You know you have a travel addiction when...

All of the art on your walls is from a "location" you have experienced !

This forum is your homepage!🇪🇺💷💶🛫

You suffer delirium tremens shortly after returning from traveling abroad.

... you start planning your next trip before your current trip is over.

Before adding any clothing item to your wardrobe you ask yourself, "Will this sink wash and then dry overnight?" Plus, instead of tossing that small empty tin you put it in your travel closet. Woops, calling the linen closet your travel closet.

... you have different Apps & Sites that give you daily flight cost alerts

... you start planiing a 2018 trip well before the 2017 one has even started. AND buy flights more than a year in advance.

When considering significant purchases or expenditures at home you weigh them against one more night in Europe!

You have downsized your life to channel more dollars to travel!

. . . your idea of "fun" is browsing Tom Bihn, REI, Eagle Creek, and Lady Light travel websites looking at gear and packing strategies (after your daily check of the RS Packing forum, of course!)

You start conversations with random people in the check-out line in Costco when you see they are holding a folder with Passport pictures. They look at you ~veeeerrry~ oddly and hurry out of the warehouse hoping you won't follow them to the parking lot....

(no police report, yet)

You dread going to functions/gatherings/parties if you're not sure there will be anyone there who is as travel mad as you are because your small talk now consists of airline schedules, forum posts, sights/museums/etc in various cities, past trips, future trips, luggage, purses, capsule wardrobes.

You are slightly embarrassed when people ask you what you're up to and it's because you are going to Paris...again...

You've been home for months and there are more euros in your wallet than $US (or local currency).

You have to cancel a long-planned European vacation only days before departure for medical reasons, and suffer some serious withdrawal symptoms: sleeplessness, restlessness, some anxiety, weeping, and much wringing of hands... not because of the upcoming medical procedure, but because of the emptiness you feel because you won't soon be experiencing the joyful abundance of new tastes, languages, music, sights and smells in yet another new land.

Pam lol! I too have had those experiences.

...you constantly figure out where you want to go next and determine whether that will fit in your next 1-3 year's worth of vacation!

To jmauldinuu-so sorry to hear! Get better soon!

You have 1 drawer in your dresser called the "travel drawer" and you know that by opening that drawer (passport, foreign currency, travel accessories, etc.) and adding about 10 items from your closet you could be out the door and headed to Europe in about 15 minutes.

When you have a "travel wardrobe".

When any topic of conversation triggers a "That reminds me of that time in Europe when..."

You live out of a suitcase--even at home.

Jeez - I guess it's not just me . . . and I'll add that your place at home looks pretty neglected since the time that you're actually there is spent preparing for your next time away from there.

When you have a "winter travel wardrobe" and a "warm weather travel wardrobe."

When monthly travel group meetings are on your calendar a year ahead.

I realise I am travel addict, have to confess most of these traits belong to me too, ie, Euro in the wallet, visits to see Eagle Creek products, tailoring your life style to maximize travel, planning train routes for the future, checking up flight prices at random, and one more, always keeping your passport time wise valid.

You spend big chunks of time fantasizing about selling your house once your youngest child is on his own so that you could retire with your wife and basically travel as much as you want.

And when I read something on this forum and add it to my downloads, bookmarks, or my file system - in case I may need it for a future trip "there".....

When you don't tell your co-workers about your next trip for fear of them saying, "Didn't you just go to Europe?"

Thought of another -

-When you meet your travel friend for lunch to work on your next trip together and have to make the hostess sit you in a 4-person booth so you have room to spread out all your books/calendars/copies of ParisWalks schedule/iPads etc.

-When everyone on this thread AND their behaviors appear to be chillingly normal.

Zoe, love this thread! Really fun and it is making me laugh!

Christine, it's kind of like closet-eating....

Ha! and Pam, the 4-person booth is barely enough room to spread out.

When you're disappointed because you can't make the next Travel Group Meeting but then realize, "oh wait, that's okay, at least I'll be on my way to Europe!"

I am dying laughing, too! And I was feeling so alone...

...you show your husband your tentative plan...for next May travel...today...and he looks at you, shakes his head and says - you are really weird...WHAT DOES HE KNOW??!!

Nicole! WE love you! WE understand!

You put money aside every month in a savings account for travel.

Mona, how do you get by with only one travel drawer? I'm getting a good laugh at how most of these totally describe me. My husband is already gleefully looking at spring and fall airfares for when I quit my teaching job. But I feel guilty about all the time the poor cats are spending at the Pet Lodge. Hopefully our college daughter will get a job near our home so she can catsit some.

When you're booking an April 2018 trip and your October 2017 trip hasn't even taken place yet!

The only books you actually purchase (rather than checking out from the library) are travel guidebooks and armchair travel books.

... you open a new account to get zero exchange fees on a debit card. And you learned about it (CapitalOne360) on this site.

