Travel Mania

I am hesitant to share this reflection because I know this is a ridiculous situation that we are incredibly privileged to be in. I keenly know how lucky we are to have the time, resources, and health to be in this position. I know that life is incredibly unfair and most others do not have this fortune. I do not want to anger or hurt anyone. I am just sharing from the heart.

Our family travels a lot. A lot. I realized that in the past few years, every.single.time we have had a block of time where we were not teaching and the kids were out of school, we have gone on a trip. We have several more trips planned for this summer and another during Thanksgiving break.

I love to travel. Travel reinvigorates me. Travel broadens our family's horizons, brings us closer together as a family unit, provides a wonderful break from real life.

And yet.

And yet, our children would rather stay home most of the time. And yet, when you go on a multitude of trips, the marginal value and enjoyment of each trip diminishes. And yet, I travel enough for work that traveling for pleasure on top of it can make me feel frantic, out of control, overwhelmed.

We have previously made a conscious choice as a family to value travel. I have not regretted the extent of our travel - until now. Now, I feel tired. Now, I notice our home is slowly falling apart. Now, I wonder if there are ways to reap the benefits of our trips - relaxation, time together as a family - without leaving town. 

I also wonder if it is possible to be addicted to travel like an addict is addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling. I received an ad in my e-mail this morning from the YMCA of the Rockies, a family camp in Colorado full of so many good memories. My mind immediately raced to - when are we free next to take a trip? Winter break? Next spring break? Should we book something? It almost felt like the same frantic, desperate motions addicts would take to get their next hit.

This realization - that I love to travel so much that I am overdoing it - has me remembering that so much in life is about moderation. I love to eat chocolate - but I probably should not do that for every meal. I love to spend time with family and friends - but I need to work and do chores and perform boring maintenance tasks, too. I love to travel - but perhaps it is time to cut back.