This was published 8 years ago
Eighteen signs it's time to go travelling again
By Ben Groundwater
How do you know when it's time to go travelling again?Credit: sturti
Maybe it's been a few years. Maybe it's been a decade. Maybe it's only been a few weeks. Regardless, you've probably begun to notice a few signs in your life that it's time to get back on the road again.
We all love to travel, and if any of these things have started happening to you, then you might be ready to book that next big trip.
You've started unfollowing travelling Facebook friends
Oh wow, Gavin is in Mongolia. And hey, Kylie is in Chile. And Aaron is in Japan. Unfollow, unfollow, unfollow.
You can't speak any of that other language that you can speak
There might have been a point in your travelling life when you felt like you'd actually got the hang of another language. You could converse in Spanish. You could order food in French. You could communicate in Mandarin. Now though? You can't even remember how to say, "I don't speak that language."
You're always hunting around the bottle shop for exotic imports
No VB for you. You're after a nostalgic taste of Beerlao, or a few slugs of French pastis, or this bottle of malbec you tried in Valle de Uco and haven't been able to find anywhere else.
Your frequent flyer status has been downgraded
It's a sad email to receive: "Your status has been downgraded." You've gone from gold to silver; from silver to bronze. All of those patiently accrued points have disappeared. All those entitlements, gone. It's definitely time to hit the road again.
You've started buying "world music"
It used to sound like an appalling racket, even when you were actually in its country of origin. But now, all of a sudden cumbia sounds good. Salsa is your jam. You're getting into Malian jazz-fusion. You're listening to gypsy folk. You're also driving everyone you know bonkers.
Have control of your digestive system
Remember the last time you had some weird stomach bug? No?
You're up for long-service leave
It might seem a badge of honour to some people, spending 10 years in the same job, qualifying for that big chunk of leave. But to any true nomad the fact you've spent anywhere near that amount of time in a secure, comfortable position is a sure sign that you've become terrifyingly old and need to go on a really long journey right now.
All the photos in your house are about five years old
Look around the lounge room at all your photo frames – are you still reminiscing about experiences had in the distant past? Do you look so young in all those pics? Have you forgotten who some of those people even are?
You travel money card has expired
It takes a long time for this to happen, but it does happen. If your card has expired it's a sure sign that you haven't looked at it for a while.
There are travellers cheques in your drawer
These things went out of fashion about 15 years ago, so if you're still clinging onto those old AmEx slips in the hope that you'll one day get to use them, you need to do two things: book a flight, and go exchange those cheques for proper money.
Work tells you your leave is expiring
There are some workplaces now that won't let you accrue months and months of leave, but will force employees to take their annual allotment each year. When that email drops in ordering you to take a holiday? That's a sign.
You've begun to resent your friends' travel stories
At first it was great sharing in your friends' adventures. You could trade anecdotes. You could laugh with recognition. You could give advice. Now, however, they all sound like pompous idiots and you wish they'd just talk about mortgages for once in their lives.
You keep finding exotic currency in your jacket pockets
Hey, that's some South African rand. And those look like Chilean pesos. And what's this? Lao kip? If all of your old clothes contain these small remnants of trips gone past, it's going to make you more than a little nostalgic.
A young relative is going travelling
Your cute niece who used to chuck a tantrum when she wasn't allowed to wear her favourite shoes has just booked a gap year teaching English in Guatemala. Your mate's son, meanwhile, has got a job working for Contiki. This sucks.
You've had to chuck out your Beerlao T-shirt
Those things aren't built to last, so if you've had one for more than a few years, bought from a street stall in Vang Vieng, worn every day of your South-East Asian adventure, it's probably about to fall apart. And it's probably time to get a new one.
Food poisoning makes you nostalgic
You eat something dodgy at a restaurant in Australia and all it makes you do is start wistfully recalling the time you got hospitalised in Agra, or when you couldn't eat for five days after an episode in Kathmandu.
You can't remember where your passport is
It's in the top drawer of your desk, right? Or maybe it's in that bag in the cupboard. Or … I dunno. Somewhere safe.
You're reading this story instead of working
It's one of the surest signs there is. If you're spending all of your working days surfing travel sites and dreaming about seeing the world… Well, what are you waiting for?
What do you think are the signs that it's time to go travelling again? Post a comment below.
Email: b.groundwater@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Instagram: instagram.com/bengroundwater
See also: Ten items you should never pack
See also: 21 things you'll only understand if you travelled before 2005
Sign up for the Traveller newsletter
The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.