... you answer questions on this board because you think it's fun to look up travel details.

Just today I declared it's not extravagant to travel to Europe. My daughter disagreed. Hmmm... is it? Hard to defend as a necessity.

Fun topic.

...you watch RIck Steves shows from 15 years ago and still see them as relevant

...you have an army of friends lined up to cat sit

...your children are noticing you spend more on this "habit" than on their college tuition cost

...you buy cosmetics based on the travel size toiletries/samples they give away

Love the "go bag" idea Zoe!!

...when you count how many Euros it "would be" when buying groceries or out to dinner.

More traits/symptoms of this addition....when you always keep your spinner more than 50% packed,

when you intentionally bring back more than a sufficient amount of Euro (300-500 ) or GBP to start the next trip,

when you have to watch yourself in conversation among people who couldn't care less about your travels as not to blurt out your latest trip details or that your plans for the next Europe trip are under way.

OMG, I have so found my tribe. I love you all!!! This thread is hilarious!

I have moved from being a vegetable gardener to having plants outside which require little maintenance for those stretches when I'm traveling. For my inside plants, I've gone to succulents. So far they have forgiven me for only watering them between trips.

your friends at home are looking at you with a cocked head saying "your going where?" didn't you just get back from xyz......

...You are reading the forum while on a trip.

...you browse the travel size section at the store to see if there is anything new, because you've tried them all at home just to see which ones you like.

Laurel, love this one

you buy cosmetics based on the travel size toiletries/samples they give away

And Lynn, you may have us all beat with that one!!

I also suffer from many of the same "addictions" that have been posted so far. I don't think there's any treatment for this addiction (not that anyone probably wants a treatment).

When a long-distance friend emails you that he'll call you "real soon" as long as you're not going abroad.

(got the email this morning and I'm leaving in a week :-)

• when you have 14 possible itineraries because you make them up for fun
• when 3/4 of your pinterest boards are related to travel
• when people call you to get travel ides because they assume you have been somewhere or at least have researched it as a possible destination
• when the first thing people ask you when they say you is what your next trip is
• When your packing cubes are always handy

I think I can easily say that I fit into at least 80% of the replies,especially the trip planning

Aww...thanks Pam - but I really get eyerolls from hubby when I tell people (usually our couchsurfers) we are (most likely) doing Venice Carnival in 2019...and even now I'm wondering how far ahead I really should book our fav B&B. But hubby is one of those darn glass half empty people who doesn't like to think beyond next week...planning our trips is what gets me thru some weeks!

For Ken in Vernon BC. To the best of my knowledge, there isn't a twelve step program nor rehab center anywhere. Shall we have a moment of silent thanks for that?

Ken the only treatment is another trip or at least a plan in progress.

Lynn "...You are reading the forum while on a trip" - this is priceless!!

Sharon "when you have 14 possible itineraries because you make them up for fun" - I cannot show my DH how far out I am dreaming/planning.

When you spend a significant amount trying to see how you can retire three years early so that you can travel. Or you decide to semi-retire and spend way to much time time doing complicated math computations to determine what are the minimum amount of hours you have to work to fund both your life here and the nasty little travel habit you have developed.

Ha, Lynn! That's exactly what I'm doing right now... I'm in Lake Bled, Slovenia at the moment and reading these terrific and hilarious responses-and thinking about my trip to Scotland/London not even starting until late September, 2018!

You practice speaking Hungarian to your cats.

It seems perfectly normal to think "I could just pop over to Budapest for the flea market on Saturday and be back on Monday" - haven't done it yet but I sense it's coming.

You feel restless and off-kilter the other 50 weeks a year when you're forced to live at home.

The "travel drawer" is an absolute indicator for a diagnosis of travel addiction.

Lynn---how is Lake Bled? We will be there next week!

Mona -- I have a small pelican case with all my travel documents, passes, euros & such in my closet. Easy to grab incase of a fire or earthquake. Priorities you know.

Lola -- thats Andi that is in Lake Bled.

Lake Bled is fabulous. And Bohinj too.

... you stay up late reading about a flash airline sale, and your husband gets an email confirmation of plane tickets to Paris. Or Rome.

...You read a post such as brushtim's, have no idea what Pelican case is but wonder if you need that for your documents too!

-->off to research Pelican cases....

You check the Rick Steves' webpage many times a day! Your whole house is travel. Furniture, walls, kitchen, shelves, floors etc. Most of my scarves and jewelry are from trips. I write down "travel quotes". Travel is always a conversation with many people. My life would be dull with travel,(and grandchildren of course). Love this thread. Thanks

A few years back I started making 'notes' on my ipad for when hubby retires and we can take 4-6 week trips - where to stay, how long in each place...that was fun (hopefully only 3 yrs to go!).

