Hi there, I´m back again I´m sorry for my three-week break. Lots of things going on here. We traveled through Chiapas and Oaxaca for 10 days, I´m working on a new blog design for Evolution Abroad (I´m so excited to show you soon!) and we just moved to another apartment. We now have more space and daylight and we have an amazing view over the city. I hope it will fuel me with lots of inspiration to continue my writing. Stay with me to find out 😉

During our trip I´ve been thinking about traveling and the way living abroad influences travel habits. Let´s see if you feel the same about this topic.

A Postcard from Palenque

I Love to Travel & I Travel for Love

If you consider moving abroad or have moved already, it´s not unlikely that you share my love for travel. I introduced myself to travel when I was 18 years old. I was young and clueless and wandering around the globe seemed to be a refreshing activity. Ever since, traveling has been one of my greatest desires. Discovering new places and exploring them through my own eyes building first-handed experiences, I wouldn´t know how to live without it.

Living abroad is quite different from traveling though. Yes, you´re exposed to a new culture and everything that comes along with it. However, it´s not a magical way to avoid ruts. You go to work every day like everybody else, you drive the same roads over and over, go to the same stores, etc. After a while you know your way around and also when you live in a tropical place, you need to get out there every now and then to stimulate your senses.

It´s my experience that life abroad doesn´t kill a desire to travel, travel habits rather adapt to the new circumstances.

The Expat Travel Dilemma

A big shift in your travel lifestyle is the additional destination of your home country. Whereas you were used to spending your vacation days and money on faraway unknown destinations, you now also have to visit your family and friends back home. It´s often a dilemma for expatriates to choose between going home or discovering new places.

Going home can be very relaxing since it is a place you feel comfortable at. You know how things work, you speak the language, and you´re among people who understand you well. Especially in times of homesickness this will obviously be the right choice. Nevertheless, when your travel bug prefers hitting the road for some good exploration, you may as well choose something new over something familiar.

We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar
and an urge for the foreign and strange
Carson McCullers

Home vs Home

The urge to travel has obviously nothing to do with a lack of interest in your family and friends back home. Them accepting your wanderlust is a great gift allowing you to make this type of decision in complete freedom. Investigate your needs carefully and make sure that neither your wish to visit your home country nor your desire to explore your new country will suffer.

It would be a pity though to spend every vacation at home. I earlier described living abroad as a profound way of traveling. I referred to the possibility of discovering a culture to the bottom. Daily life gave you knowledge of the culture, its people and their language which offers the advantage to dig deeper. You don´t want to miss out on that experience.

Listen to your heart and make sure not regretting anything afterwards. The available amount of time and money draws your possibilities and based on your personal needs you make your decision. You´ll be developing a new travel lifestyle while living abroad.

A Journey within a Journey

Since the length of our stay in Mexico is unsure, Jan and I have been prioritizing getting to know our new host country. As a result I have never been on the road in the same country as much as I have been in Mexico. We are fortunate to live in a nation where every journey offers totally new input.

We have taken this opportunity to optimize our personal way of travel. We are consciously searching for the ideal way of traveling within our budget. Balance is our focus. Balance in everything: tranquility and adventure, culture and nature, cities and countryside, excitement and relaxation, among others and among each other.

Indescribable Footprints on Your Soul

Travel helped me to explore my interests and values. It opened my eyes for what´s more to life than our own ways of doing. Travel made me develop respect for others, gratitude for what we have and appreciation for life itself. It has been a great way of education and it will always be.

I´m excited to tell you more about our journeys. In the future I will sporadically share some of our travels in Mexico and its surrounded countries. We have made truly incredible trips so far that I wouldn´t want to deny you. Stay tuned!

Ready to Explore Oaxaca, Mexico

Can you relate to the travel dilemma?
How do you decide between the familiar and unknown?