what we are hoping for.

We have traveled a lot and lived overseas as well, but the travel bug is still there. Been to 78 foreign countries, but there is still more to see.

Not another cathedral, they all look the same

I definitely caught the "not another cathedral / not another castle" syndrome when I was returning too often to too-similar destinations. My interest in travel was reignited when I began traveling to a broader range of destinations with a new variety of sights ... and a new (post-retirement) approach to "being there."

Having said that, spending this time (and using the unspent travel funds) on some small DIY home projects and a couple of moderate home improvements is giving me a renewed appreciation for "being here."

So, it's not so much that I'm reassessing the value of ongoing travel; but rather, I'm making my home even nicer to return to after trips that just keep getting better!

I have not lost the travel bug. I am, however, asking, increasingly, what the point of the traveling is.

I spent 1957-1962 in Germany as a small boy. Thus, when I go to Germany, Austria, etc, it feels like going home to see Grandma. Grandma actually was born in Budapest, so the Germanic accent is a familiar one. My wife did the year abroad in 1969, and taught French and Spanish.

We have been to Europe as a couple about 10 times, since 1984 or so. Many of the trips were in conjunction with work, which lessened the cost.

Why do we travel? Partly it is the sights. Partly it is our European friends (in German, France, UK, Croatia). Partly is the food and wine. But also it is seeing the sights again. We do enjoy returning to familiar places. I can draw a city map of Zagreb quite easily now, and of several other cities. I love returning to these places. I can see the main square of Zagreb in my mind's eye even now.

We will return to Europe. We don't have much desire to go to Africa, or Australia. Turkey, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Belorus, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Norway - these still call to us.

My simple solution is to walk past most cathedrals. Last year I made an exception for Chartres which is probably the finest example of Gothic cathedral architecture in all of Europe. You also forgot the ABC, Another Boring Castle, syndrome. There are exceptions to all of these rule but the fun of traveling has not worn off. Do it now while you can, don't wait until you can't and say gee I wish. Time only travels one way and if you don't take judicious advantage of your opportunities, they will be gone forever. I know a couple people who waited too long and they are not really happy about it.

I used this year's travel budget and rebuilt my deck and what I learned is that I hate building things and I'd rather have been travelling. My enthusiasm to travel and explore has only gotten greater. My credit card is out and I'm ready to use it as soon as it's determined we can keep on travelin'.

It all depends on why you want to travel. If it is just to tick off a list of places that you are "supposed" to go to, then it is time to reassess.

All of our annual trips have been to places that we want to explore. Learn more about the country, the people, the history, the flora and fauna, and yes, sometimes even a cathedral or castle or two. It's all part of the wonder of this varied world we inhabit. And I totally disagree that we are "the same person no matter where we go". If one really takes the time to BE in the place, then you do learn and grow.

One could argue that more Americans need to travel to other countries so they appreciate how good we have it here.

Pre-Covid my husband and I differed on taking one trip after another to Europe, so I began taking solo trips, and he would come every other year. After missing this year (Sept. was supposed to be Italy), I am very ready to travel next year. The value for me is priceless. We may be the same person physically whether we travel or not, but mentally I grow at a faster pace when I’m researching, learning a new language and placing myself into new experiences.

I think this virus and our inability to leave the country has cured my desire to just go anywhere. Just like BigMike, I’m doing home improvements and planning for other things I’ve put off because I spent too much money traveling in the past few years. I still want to travel, but I’ll be much more selective in where and how I’ll travel. I’m also planning most of my trips to be with grandchildren. One at a time. Their destination choice (within reason), junior or senior high level ages. My oldest Grandchild is 14 now, so hopefully in a year or so we’ll fly off to wherever he wants.

I am definitely not cured of the travel bug. I had to miss my spring trip and it has made me even more anxious to start traveling again. I've tentatively rescheduled the trip (it's a domestic US trip) for this coming spring. We'll see how things go. And I've been busily planning a trip to France for Spring 2022.

I love travelling so much, and I went many years without going anywhere due to finances and family obligations. So now that I have the money and vacation time, I plan to use it for travel as much as I can. (my younger daughter, 9 years old when we were traveling in 2018, did get tired of cathedrals in England! )

We are in our early 60s and finally after cost of raising children are at a point that we can afford to travel. We have taken trips for the past three years. We were going to go to Italy this past May with our adult children.