At least in between trips, I work on a photobook for 4-6 weeks - currently working on the one from our April trip - I have until the first of Oct to finish and order it - so that is a nice way to relive the trip...and doing up the travel blog over the month or two after we return - the bad thing is I never seem to finish - I peter out with about 5 days left to do...at least this years trip I made myself do the whole thing - now I have to fill in the last 6 days of last years trip! Memories are def stale, but photos, daily notes and my expense app help (especially remembering restaurants/admissions to museums and attractions). And it is great to host couchsurfers so I get a chance to talk to people from other countries - which gives me even more places for my bucket list!!

Brushtim, I too had to research pelican cases. Is this something left over from a previous piece of equipment that needed protection or is this something you purchased specifically for your travel gear? My drawer seems to be so vulnerable after seeing pelican cases...

Pam - you crack me up. My husband always rolls his eyes and says here we go again!! Whenever I run into local people and find out they heard of Rick Steves Europe and travel.... I tell them about our travel group!. I was wearing my Rick Steves T-shirt at our local arts fair downtown Tulsa last may and a guy saw my shirt and said "he loves rick steves". I of course took advantage to talk about the travel group, etc. I even ran into a couple on my France trip in June and she had a backpack with his patches on it. Again, I stopped to visit with the couple.

You walk into a bathroom and wonder "where's the bidet?"

Your friends contact you and instead of asking "how are you" they ask "where are you?"

You go to the supermarket and wonder why they are giving you so many grocery bags when all you need is one.

Before you buy anything you wonder about it's weight and how it will fit in your carry on bag.

You use graph paper to map out how you are going to pack your bag.

You feel the worst part of any trip is the flight home.

Yes! I have all of these.

When the people you know ask where you are going on vacation this time and your answer is "Europe," "they" say, "Again?"

• You have 4 or 5 boxes of Ziploc bags in various sizes, but none of them are in your kitchen. So you buy more.

• You used to have a travel bin at the back of the closet, but it was inconvenient. So you have a travel drawer, but lately it has expanded to include the top of the dresser. You're eyeing the closet in another bedroom, but there's still an adult daughter in that room. You drop hints. You really could use that closet.

You just ordered an osprey rolling backpack (hoping it's the perfect bag) even though you already have an osprey back pack and 2 different RS bags:)

Your office space at work has lots of photos of your latest travel adventures!

When you have an extensive selection of suitcases in your basement.

... you stay up late reading about a flash airline sale, and your husband gets an email confirmation of plane tickets to Paris. Or Rome.

I have most of my other half's travel confirmations going to my other email address for just that reason...

You had to double the size of your hard disk because your travel photos filled it up and slowed it down so much you couldn't plan your next trip.

These are so funny and TRUE!

...experiencing anxiety because my RS replacement bag hadn't arrived yet (extension zipper broke during trip).

When you read this thread and every post seems like normal behavior to you.

Lola-cool and rainy in Lake Bled yesterday and today when we left for Ljubljana.. Should clear up and get warmer next few days.. Nice in Ljubljana today! Lovely in Lake Bled no matter the weather!

So many of these are so true! What a fun thread!

...when you won't buy household items unless they come in a non-liquid form, so you can use it when you travel (most recent example, stain stick for laundry), a small amount now in an empty chapstick tube for future use).

...when you are always shopping for new travel shoes no matter if you need them (yay Amazon prime for free returns!)

...when the better part of an evening is spent organizing the bookmarks in your web browser because you have saved too many "some day" links.

...when you (possibly too) gleefully volunteer to help anyone you know plan any kind of trip, and then overwhelm them with questions (have you called your bank? do you really need to take a hairdryer? have you broken in your shoes?)

... you've applied for another credit card to churn for airline miles or free hotel stays. Carlson Club this time, for Scandinavia.

CL: you are my twin!!!!

How funny is it that we all found our way here! I just applied for another credit card to churn for free travel ... bought a backup pair of my favorite travel shoes just in case ... have become a lending library for travel guidebooks in my neighborhood. I also like to add upcoming destinations to my weather app, so I can see, for instance, that right now it's 85 degrees and 6:49 pm in Valletta, and 78 degrees in Palermo!

It's amazing how many of these I do......they just keep coming! And they are all so true!!!

Oh my God, the weather app!!!!

...when the better part of an evening is spent organizing the bookmarks in your web browser because you have saved too many "some day" links.

LOL! I just did this!!

OMG! I thought I was just twins with Pam--now I discover there are close to 80 more of me!

Hahaha, Darcy! That last waiter at Zany's is never gonna want us for customers again altho we gave him a nice tip for a 3 hour lunch.

"...when you won't buy household items unless they come in a non-liquid form, so you can use it when you travel (most recent example, stain stick for laundry), a small amount now in an empty chapstick tube for future use)."

