16 Nov 2020 | 4 mins

We’ve all felt that gut-wrenching, all-encompassing feeling of homesickness, longing for our familiar environment. Let’s be honest, it’s a real neg out.

I felt homesick when I was at Year 5 camp, missing my dogs, mum’s cooking and my bed so much that I wanted to cry. I felt homesick when I moved out of home for the first time, feeling out of my depth and comfort zone. And now I feel homesick whilst at home… I feel homesick from not travelling…

Come again?

 

Look, you’ve heard it all before. Someone sees the world for the first time and their perspective, attitudes and dreams shift. They spam their Instagram with travel pics and always start a story with “Oh yeah, when I was in Morocco…”, but that kind of became me…

I could never have imagined how much my first Contiki trip would open my eyes to the world around me and show me what I truly value and desire… God, I sound wanky right, but it’s true! My first Contiki trip made me feel at home. The unfamiliarity of it all, the new streets, sights and strangers made me feel so uplifted, inspired and free! It’s safe to say that I became quite a seasoned Contiki jetsetter all around the world, from Vietnam to Croatia.

And then 2020 happened, causing my travel slump.

All year I’ve been anxious, wondering when I’ll be on a plane again, watching movies, attempting to sleep and eating the airline food. I don’t feel comfortable sitting around all day, doing the same ol’ same ol’. I’m supposed to be out there!

I’m homesick because I miss the anticipation of it all. Having a trip out on the horizon to look forward to becomes like an addiction, almost as much as the travel itself. I miss watching YouTube vlogs in my destination, reading up on what to check out and planning the best itinerary that I almost never stick to anyway.

I miss the thrill of meeting new people. When travelling, everyone is so much more open to making new friends and the whole ‘getting to know you’ process is sped up. I still talk to mates I’ve made on Contiki trips.

I miss walking around places where so many have walked before me. Where Mozart played violin in Austria or where ancient Spartans learnt to fight in Greece. I miss the world being a classroom and experiencing history in front of my eyes. It’s magical man, that’s all I can say.

We’ve all been grieving the freedom to travel and explore both familiar and unfamiliar destinations this year. I, like many others, have felt homesick at home, lusting for a new adventure.

But hope is not lost. We can still find our way back home in 2021.

Contiki want you to make up for the lost time in 2021. They’ve got a red hot deal running from November 24th to December 3rd that will give you 30% off almost all trips from April 1st 2021 to October 31st 2022…Sorry what!?!? You can check our all their experiences here.

Oohps, I may have just booked the ‘European Dream’ trip…  All I can say is, I’ll be home soon and man am I stoked.