Perhaps because we haven't traveled as much as many of you, all I hear is a clock ticking. I feel like we have a limited number of years to have the physical stamina to travel to Europe and I find the inability to travel overseas frustrating. I feel like we are wasting valuable time that we won't be able to get back.

We did buy new sofas for the family room this fall but I would have traded them in a heart beat for a trip to Europe!

We are also in our early 60’s and only retired so we could travel and visit family/friends in Europe. I do have a niece in Australia I would like to visit also. Anyway, like others we cancelled two trips this year and cannot get the lost time back - nor the fabulous $399 R/T fare we had to London. We too have been doing home repairs with the money we did not spend. I guess most of us had the same idea. We are not cured of the travel bug by any means and will travel as soon as we are allowed. But, I have no desire to read any of my new RS guides or research any trips just yet. I don’t want to get my hopes up only to have them crushed. When we are allowed to travel again, I will have time to start researching and planning. Maybe even go last minute, on the fly.

I appreciate all of the thoughtful comments. I'm fortunate (?) That no big travel was planned for 2020. It's a little amazing to think that 6 months have passed with out so much as popping over to Chicago to see friends. This has been a time to think about priorities, I've started to sketch out a plan as to when I'll retire.
There's places I'd like to see, or see again... but between covid and some big changes in the lives of some immediate family members, I'd say my travel bug has definitely gone dormant.

I have the computer program that gives random screen savers. That has helped me confirm I like the seas, architecture and mountains . The wild animal photos are cool, but I would never do a safari. Deserts are definitely a last choice, sorry Arizona.

Interesting responses. I should probably confess that I’ve spent at least 24 months of my life just traveling, so seen and done a lot. I didn’t postpone travel till retirement. One thing I sure don’t miss are all the travel survey emails, every hotel, car rental, and Airbnb would send one (and then 2 reminders). I wish there were an “opt out of all future surveys for life” do not survey list I could register for.

I do have a few biggies to see, Angkor Wat, Peru, Igassu Falls, Southern Africa, Yosemite, and after that probably just visiting friends (UK, NZ, Oz, Germany) or genealogy related travel.

The Two B's are just youngsters. The 80s for us just around the corner of next year. You will have plenty of time to travel. Our goal is at least another ten years of travel. Perhaps at a slower rate but we are going. We are drifting towards including a few cruises to give us a bit or a rest in the middle. The key is to stay fit -- watch your weight, exercise, and keep your mind active. We are fortunately that our health has held and, although we were both in education, our retirement income over the years has steadily increased so we can easily afford some of the things that makes traveling a little easier for 80 old year bodies. So don't look at this year as lost time but as an opportunity to improve your future travel experiences. Good luck. We will be traveling again -- soon.

On Cathedrals in Europe, I still love to visit them. For medieval history and art, they are special. Each one has its own history.

One could say the same about castles. They are all over Europe. Wales seems to have a castle about every ten miles and they all have a history to tell.

Never. We only take one trip a year anyway.

Now that hubby has retired we have a lot of time on our hands and I hope maybe in a few years we can do 2 a year.

We aren't getting any younger and every year I realize there is more of the world I want to see and less time to see it.

"I think the pandemic has many of us rethinking what is truly important to us." - travel is what is truly important to me. We didn't have kids. In laws are gone. My mom is still around and she can't wait until she can get over to visit my sister in the UK, and I get to visit with her 4-5 times a month.

Most definitely in the 'can't wait to get back to traveling' camp. I took a tiny day trip to the other side of my state last weekend and it was wonderful to feel like a tourist again. But one change of mind I have had due to the pandemic is that I realize how much I love Europe and thats where I will probably do almost all my future travel. I had been thinking I "needed" to branch out and was doing preliminary research on Asia, South America and Africa. While I still would "like" to visit those places, it's Europe I miss so much and want to return to (despite having done 33 trips in the past 20 years). I want to see new place in the countries I've already been to, and really want to return to my favorite places.

I have taken this forced stay at home time to study art and architecture history (partly inspired by Rick's book that came out this spring). Now I feel I need to go back to all the places I've already been to view them with a more educated eye and see the things I now know I missed. I go into most cathedrals, but now I want to go back and go inside the ones that I decided to skip (for fear they'd be 'just another cathedral'). Now I think I will appreciate them more.