CL!! I want to know more about this! Do you just pick out the end of the old Chapstick and jam a piece of the stain stick in there? I assume you re-label it. I AM the chapstick queen! You might need to make a youtube video on how to do this.

.......you go to the travel section of the library or bookstore just to find someone planning a trip so you can talk about travel.

.....when you stay at your Rick Steve's travel club meeting at Panera Bread for 8 hours!!

...you stay home on Saturday cruising through the Rick Steves site instead of going out.

...when your family wants to know if you can work in babysitting between your trips. (that's a maybe and I will get back to you).

...when you rotate continents that you are visiting yearly. This year South America-Ecuador and the Galapagos, next year Asia-Ankor Wat, Viet Name and Japan. You think this is normal behavior but family and friends think you may need to be committed.

One question: If this is an addiction are we all enablers?

Carol, addiction and enabling are not mutually exclusive. I confess to both!

Your pinterest boards and Instagram account are being requested to be followed by professional travel bloggers....and 1/2 of the intsagram accounts you follow are travel related and you have a separate pinterest board for each town you are visiting. (the other half is food/fashion/decorating/makeup and hair)

Grier's reply is the best description of us!

Another to add:

• After the aforementioned lunch meet-up to discuss travel plans with a friend you assign yourself homework to research a few more details. Yes, currently spending a very smoky Sunday afternoon doing homework for upcoming trip.

As I read through these very entertaining posts, I keep saying to myself, "Guilty, guilty, guilty..."

If only we all lived in the same town...

"If only we all lived in the same town" that has a Panera Bread shop.

Boise just got a Panera! And we do have a travel group here which will take back up in October (everyone is traveling in September). Stay tuned for time/place of meeting.

I have most of these too! A few more:

If you tell friends you have never been to a certain place, they are genuinely surprised.

When you keep looking at the Wikipedia airport pages, hoping to see new routes that could be incorporated into a future trip.

When you research things you know nothing about, just to answer a question on this Forum that made you curious.

What addicts don't usually see is that they attract or are more likely to have partners with addictions. My wife did not travel much if at all before we were married. There was a point in her life that she traveled for work weekly. When she was home she would say "where are we going next?" Not only does she travel with me, she does 2 girls weekends away a year. She has gotten so bad I only find out about her plans when in a conversation with a group of friends she casually mentions where she is going next. Unbeknownst to me of course!

John, from the number of postings on this thread, I think you are right about addicts attracting other addicts!

Your mail most days includes catalogs or brochures from at least three different travel providers. When you collect your recycling every two weeks, about 6-8 inches of that stack is made up of various travel catalogs..............even when you are keeping the "best of the best."

Also....

.... when you have 2-3 different file folders going at the same time with upcoming trips. Tip: Limit it to no more than 2 at a time....3 will drive you mad ;o

So are travel addicts who go on boat trips in China junk-ies?

When your replacement bag arrives and you have to post about it.

What a great thread! And for Judy upthread a bit...I think this may have come from the Afar magazine...it's now at the beginning of my travel journal: "Travel helps you remember who you forgot to be."

when you say after each trip that you are going to pay your credit card down to zero before the next trip and never do it.

When you book your flight for a Europe trip in the fall before you go on your Europe trip in the spring.

When your travel things (wets, dries, sundries) stay in their baggies and have a permanent place on your bathroom counter.

When your coffee table books are dogeared travel guides.

When your kids ask why you're watching that same travel show over again, again.

And we've hit 100!

When none of your non - travel friends want to come over because they know all you want to talk about is travel .
Monte :-0

When your nephew is trying to explain about this neat restaurant down the street that has a different special on the menu every day and you say, "Oh, you mean a plat du jour?" Yeah, I got an eye roll for that.

Loving this thread.
btw - I bought zipper freezer baggies today and they went straight to the bedroom.

When you have posted on this site 16,157 times.

When you absolutely LOVE dogs, have had them all your life, but after the last one passed you decide to not get another one because you plan on increasing your traveling time now that you're retired and you realize how much easier it is to do that without having to take into consideration "who can I get to watch the dog?"

...when you have a separate travel email address and have folders for each trip dating back almost seven years.

For part of my work I often ask groups "what brings you joy?" "what fills up your bucket?" and I usually get a lot of blank stares. When I say "If you want to find your joy identify something you do and you lose track of time"
For me that is planning travel. I can spend hours zoning out on my laptop, in my own world, researching place, people, schedules, hotels, experiences.
I have lived within 60 miles of my home my entire life and I've worked for the same organization for 24 years. I love my life and my work but travel takes me to the "different". It gives me a break from the "normal". I'm planning my next trip before I've landed but I'm also always happy to be home.

...when you save foreign currency from your last trip for next time...

I thought everyone did that.

