The Travelling Homebody

I love to travel. People who sell of their worldly belongings and backpack around the globe inspire me. I am in awe of new places and experiences. And a one-way plane ticket absolutely thrills me. Yet, I am also a homebody.

Oh how I love snuggling up in my own bed with a good book and my fiancé to my left, my cat Mister to my right, and my littlest kitty Madeleine by my feet. On summer days I am drawn to the lake where I grew up and to family picnics on the patio where my cousins listen to classic American country music. On cold winter days I toast my back in front of the wood stove that heats my mother’s house. I enjoy the comfort of a soft blanket and the warmth of sharing it with the man that I love. I adore my niece’s tiny hands, the first scoop from a new jar of creamed honey, and driving by the old colonial New England houses on my way home. I love “home.” I also love how my extremely large family makes this little town and  state my home.

Yet when I am happily tucked away by my home library I am often daydreaming of far off places, some I have seen, some I am planning to visit, and others I may never experience with my own eyes. I have had an adventurous life; kayaking at night through the world’s brightest bioluminescent bay in Vieques, rock climbing in Acadia National Park, and swimming under a waterfall in Puerto Rico. I have studied abroad for a semester in Canterbury England, gazed at rainbows in Scotland, walked through Mayan ruins in Mexico, stood in front of the wonder of Stonehenge, toured a castle in Wales, and stood atop the Eiffel Tower. I have seen and been to so many beautiful places close to home and far away. Yet to me, my morning tea, watching my younger sister open her presents Christmas morning, and sitting out on the dock on Lake Zoar is just as special. Oftentimes, even more so.

I am thankful that I know myself so well. For example, I know that I would have a marvelous time backpacking across Europe, at least for a few weeks, but I would also look forward to having my little space in the world to return to. I feel that these two sides of myself are not in conflict. Sometimes I love to travel, and other days I just want to be home. Both lifestyles are equally wonderful.

When I travel outside my home, I’ll often claim a spot of land with a blanket or towel for an hour or two and soak up my surroundings, the local sounds, and the joys of a good book. No matter where I am in the world, that spot is temporarily my home.We need to stop judging the millennial travelers who never stay in one place and the people who never move out of their home towns. I’m not talking about people who are afraid to commit to something, or too afraid to get out of their comfort zone, but rather the people who know themselves so well and are so true to themselves that they live exactly how they want to rather than conform to how everyone else thinks they should live. Instead, we should aspire to know ourselves and to be as true to ourselves as they are.

I am thankful that I have chosen a lifestyle that fits with who I am. That lifestyle is still in progress, as I quit a full-time job last Spring to pursue my passions. I hope that as long as I live I will continue to progress, to learn, and to grow. I am keeping my life slightly minimal so that I can travel long and far, but also have a small home to come back to and really live in. I like to go out and explore, but also have roots to return to.

I dream that one day I will build a small cottage on the lake I grew up on, but that I will also leave it frequently for local and distant travel. My list of places to see is quite long and I have no doubts that I will see them one day.  I am not a full-time traveler, nor am I a one-week-a-year vacationer. I am some place in between, an explorer that is equally grateful for the land right outside my own front door.

Know yourself and your desires. Travelling the world, but deeply miserable and missing home? Make a home to return to. At home, but always wishing you were somewhere else? Plan for it. Make it happen. Absolutely happy where you are? Keep doing what you’re doing. Our happiness is completely dependent on the choices that we make. 

Matthew and I are planning a three week honeymoon this year to France, Italy, and Greece. Not long after Matthew will be graduating with his electrical engineering degree and he plans on applying for a job in France. After a half-year or full year away we will be coming home again to build a small home, set up roots, and plan our next adventures. I know that I will appreciate each moment, no matter where I am, because I am content with being a homebody-in-the-world.