On Cathedrals in Europe, I still love to visit them. For medieval
history and art, they are special. Each one has its own history.

One could say the same about castles. They are all over Europe. Wales
seems to have a castle about every ten miles and they all have a
history to tell.

I like your comment. To just look at a cathedral, I've seen enough, but I can still be interested if I'm willing put in some work and find a story. Castles though; I'm not sure if I'll ever get tired of them. I was like an 8 year old boy running around Warwick Castle.

To Frank,

You are an inspiration! I hope we can be still be traveling when approaching 80. I have been thinking we have our 60s to travel which is the source of my impatience. I based that on watching people around me and when they stop traveling. Health issues seem to start crawling up when people are in their 70s. But I certainly am more than willing to be wrong about the window we have!

One of the B's

My H is 79 and is less interested in travel vs not being able to travel. We did think we might have his first RS tour this year instead of our independent visits, but now it is likely put off for at least a couple of years. He has not thought of stopping, but he likes me to have my solo trips as well...which I love. His uncle-cousin traveled alone until at least age 95, so not planning to cut off anytime soon.

As for me, I have lost the bug as far as needing to travel right now. I have plenty of interests and enjoy my home so I'm happy, but I'm sure if/once I feel comfortable traveling again, I will and I will get into planning again as much as usual. However, I still ponder the perfect luggage/packing system...

BethFl -- get out of Florida -- too many old people there. Come to CO, I think the average in Denver is high 30s. Last Friday we were at a neighborhood social event, and the discussion of length of marriages came up for some reason. Several were boasting about 25, 30, 35 years. We didn't mentioned that it was 53 for us. We didn't want them to think we were that old. You have two ages -- physical that you have to live with and mental that you decide. Being in education all of our lives, we always associated with younger people so we don't feel our age. As long as we can keep moving we will keep traveling.

I am definitely less addicted to travel than I was a year ago. My friends tell me that Covid is my fault because my New Year's Resolution(on New Year's Day, I was in Orlando for the 2nd time in a month and we also went to NY in Dec, plus 2 separate trips to Europe from middle of Sept to middle of Oct) was to travel less-but I didn't intend "less" to mean "not at all"!

Frank, thanks for the pep talk, it has helped. Most posts, since the pandemic started, are like those one line inspirational sayings that pop up on FB. I just ordered Rick’s book Europe’s top 100 masterpieces. Rick was putting exerts on FB about different paintings and that inspired me to get his book. I was always a very optimistic person, but these past few months have really taken an emotional toll on me. But, just like travel, and the economy, I will be back, just hopefully sooner then later.

I'm curious to all of us ready to get back at it. Are you willing to travel with restrictions; i.e. masks, risk of being stopped at the airport because you're temperature is too high, or are you anxious but patiently waiting? Personally I'm ready to go, but don't have a desire to head out until life is pretty much back to normal. If that's 2 years then so be it. But as soon as that happens...

I don’t know if “back to normal” is in the cards. But there WILL be a new normal. Someone a few months ago compared this situation to changes caused by 9-11. Many things about travel have not “gone back to normal” since 9-11, but we got used to it and now all of those changes feel normal. I just finished a 12 day, 2,300 mile driving trip to see my kids in various places. (They needed it and I needed it and now I am back home staying in again.) Normally I would fly. I took a large number of pre-cautions I wouldn’t normally take, which made it a strange trip - but it was a great trip and it felt absolutely wonderful to spend days driving small highways with amazing scenery.

I just feel like a better part of myself when I am traveling. So, I am in the line of “ready to travel when it feels reasonable to me”, which may not be when it feels reasonable to others. Not cured. :)

Well, I must have the travel disease worse than many as I have not stopped traveling despite it being riskier to do so. I have changed how and where I am going. So far, went back to my home state of Washington to see Olympic NP, which I had not done before. In November, I go to Cozumel for a week of diving ( one of the few countries open to US tourists with no restrictions). In January, it’s back to Mexico for a week long spa vacation. So, Mexico it is! Bonus, Mexico is cheap!

My travel bug has not been cured. Of course I am regularly feeding it with travel shows and virtual tours. All of these virtual tours gave me a new destination idea, so now I am busily planning for Fall 2021 or Spring 2022. No cure happening here. And yes, I will be willing to travel with some restrictions, such as wearing a mask. I’m not willing to travel if I have to quarantine when arriving at a destination.