• when you glance at your new Osprey Porter 46 more than your Wife
• when you think about downgrading the dogs food
• when you wonder how to turn your groceries into a tax deduction
• when you think about stretching the next oil change by just another few thousand km
• when you ignore the "unauthorized site" warning on your work computer and log into personal email to scan through the AirFrance/KLM/Lufthansa/AirCanada bulk emails looking for just that one cheap flight that matches your available time and interest.

....you look around the house to see what else you can sell in order to finance your next trip.
....you sell your 1979 class ring to use money for vaporetto & train tickets.
....you stop doing "weekend" trips to save up for a Europe trip.
....you worry that your 38 yr old fridge (which makes weird sounds & leaky noises) will last another year or two.
....you get up an hour early every day, just to look at past photos and future trip plans - that's 5:00 a.m. folks!
....you use your kids college fund to finance your trips (actually he quit, so I don't feel guilty)

Trustinsoul - all valid points! But regarding your 38 year-old refrigerator, even with its funny sounds, I'll bet it has some advantages over some newer European models . . . like room for a whole gallon of milk, and probably even a freezer compartment with room for more than just an ice cube tray!

By the way, is that fridge, by any chance, either Harvest Gold or Avocado in color?

When you have 21 "travel-related" apps on your phone, and you're going to use them all on your next trip because you're cool like that (Amtrak, BART, Mobile Passport, United, Lufthansa, Vienna Weekly Card, Rick Steves, Weather tuned to your cities, etc)

When you buy alot of Euros on the "high" (in 2016!) and are so thankful you have some left over to use in 2017

(Goal: haven't reached it yet: ---> when you DON"T TAKE ANY PAPER, but all tix, etc, are on your phone)

When your Amazon order consists of over the door hooks, microfiber towel, strap to hook jacket on purse, folding hangers, a hand-held fan and a compressible bag for your shoes(most of which were recommended on this forum)-and it's almost a year before your next trip to Europe. And I still don't understand how people can get by with only one travel drawer!

Frank - I hear some people refuse to come home with foreign currency. I do not understand this concept, but I have read it in other places.

Shelley - After reading your post, I had to go back and count how many travel related apps I have on my phone. Only 17. Clearly I'm doing something wrong. ;-)

Due to my current full time travel, everything I own is in a small storage unit. I have a fairly detailed inventory of where things are so I can find them easily.

I return to the US. in a few days and one of my goals is to declutter the storage unit. I looked at my inventory and nearly half of everything I have is travel related. That includes about 15 carry on bags most of which will be sold. I stopped counting how many EDC, 2-in-1 and packable bags I have. And two large containers on wheels full or travel accessories. I'm talking large. And over 10 different brands of packing cubes, folders, sacs, etc. Some that have never been used.

Decluttering usually comes easy to me--except for travel related items.

If anyone needs anything, let me know. I probably have it. :)

@Frank II --Maybe you could post a list -- an on-line garage sale ? Although it would just move stuff from one addict to another.

Nowadays I always bring Euro back from a trip, the largest amount was in June 2016. Yes, there were currencies I refused to leave the country with, let alone bring any of it back. That was East German currency from the mandatory exchange on a day visa trip over in 1987 and 1989.

Cyn - I love my 38 yr old fridge - it is a washed out Harvest Gold - Very spacious - I adore all things old and well made and become quite upset when I have to purchase newer models (less well made) than my old things. Happy Travels!

All right, then! First annual nationwide RS meet up is at Frank II's garage (storage unit) sale.

Karen, I'll be there...although I'll be bringing some of my extras! Hahaha!

When you have posted on this site 16,157 times.

Frank wins. Is there anyone else here with as many posts?

Karen, excellent idea!

Darcy, we'll do a Road Trip to wherever in Freedonia Frankll has his bat cave/storage unit.

Ken from Vernon Canada has more. 27,000 + I think.

I just checked- he does. And I bet if we went back to check, every single one of them is both informative and nice! How does he do that? Let's all chip in for a trophy.

I'll chip in. Ken is the best!

...you drive a 20-year-old car so your "car payment" can go towards your travel budget.

Great post! I agree with the entire list so far!

I haven't started planning our 2018 trip, yet. A friend of mine told me that she and hubby are going to Italy for the first time in April 2018. We were playing golf at the time and my game went to hell in a hand basket!
I started asking questions and giving advice. Next day we got together for lunch and I already had a list for her and some of my guidebooks to loan. The planning is part of the fun!

Just got asked to help provide information on activities, outside of the hotel room, on Oahu for my co-workers honeymoon.

When you have developed an unhealthy addiction for luggage websites, always looking for the perfect bag.

When you start to think it's not really traveling if you don't leave the country.

You have hotels reserved 6 months ahead of time and wonder why you can't buy a train ticket yet.

When your friend announces she is going to Italy and you already have a list of hotels and sites for her.

