Traveler's Remorse?

We have all experienced the feeling. You buy something, and you think it's the cat's nuts when you try it on, or test it out. But somehow, once you get home, the doubt begins to creep into your consciousness. You didn't plan to own something just like this; maybe in your mind you envisioned it being or feeling a little different. Although subtle, the difference is enough from what you imagined to make you regret the choice. It's enough to make you say: this is not for me.

But I don't think that exists with travel. Traveler's remorse can only come from two sources: the desire to have stayed at home, or the feeling that somehow the very adventure you just completed could have been done better. But as an experience, as an event, it cannot be "remorsed" in the sense that you would return it. It is not solely a physical item that you have to exchange. It was precious moments of your life, lived and experience and catalogued. To take that away by trading it in, if it were possible, would be a horrific fate. You'd wake up being the same person you were before you left, having lost that valuable experience, whether you percieved it to be good or bad. The perception of the experience in the short term is especially unimportant, because often the real lesson from an experience can only come much later, even years later.

I think back on all the times I've traveled. Mostly I did it when I couldn't really afford to. I had other stuff that needed to be bought or paid for, other places to allocate funds. But looking back on those moments now, all I remember is the trips I did. The wonderful moments of actual living stolen from the daily struggle and drudgery we all face. I can't for the life of me remember what it was I was going to spend my money on. In fact it almost feels as though all the money I've ever made was invested into those precious travel experiences. Who cares what else I wanted to buy? I've been to places I had always dreamed of going. Is there such a thing as traveler's remorse? Not in my world.

posted by goat hill dreamer @ 10:51 PM