10 thoughts I’ve had as a traveling homebody

Sometimes you just want to sit at home and not put on any pants

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So, confession guys. Sometimes I feel like I have a split personality.

Like, I love to travel more than anything in the world. But I also love being in the comfort of my own home more than anything in the world. How does that work?

Often when I am home (like right now) I spend hours daydreaming of places I want to be. My house is covered in maps. But when I’m traveling, all I dream about is when I get to sleep in my own bed. Obviously the travel side always wins out, but I find as the years go by, my priorities shift and I grow and change; I’ve learned to really value my home time.

traveling homebody

The view from my house in Wanaka – don’t you hate me?

I’m not sure how much time I spend away from home per year but I reckon its around three to six months. It’s exhausting when you identify yourself as an introvert and the ultimate creature of comfort.

I don’t really want this post to read like a whinge or bitch session about how hard my life is sometimes, screw that. Oh woe is me, my life as a travel blogger is so hard, pity pity. We ALL hate those blog posts.

I wake up grateful every single day that I am able to continue following my dreams and building a business where I’m the boss and I can keep traveling.

But but but but but but, just because I travel a lot, doesn’t mean I don’t miss the comforts of home. Perhaps you can relate.

Here are ten thoughts I’ve had (and maybe you too) as the ultimate traveling homebody.

traveling homebody

1. I miss my bed

If there is one thought I’ve had over and over and over again times a million is I miss my bed.

I don’t have a particularly awesome bed or anything (note to self, look into updating bed), but it’s mine, it smells like me (not sure if that’s good or bad) and more importantly, it’s familiar.

As a traveling homebody, I crave familiarity, and while I can fake that to some extent on the road, I can’t fake my bed. I literally live in hotel rooms, probably for half the year, and I have such a love-hate relationship with it, mostly because I am an insomniac. I have a lot of trouble sleeping under normal circumstances when I’m at home, so on the road, it’s pretty much impossible.

My bed, I just want my bed.

traveling homebody

This not my bed, but it’s a good substitute. 

2. Nesting is everything

Once I hit my late twenties, I became all about the nesting.

Suddenly I paid attention to cutlery and linens in a way that never interested me in the past. It became very important to me to have my own house; no more sharing. At the end of last year I moved to the most amazing house in Wanaka where I have my own apartment, and I love it more than anything.

And I started to fill it with shit. I finally framed all the travel prints I collected of the years, you know, like an adult. I invested in nicer things and furniture, instead of free sofas and cheap things from charity shops. And when I traveled, I intentionally bought things for my house.

Somewhere along the line, it my chaotic crazy life that takes me around the world, it became VERY important to me to have my own space at home that’s mine (mine mine mine) that wouldn’t change. It’s my one area of stability, really.

traveling homebody

3. No pants all day every day

As a general rule, I never wear real clothes when I’m in my house. Pajamas, yoga pants and elaborate onesies all the way, if I’m even wearing pants at all.

I like to be cozy in every aspect of the word.

traveling homebody

4. Can I just date normally please?

OMG I definitely can (and should) write a whole big whopper of a blog post about this, but shit it’s hard to date when you’re away all the time. AND you’re a woman.

Yes, I went there.

Not that I mind being single and traveling solo.

I’m going to make a big old blanket statement I’m sure many of you are itching to call me out on, but fuck it. I don’t care. I don’t think, as a general rule, men like to seriously date girls who travel all the time. Unless they are traveling together obviously.

And yes, I don’t think it works the other way around. So unfair.

traveling homebody

5. I just want to join a damn yoga class

When you travel for work, routine is fucking hard, if not impossible.

I have tried and tried and tried over the years to join fitness classes and I get so into them, and I love them, and then I have to put them on hold when I travel. Then I come back and have to start over from scratch.

UGH.

traveling homebody

6. I don’t want to do anything today

You know what? I love being a hermit when I finish traveling.