When you start to think it's not really traveling if you don't leave the country.

LOL Nancy! I agree!

having to take into consideration "who can I get to watch the dog?"

I guess that now you are no longer asking the question, you have become the answer.

When you have developed an unhealthy addiction for luggage websites, always looking for the perfect bag.
When you start to think it's not really traveling if you don't leave the country.

Yes to both of these.

When you have developed an unhealthy addiction for luggage websites, always looking for the perfect bag.
When you start to think it's not really traveling if you don't leave the country.

Yes, to both of these.

when you watch movies and Tv and you are only half apying attention to the plot and 1/2 deciding if thats a place you should go .
when your family wont watch TV or news with you because you keep exclaiming I was there!!!

Ha ha Diane, we are those people in the movie theater when the movie credits are rolling and the cleaners are trying to pick up the left behind popcorn bags who need to see the veeeery last of the credits roll to see the locations used for filming to 1. confirm that we've been there or 2. identify another place in Europe we'd like to visit. We are the last people to leave the theater if it's a movie that's been filmed anywhere in Europe.

Recently we did exchanges in Twickenham and Ealing, UK. After arriving in our cities we realized that we already knew something about them (they sounded familiar) because we'd been seeing them mentioned for their studios in films for years.

Great thread! I feel better knowing there are so many of us with this affliction. Mine are:

...when your "travel drawer" is the largest one in your dresser, and it's filled to the brim.
...when you're already researching apartments in Italy for your retirement trip 4 years from now.
...when you make elaborate spreadsheets to compare tours, destinations, prices, etc.
...when you don't even bother exchanging currency for the return home because you know you're going back.
...when you have a "travel alter" to display photos, souvenirs, etc. and dust it more often than the rest of your furniture.
...you preach the gospel of packing cubes to anyone who will listen.

I just checked- he does. And I bet if we went back to check, every single one of them is both informative and nice! How does he do that? Let's all chip in for a trophy.

Because he's Canadian ;)

You know you can't go to Europe either due to financial reasons or health issues, but you still order the RS tour book each year and read it cover to cover several times. I have been off the forum for about a year but that doesn't help either. Still dream of taking another trip.

... you cannot pass by travel accessories on sale because "you can always use another." Recently have purchased five black fabric travel purses (2 Baggalini, 2 Travelon, 1 Eddie Bauer -- each less than $20 at my local thrift store)

You are constantly in search of the perfect water-resistant, water-proof coat for different seasons. Also, you won't wear certain clothes, and especially shoes, when not traveling for fear you won't ever find anything as comfortable or durable.
So true Laura B, I have many, many crossbody and fannypack bags. Always trying to lighten my load whether on my shoulder or around my waist. Wristlets bother my wrist too much.

I came home from England 5 days ago and am planning my next trip in 5 months. Who knows where!

You have five years worth of trips planned and shuffle them to decide where to go on your next trip. When you sit on this Forum in work to take your mind abroad.

... you know the flight attendants on your flight to Heathrow by name and they no longer have to ask what you are drinking, they just bring it.
... you know 6 different routes to take on the London Tube to get wherever you need to be and have an Oyster card, but have no idea how to use public transit in your home town.
... you know the best vegan restaurant in Český Krumlov (and have eaten there more than once) and you aren't even vegan.
...the highlight of your year is receiving the new Rick Steves catalog in the mail and you can' t wait to compare it to the previous one to see how the tours have changed, or even better if there are new tours!

...you’re willing to take another 10 hour flight with a toddler to go back to Europe.

(Did it once, was not as bad as I anticipated, and he’s still talking about memories from Ireland four months later.)

Mark, wow.

you know the flight attendants on your flight to Heathrow by name and they no longer have to ask what you are drinking, they just bring it.

!! That's something!!

I would say Meg, willing to travel again with a toddler, is also remarkable!!!!

I was in the company of a child, almost five, (I know, not exactly a toddler), ie, my grandson, when he took his first 11 hr non-stop flight from SFO to Paris CDG on Air France in 2005. He slept through a good portion of the flight, a real good little trooper going to France the first time.

Facebook just welcomed me to the city where I live and suggested I check in so friends know where I am.

How you relax is by scouring google maps for places you want to see and put trips together...MyMaps is my happy place

You see a posting about cheap airfares -- and by midnight you have flights booked. (Haven't even finished booking trains for the next trip in December.)

When you wake up in the middle of the night and wonder for a brief second if you are home or in a hotel room. That always freaks me out. 🙈

When you wake up in the middle of the night and test pack your suitcase/backpack to see if you can get it under TAP Portugal's weight limitations. Seriously.

