Am I Jaded From Jetsetting?
I was in the middle of a vacation in Tuscany and lacking my usual “oooh! look, an old rock!” level of enthusiasm. I found myself wondering and worried as to whether all my travels were making me underwhelmed with the world.
Tuscany had been one of my top 3 travel destinations for most of my life. And I had finally made it!
But I was fine with skipping some of the sights in Florence and the landscape was dustier and less enchanting than I expected. I panicked. I don’t want to become blase, I like the ridiculous thrill I get from new experiences and topography. Had I traveled too much too often and ruined things?
And then I realized I wasn’t jaded. I was just exhausted. Even staying in beautiful locations and flying in first and business class.
I’d been balancing working remotely and sightseeing for several weeks. Jetlag had cut into my sleep. And my GPS had me going in the wrong direction half the time, while I was remembering how to drive a stickshift over crazy mountain gravel roads.
More importantly, I had been breaking my primary rule for travel, the thing that makes all my travel sustainable, and waaay overscheduled my time in Tuscany. As if I would never have another chance to go.
I immediately cleared my “schedule,” giving myself time to slow down and enjoy a few things and even catch up on work projects. Sure enough, the scenery seemed much prettier on my next drive. Lesson (re)learned!
Florence didn’t do much for us; we preferred Roma, Sorrento, Capri, Venice etc to Florence, but many people do like Florence.
Thanks for posting this. I think we’re alike in philosophies, and I need to remind myself from a recent trip not to get focused on the “tripadvisor top 10 laundry list”