When I get back from a trip, I literally do not leave my house for 3-6 days, give or take, depending on how long I’ve been away for combined with return travel flight time and if I was in business class or not.

I hermit like nobody’s business and I FREAKING love it. No words, no people, no bullshit, no talking. Just leave me alone. Thanks.

Sometimes if I get too strung out on a trip, I’ll build in a hermit day or two when I’m traveling. I’ll even pay double for room service so I don’t have to put on pants.

traveling homebody

7. Can I have a puppy?

I am such an animal person and I grew up with dogs and cats for my whole life and I feel empty without them. Luckily the houses I’ve lived in in Wanaka have had default cats, either half-feral ones that lived in the garden I could coax into afternoon pats or ones that live with my flatmates or next door I could cuddle when needed.

I guess that’ll have to do until the day comes I stop traveling too much or find a stay at home husband. Any takers?

traveling homebody

8. Sure, I could move here

As a traveling homebody, it means that when I’m on the road, I’m always on the lookout for a place I could potentially live.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy living in New Zealand (applying for my residency now!) but I always find myself thinking, “oh man, I could totally live here,” when I’m traveling too. Usually I use that as a mark to indicate how much I like wherever I am.

And yes, that list of places I could live is enormous. I’m easy to please.

traveling homebody

9. I’ve become a slow traveler

I think another thought I’ve definitely had as a traveling homebody is that I’ve really slowed down on my trips.

A decade ago I would jam-pack my days with things to do, experiences, and activities. I would sacrifice sleep. I had to see it all. I had to eat it all. I wanted it all.

Now that I realized that not every trip is my last, I have really slowed down on the road and tried to savor the places I’ve visited. I’d rather spend longer in one place and get to know it better than to jump around and cram too much in. I often even go back again and again to places I love.

That whole familiarity thing I reckon.

traveling homebody

10. I stay in Airbnb’s a lot more

With a desperate bid to feel like I am at home, I often chose to stay in other people’s home. I stay a lot more in Airbnb’s or apartments when I’m traveling these days, especially when I’m in a place for a while.

Join Airbnb today here and get $50 off your first trip

So what do I do?

What’s the verdict? I guess I should just stop traveling and stay at home right?

NEVER! YOU CAN’T MAKE ME.

See what I mean? I’m impossible.

Do you identify as a traveling homebody? Have any tips or cures? What are some thoughts you’ve had on the road? Spill!

traveling homebody

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75 Comments on “10 thoughts I’ve had as a traveling homebody

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  1. Seriously! As much as I love to travel and explore new destinations, I can’t wait to get back to the comforts of home. There are few better feelings after a long time away than sleeping in your own bed, and being able to slip back into comfy clothes and lounge around the house. Travel definitely wins the battle because we are constantly daydreaming of where to go next, but it’s so nice having a place to come home to when you feel like being grounded for a bit.

  2. I can relate to a lot of this. I always want to travel, but when I am traveling I want to be home. I’m from Canada, but right now home is Dublin and I’m trying to take advantage of being in Europe (and cheapish flights) to travel somewhere once a month. I’m just doing short weekend or day trips and giving myself lots of time in between to recover at home. Whenever I’m traveling I also want my own bed. Someone should invent a shrink ray thing so us homebody travelers can just shrink our beds into our backpacks, and then enlarge the bed back to its normal size when we need it. Basically we need magic…can that be a thing now?

  3. This is so me! I love travel but I actually hate living out of a suitcase! I definitely miss having all the conveniences and comforts of home while I’m traveling. Also… multiple books on a ereader just isn’t the same as having my ENTIRE bookshelf available! #travelinglibrarianproblems
    And yes to missing your own bed. Seriously.

  4. This sounds so much like me (minus all the thousands of miles of travel you’ve racked up above and beyond my paltry passport stamps lol). I love love love to travel and look forward to it so much, but I also look forward to going back home and falling into my routine again once my trip is coming to a close. It’s kind of like that grass is greener on the other side thing?

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