How To Avoid Experience-Of-A-Lifetime Fatigue When Traveling
Another ancient temple in the middle of an exotic jungle?? Didn’t I JUST do that?!? Three rhinoceros in a row? We haven’t even seen one leopard yet!
Travel isn’t always easy: jet lag, missed connections, food that is positively TOO spicy. But one of the most common inconveniences I hear about has to be the all too familiar experience-of-a-lifetime fatigue. Just imagine being inundated with world-altering sights, sounds, and cultures; One after another after another. Sure they’ll forever enrich your spirit, open you up to new ways of thinking, and make you truly realize how interconnected the planet it is, but all-day, every-day for an entire holiday weekend? Snore!
Luckily we’ve done the research for you and compiled a list of coping techniques that are sure to get you over the experience-of-a-lifetime blues. Here they are!
See A Movie
Sure we all enjoy walking cobbled streets, viewing a sunset from a rooftop terrace, or biking in the countryside. But when that all starts that’s to feel like too much, you can always hop into a dark box and watch images flash onto a giant screen. The great thing is that movie theaters really haven’t changed anywhere since their inception, so you’re unlikely to run the risk of being exposed to anything revelatory and unfamiliar.
Read A Book
There’s one thing that’s hard to avoid when traveling: People! They really are everywhere, constantly wanting you to taste interesting foods or engage them in thoughtful conversation. A good defense against these sneaky boundary-breakers is to do perhaps the most solitary activity in the world and read! If you’re getting a little weary of all of these life changing experiences, doing something you could easily do in the comfort of your own bed is a great place to start.
Shop
You really think a Burberry store is the same in London as it is in your local mall? Well, it is! And after a day of forever expanding your horizons, that’s just what you’ll need to reel them right back in, and for only twice the cost! Also those boots, omg.
Take A Nap
There’s nothing like spending a ludicrous amount of money to get somewhere and then being unconscious for a good portion of your stay. Remember, billions of people could only dream of being where you are right now. So you owe it to all those people to do some dreaming of your own while you’re there, and you can’t be awake to do that!
Consume Intoxicants
Just imagine the looks on your friends’ faces when they ask you how your week in the Andaman Sea was, and you tell you don’t even remember! There’s a reason many travel destinations have become party centers. Usually their exceptional beauty and ability to change lives is a little overwhelming. Drink a bucket! Visit a coffee shop! Pay someone to take you into the jungle and try what they told you was Ayahuasca but you’re pretty sure was just dishwasher soap and Sprite! You might not come away with all of your memories or your ability to read and write intact, but hey, at least you’re not in a museum admiring painting after painting that will forever redefine beauty for you.
Prostitution
Travel can be a lonely endeavor, but luckily many developing countries have accommodated the weary traveler with completely unregulated sex trades. There’s no better way to compliment the countless historic churches you saw throughout the day than enjoying the world’s most historic industry at night. If you find yourself conflicted about the potential diseases entering your bloodstream and the societal collapse you’re definitely contributing to, just ask yourself: would you rather be walking around ANOTHER ancient ruin site surrounded by a tour group in matching t-shirts? Plus, many people make the argument that you don’t truly know a culture until you exploit it in the most destructive way possible. Compete with that, passport stamp!
When you get inundated with life changing experiences day in, day out, it can be easy to get into a rut. Luckily thanks to the list above, you are now fully equipped to stay the same forever!