When you spend at least 40 minutes reading through this thread wondering if you will find anything that doesn’t ring true ... no, nada, niet, nope ...
And happily recognize both personal friends and wonderfully familiar posters who would likely be friends if the distances were less.
(Guilty as charged!)
(And yes, Ken is the best!!!)
😉

When you wake up in the middle of the night and wonder for a brief second if you are home or in a hotel room. That always freaks me out. 🙈

LOL Pilgrim! We just got home from a long trip and last night for that inevitable need-in-the-night I had to think twice about where the bathroom is!

I agree with the last posts - I don't usually have a problem remembering where I am when I travel, but when I am back in the US, sometimes I wake up thinking I can go to the bar for an early espresso. Wishful thinking, I guess.

LOL Pilgrim! We just got home from a long trip and last night for that inevitable need-in-the-night I had to think twice about where the bathroom is!

I once stayed in a hotel where if you got up in the middle of the night, you flicked a switch next to the bed and a small light behind the toilet lit up. No as bright as the overhead to wake you up but just enough to see what you are doing.

Back in my tour days, I would sometimes have to look at the phone book to remind myself what city I was in.

When you can't resist this thread and read it rather than listening to the conference call you are currently "on" for work - when I realized that most of what other people posted I think is quite normal - I laughed out loud and had to hit the mute button on my phone.

When your husband tells your friends he knows when I've completed my work for the day - he starts getting emails and text about flights or hotels.

When you realize you are never "signed off" from the RS or TA forums

You are all wonderful... I feel so normal now! Donna

Donna, you made me laugh out loud!

I sometimes fine-tune my itinerary spreadsheet during really big, boring meetings.

...practically everything on your Christmas wish list is travel-related, most often with the comment that "it doesn't matter what it looks like, but it must be extremely lightweight".

...any acquaintance who mentions an upcoming foreign trip is likely to get an email with a great deal of un-asked-for advice.

...you spend so much time on the forum that planning your own trips takes a backseat.

When you get excited to see Rick Steve's Christmas Sale in November to use your tour credit to buy more travel stuff!!

Just used mine now! Woot Woot

Kim, what did you get?

$200 worth of little goodies, since we booked two back to back tours for 2018.

Main thing was the convertible back pack... the go go goody bags look intriguing, of course tour books but wish they were the new ones for 2018. Our tour is april 2018 and that was pushing it (got Ireland and Scotland books),

Not sure what is left for us for the following year (2019), we will probably do back to back ones again,

Maybe backup backpacks!! LOL

Kim

Your kids have been known to refer to a nearby Rick Steves travel group meeting as your "support group." "Hello, my name is Kaye, and I'm addicted to traveling"...literally!

..............when your morning ritual, every day, begins with a search for travel bargains, a great hotel, and/or a great car rental. Bill

When you ensure that your fitness club membership can be put on hold for months at a time because you plan be "on holiday" for as many as 6 months this year.

When you get more culture shock returning home than going abroad.
When your pet sitter is getting rich.
When people don't ask what countries you have visited but rather what countries you haven't visited.
When your relatives stop saying, " Let him get it out of his system. He'll settle down someday".
When you buy a very expensive pair of noise cancelling headphones for your flights and are glad you did.

I ALLWAYS go to an ATM to stock up on euros before leaving Europe. Yet another reason to go back-I have spending money for the first 4 days, at least!!!

I missed this thread because I was busy packing for and going on a Rick Steves tour to Ireland! Or, I would have thrown in my 2 cents.
Just today I learned a friend is taking a Viking Ocean cruise Jan. 9 -25 for her 70th birthday. And, I was thrilled and needed to know more details!
Other friends have given me a copy of their itineraries so I can follow along with them, so fun for me.
My travel group has gone for 3 hours- wow for 8 hours, I think even I couldn't go that long.
I check the RS website most everyday. Also check airline websites for fares to places I want to visit.
I'm glad there is no 12 step group, I don't want to be free of my passion for travel. Yes, friends ask me where I'm going next.

When your husband says he can't keep track of all the flights coming up and where and when he's going, so just tell him a few days before, so he can pack. Three in the next 3 months, 2 overseas.

When the passports, money, and IDP are inside the moneybelt in the travel drawer.

Thanks soul sisters and brothers.

I confess to just spending 30 minutes reading this thread as I had not read it before. I fit at least 75% of these to a T. It's kind of scary to realize how addictive travel is, in all it's forms - dreaming about, planning, actually traveling, reliving travel, etc etc etc.. And I agree with whoever said they don't want a 12-step, who wants to be cured of this addiction. And I can always blame my addiction on all the enablers on this forum.

If this thread reaches 200 it HAS to be a record, or it may already be one. Gold star for Zoe!

It really is too bad we don't all live in the same area. Just imagine the travel item swap meet we could have.