I will say we've visited dozens of cathedrals - most get a cursory glance and then we go off. But our two most memorable were of course when we ended up with a docent (thru no trying on our part). Instead of a 10 min run around - we spent upwards of an hour being shown around - details being pointed out, stories being told. They were the Royal Garrison in Portsmouth and I can't recall the name right now but the one in Haarlem in NL.

If they offer tours, take them up on it. We learned so much, and also at the one in Haarlem the docent took us 'behind the ropes' so to speak, into a few roped off areas. It was great.

After reading all the posts ahead of this post, it is difficult because each one touched on a point I believe in as well. We all travel for different reasons, especially international travel. When retired it is to fulfill dreams of places you always wished you could go while working. Answering why you travel or the value of travel is probably as simple as, I can, I like it, why wouldn't I?. Where you visit, how long you go for is all up to you. If your kids utter the words, "they all look alike", in my most respectful opinion, they shouldn't be dragged to Europe, they aren't ready to appreciate the different cultures or history. Bank their expenses and give it to them when they are adults and tell them, "now you are ready, here's the money....go for it."

Cured of the travel bug because of Corona? Not possible.

I am grateful and thankful for being in good health and all that. This travel bug has been around since 1971 and it is stuck on going to Europe first and foremost, top priority.

Looking over my digital pictures and 35 mm photos of past trips ( ie, during this lock-down ) to Paris, Berlin, Vienna , London, France, Poland, North Germany, etc, etc only serves to reinforce and harden the desire to get back once it is safe and allowed, to do my way of traveling in the summer, etc.

Obviously, I miss it , just have to wait it out.

Retired now and long planned for and extensive travel/exploring as part of it is my life blood. Coronavirus is like Kryptonite to me. I can’t put a value on it, but travel it is very dear to me. I have to check myself and do a good evaluation/current situation/risk assessment now for every trip. Had some major trips canceled with disappointments this year, but was also able to enjoy some winter pre COVID and 6-10 day long late Spring into late Summer trips. I’ve planned more this year, and at least in Austria, Germany and Switzerland Hotel and Gasthaus have been understanding and accommodating for canceling and rescheduling. I don’t plan to stop, but I didn’t last mid-March to June either. Maybe slow down on the cathedral visits and more local culture, nature and fun?

I'm not cured, but I am prepared to wait this out until I think it is reasonably safe to travel. Like so many others, I'm prioritizing health and family, and planning a home improvement project. I'm so glad I love to read and take walks.

No, it's made the travel bug "worse."

Meanwhile, we cook Italian (that's the royal "we" since my husband does the cooking), take Italian lessons on Zoom and Skype (him again), and watch Italian movies and youtube videos. I've been taking a few weeks of daily history of art Zoom classes from the British Institute in Florence --- I took a month of these classes in person a few years ago and, except that there are no field trips, the Zoom lectures are just as excellent. And it's fun to see and hear from people from all over the world.

In case someone is wondering, these history of art classes are not "art appreciation" classes, they are quite heavily history and social history, plus many interesting stories about paintings, sculptures, writing, and buildings.

My desire to travel is greater than ever! I love history, and travel brings history to life. Every trip brings new experiences that shape me in some way. I LOVE researching our destinations, so when we walk into a site (castle, cathedral, etc), I know the history of that place. Our last trip included a stay in Normandy, because my son LOVES WWII history. He researched the villages and acted as our tour guide.

I’ve been researching my genealogy during quarantine and our next trip (whenever that is) will include the Alsace region, where my family lived for hundreds of years. I’m excited to walk the same streets and visit the same cathedrals that they did.

I've been to Europe 5 times in the last decade. I've seen enough churches and little towns to satiate my curiosity and travel desires. Going forward I would rather just go live there rather than travel.Moving in and out of hotels is a bit of a turnoff. However, hostels around Europe are clean and an amazing way to meet interesting people.
I used to road trip a lot here in the southwest US but that has lost its appeal as well. I take it as a sign that I've done enough of it that I've satisfied my travel curiosity.

"Traveling --- it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." Quote attributed to Ibn Battuta and gives a window into what travel means to my soul.