Before I started my solo travels, my travels were rather vacations with my family.
I liked that too, but we looked at the popular and some not so popular sights, didn’t really come in contact with locals and stayed on campgrounds, in Airbnbs or hotels.
Even then, I loved seeing the world and being able to do all of that with my family, but long term solo traveling changed something in me.
For long term travelers, even if it is just for a few months, traveling is no vacation, it is our life, and we take everything as it comes.
The last thing I’ll say before getting into my points is that, of course, you can also feel those things when you are traveling for a week or so.
I have just found it way stronger after I traveled for 8 months.

You’ll get to know locals and learn about their culture

I love the aspect of getting to know a new culture.
They are all so different and interesting in their own way.
The best way to learn about cultures is to get to know locals.
Stay with locals, meet them, talk to people around you.
Even if they might not be local to the area you’re traveling in, you can learn about their countries culture and tell them about yours.
This exchange opens up your view on the world because we are all so different and can learn so much by listening to each other

You’ll get to know people from all over the world

Learning about different cultures is not the only thing that is great about getting to know people from all over the world, but you’ll have contact with people from all parts of the world.
You can visit them at another time and have places to stay in different countries or someone who can show you around.
I love knowing people worldwide, because it gives me a reason to travel to places I wouldn’t usually travel to and see parts of the world other tourists don’t.
I can tell you, though, that you will miss all the friends you made abroad.
It is hard making the best friends abroad and living in countries that are far apart.
This fact strengthened my friendships I made abroad, and we learned from the beginning how to stay in contact even when we are not close to each other.
With one friend, there hasn’t been a day in all the months we have been apart, we have not texted and updated each other about our lives.
Now we live close to each other and meet regularly, and I know that even if we are not together, we will stay in close contact.

You hear all those stories about other countries and places

Most of the people I have met were some kind of long travelers too and had many stories from countries they have been to.
Those stories inspired me to visit some of these countries as well and work there.
You get the best travel inspiration from other travelers.
In the new places I hear new stories of places in the world and want to travel there and this will never end.
All of these experiences sound amazing, and I do want to experience some of that as well, so I will probably never stop traveling or at least dreaming about going there.

You see how much more the world offers

Through the experiences you make, the people you meet and the places you visit you will see how much the world really offers.
It is worth getting out of your hometown and your comfort zone to see what’s out there.
The world is so beautiful, and traveling has made me realize that.
There are places that feel out of this world and I want to see them myself.
All that there is to see and do, makes me want to travel young and constantly to see everything, even though I know that’s not possible.
It made me appreciate this world so much more.

You’ll always have a feeling of not feeling right in the place that you are

As I said before, you’ll always think about other trips you can do, and I always have the urge to be there now.
Not always when I am traveling, but definitely when I am home.
Home doesn’t feel right anymore because I constantly want to be somewhere else in the world.
I think this has made me to be scared of being bound to a place by a person or a job at the moment.
Hopefully I will feel right in one place some time, but until then I’ll see what place in the world that is.
There is just too much to see for me to settle on one place.

You don’t want to do normal holidays anymore

After trying to see as much as possible in one area on my travels and not just the popular spots, I can’t settle on normal holidays anymore.
A week for a place makes me think that I can’t see everything anyway, and I should wait until I have more time, which is wrong.
Everything I can see, even if it is for a short time, is appreciated.
I just know the sad feeling of coming home and seeing videos of what people have seen or done there, and you missed it.
The feeling of wanting to see everything at once is hard because I know that it is not possible, but it will make me think more in depth about what I really want to do in this area.

You are happy for others traveling, but it hurts

Many of my friends I made abroad that were also from other countries are still traveling or are somewhere else now.
I feel so happy for them, and I love seeing all their pictures of beautiful places.
Seeing them also makes my heart ache because I want to be out there traveling on the other side of the world again too.
Hearing their experiences of hostel life, enjoying the beach every day, stunning sunsets.
I just miss that, and I miss it more after seeing it again.
The pictures and stories make me think of my wonderful moments abroad, though, and I am so grateful I had the chance to have all of these experiences.

Traveling makes you connected throughout the world and makes you want to see even more.
Often when you are abroad you don’t appreciate it enough because of hard times and homesickness, but when you go home the feeling will be worse.
So appreciate every experience you can get, every emotion you feel and every little thing you can learn.
A tip from me when you feel wanderlust when you are back home, is making new travel plans, even if it is just a small trip to make you feel better.
If they come true or not, just plan it, and it will make you excited for it and think less about being sad because your other trip is over.