Almost all of the above, plus: you are retired but had cards printed with your photography/travel website on it so people (strangers you meet in airports, fellow tour members, etc.) will visit your site to see your travel photos and possibly discuss travel with you.

when you buy new clothes by weight and washability
when your Swiss friends start saying that you know Europe better than they do

The lady at the bank helping you decide how to save money for retirement asks if you plan to travel and your husband says, "Not necessarily," at the exact time you say, "YES!" And then you smack your husband in front of her!

when all of your underwear are quick dry ExOfficio

Consider the recent post asking this question: When will the 2019 tours be announced? The poster may be addicted and is already planning for 2019!
Actually I have a list of the places I plan to visit going out to 2023! So I relate to his/her question.

When your aunt and uncle who have lived in England their entire lives realize that you have seen more of the country than they have. When your adult daughter calls you "momma Steves" when she wants you to plan travel for her.
When all of your friends ask you to borrow travel books before they buy their own because they know you probably have what they want.

When a 'know-it-all' someone offers unsolicited suggestions and recommendations to Rick Steves' office concerning travel tour improvements or modifications, like, say, for example, EASTERN EUROPE.
Of course, I would never do that.
Thanks for the phone block. Very funny.

You invite people on your trip not because you necessarily want to go with them, but because you want to be able to talk about it with them without them getting bored.

Your closet is divided into "Travel clothes" and "work clothes" and the travel clothes section is larger (and nicer).

When your ENTIRE living room wall is covered with framed poster-size maps

When there are three closets in the house devoted to travel clothes, luggage, accessories, and gizmos. We travel lightly, but store heavily.

When someone says they "saw" Rome in 3 days and can't understand why you are staying for 10, you don't mention this is your fourth trip to Rome.

You know your passport number by heart, but you can't remember your home phone number!

When you respond with a very long email to a holiday company planning representative who asks for your ideas about a new style of tour they are designing.

Do not know how I missed this! Laughed my way through all of them. "What do you mean you can pack in a carry-on for 2 weeks in Europe and in 30 minutes?" Planning my trip back to Paris, for the 6th time, on my way back from Sicily. Never putting my suitcase away. My name is Mary Lou and I am addicted to travel but I can't stay for the meeting because I have to go home to pack. How many Eagle Creek products can one own? Love the planning of every trip but my real dream would be to go to the airport with an unlimited credit card and pick the next flight to the most interesting place and just buy what I need when I get there, making hotel reservations waiting to get on the plane!

When you can't put the bottle, er, the laptop, down when you finally get a trip confirmed and you can make real reservations, not just daydreams. Staying up past midnight 4 days in a row to make sure you have the very best flight routing, the very best hotel in the entire city, the cheapest train fare...

.......upon reaching your goal of early retirement, you sell your house and its contents, and go on the road full time in your new RV. And having reached the goal of visiting all fifty states, as well as seven provinces, you get bored and put your home into storage and go to Europe.

........you can count Schengen days in your head without benefit of a calendar in front of you. And you're doing it for several upcoming years at once, just to see how things might fit together.

• you hang poster board on your living room wall with pictures of all the places you want to visit.
• you get a second job just to pay for more trips.
• you analyze many of your purchases on whether they are "travel worthy".
• your library queue mostly contains travel related books & videos.
• you subscribe to every travel blog/vlog possible for your situation.
• you're sitting in your hotel room thinking of ways to tell your boss why you can't get home yet.

If traveling is wrong I don't want to be right. Eat, breathe, dream, travel. ☺

You take the travel guldebook for your next trip to read on the plane to your current trip.

You have 2 4-drawer file cabinets filled with travel articles and notes and 2 large plastic bins filled with travel maps.

As your husband walked in the door, you have asked "Honey, do you want to go to Spain?", he answered "Sure" and you responded "Good, because I just bought tickets!"

@Barbara -- you ask ?? I just cc my husband on the flight reservations confirm. Surprise!!

As your husband walked in the door, you have asked "Honey, do you want
to go to Spain?", he answered "Sure" and you responded "Good, because
I just bought tickets!"
Winner response! lol

Relating to the last few posts; when your significant other 'surprises' you with "I hope you want to go to xxx because I just bought the tickets" and your response is: "great, when do we leave; where was that again?"

When your guidebook order not only includes countries that you plan to go to in the immediate future but are on your bucket list.
Not an original but a favourite, "All roads lead to roam."
When you consider this a fair trade: Shakespeare, " A traveller. By my faith you have great reason to be sad. I fear you have sold your own lands to see other men's. Then to have seen much and to have nothing is to have rich eyes and poor hands." [As you like it, Act 4, Scene 1]

You put money aside every month in a savings account for travel

You weigh all purchases against....what would this get me for a trip to Europe?

...you dream that you have been packing for hours and leave your carryon in the rental car you turned in and it immediately is driven off the lot. Yes, the night before Christmas nightmare.

You can’t wait for Black Friday and Cyber Monday to see the airline deals.