Why I’ve slowed on Travel

 

For the last 10 years, my identity with friends and family has been synonymous with travel. I was always looking for the next adventure. Since moving to Spain, I haven’t felt the need to travel quite as much. That’s not to say I haven’t traveled at all. On the contrary, I’ve been to Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Amsterdam, Ghent and Stuttgart. Mainly those trips involved seeing family or friends. I do have one solo trip planned over Easter to Porto, Portugal. So why have I slowed down on the want and need to travel?

I often traveled to get to Europe. Well – I’m here now!

The first and most obvious thing is this. I spent a lot of time and money getting over to Europe just to be here. There’s something about Europe that fundamentally relaxes me. Maybe it’s not needing a car to get around. Maybe it’s the gorgeous and ancient architecture. Maybe it’s the endless plazas to grab a drink in. Well – I’m here now. I have all of those things every day. Even though Zaragoza isn’t my favorite city, I enjoy getting to know every nook and cranny.

It’s a rich man’s world!

Thanks to ABBA for this quote. I don’t get paid a ton of money over here. I need to be thoughtful about when and how to spend my money on travel. I have always been a budget traveler. However, I’m getting older and if I’m honest – the late night party hours of hostels don’t totally work for me anymore. I now have to take into consideration that I may want a day or two in an AirBnB or hotel to get a good night’s rest. That being said, I’ve had entire hostel rooms to myself several time in the past six months. It’s worked out well.

 

Switching out long trips to long weekends.

Instead of spending weeks at a time on the road, I am so much more a fan of a nice long weekend away from Zaragoza. So much is within reach – from the Basque country (featured in the pictures), to Barcelona and Madrid. Not only does do long weekends fit my work schedule more, I find myself having the stamina to really get the most out of a long weekend rather than a long trip. I hope to continue exploring Spain little by little on weekends away as I am here longer.

 

Saving the time to visit

I really LOVE seeing my friends and family over here. I’ve seen my old boss and his amazing family (it was a great Christmas present), my sister twice, and a friend of a friend. Each time, I had such incredible visits. I would so much rather save up the money to spend time with friends than blow a bunch of cash on a weekend in Budapest alone. I really value this time I get to spend with visitors and can’t wait to see more familiar faces over here throughout the years.

 

Overall, I still love traveling. I love experiencing new things. I love taking time in a new place for reflection. I just try to do it in a more leisurely way in my late 20s. Over Easter, I’m staying a full week in Porto rather than rushing to several places in Portugal. This will give me a few extra days for day-trips to get a better concept of Northern Portugal’s culture, language and landscape. Expect and update after I get home!

 

What are some ways that you have changed in terms of your travel priorities? Let me know below!