Does your bucket list deserve its own book? Do you daydream about travel in your day to day life? Are you a Travel Addict?? If these situations apply you might be an addict. Not that that’s a problem! There’s a meeting for that, you’ll just have to book your ticket and meet me abroad…
29 Signs That You’re a Travel Addict
1) You Start Stories With “When I was in…”
Telling travel tales is a favorite pastime of travel addicts. Whether bullshitting at the hostel bar or hanging out with friends at home. If your best stories start with “That time I visited..” or “When I was in…” you might be a travel addict!
2) You Work Simply To Fund Your Next Adventure
If, When money runs out and you’re not traveling you pick up the “normal life” and job for a while simply to pay off the credit card and fund your next adventure, you might be a travel addict! This only happens a few times if you’re a die hard traveller. Soon you’ll find a way to make money online so you never have to stop!
3) You Use Airport Identifiers
If, when booking, talking about or planning your trip, you instinctively use airport codes rather than city names you might be a travel addict! Non-travellers will need you to explain this all again when you finish. but most travellers will understand you on the first try!
4) You Have Frequent Flyer Status
If you’ve earned frequent flyer status with more than one airline you might be a travel addict. But that’s okay, kick back in your cushy airport lounge, enjoy your free upgrade and don’t worry about it! I go out of my way to maintain my status with multiple airline alliances for the perks and conveniences it offers!
5) You’ve Filled a Passport
If you’ve filled a new passport well before it was set to expire you might be a travel addict! This used to be a common measure but with 10 year passports available this is getting easier! I collect all my expired passports as a record of my travels. There’s something special about being able to flip through them and look at the stamps!
6) A Lack of Art
If, at home, you have a lack of art on the walls simply because they’re filled with maps and travel photos you’ve taken instead you might be a travel addict. I love nothing more than making my coffee in the morning and being reminded of the places i’ve been from the photos and maps on my walls!
6) Comparing Costs
If, when considering costs of everyday purchases, you think in terms of how many days you could travel for on that amount you might be a travel addict! I’m guilty of this no doubt. A new backpack? or this slightly used one for $200 less? That savings would give me 4-5 extra days on my next trip pretty well anywhere in the world!
7) A Vacation From Your Vacation
If coming “home” is more like a vacation from traveling you might be a travel addict! We all need some downtime, coming “home” to visit friends and family can be a welcome break from the rigours of day to day travel.
8) Multiple Currencies
If you keep more than one currency in your wallet “just in case” you might be a travel addict. Im as guilty of this as anyone. Typically not by design, but rather due to hopping between multiple countries in short spans of time. But who doesn’t keep a sampling of coins and bills from their travels?
9) Getting Ahead of Yourself
If you’ve booked your next big trip prior to returning from your current one or have multiple trips booked into the future you might be a travel addict! I feel kind of down if I don’t have at least one trip lined up in front of me!
10) Booking Highs
If booking flights, hotels and experiences for upcoming trips gives you a high you might be a travel addict! Nothing feels quite as good as that confirmation screen after booking a flight you’ve been watching for months!
11) A Novel of a Bucket List
If your travel bucket list could could fill a novel, you might be a travel addict! I’m at 5 pages and counting, many of the items being locations I need to visit and photograph. I encourage everyone to write out their lists. You’ll make a more conscious effort to complete them if you keep a physical list.
12) Iron Gut
If you don’t flinch at trying the “interesting” local cuisine you might be a travel addict. While I’m not one to WANT to eat chocolate covered grasshoppers or candied scorpions I won’t turn down the opportunity to experience the local cuisine!
13) Airport Security
While travelling if you’ve got a tried and true airport security routine that has you ready for scanning before you’re even asked for your boarding pass you might be an addict. Everyone behind you will love that you know what’s up and aren’t holding up the line!
14) Friends In All The Right Places
If you’ve made friends from every corner of the globe that you keep in touch with you might be a travel addict! Making friends while travelling is mysteriously easy. You bond and become friends at a crazy pace while sharing an experience. World travel friends are an amazing resource, from local info to crashing a couch you’ll be happy to have them!
15) Socially Traveled
If your social media consists mainly of travel photos from your adventures rather than selfies you might be a travel addict. While I’m sure everyone loves seeing your selfies, most people would rather see where you went! Grab your Camera bag and show everyone why the world is so awesome!
16) Languages on call
If you know a few phrases of multiple foreign languages (or better yet are polylingual) you might be a travel addict! One of my top travel tips is about making sure you make an effort to speak the local language when approaching strangers in a foreign land, people really appreciate your efforts!
17) You Can Always Find An Outlet
If you’re an expert in locating the hidden/less traveled electrical outlets in airports, bus stations and coffee shops when you’re in need of a charge you might be a travel addict! Even better be the hero we need and carry a travel sized power bar with USB outlets and make some new friends!
18) Weird Layovers Don’t Phase You
If you don’t mind grabbing flights with bizarre layovers, well out of your way, because it gets you extra travel miles and give you an excuse to explore somewhere new you might have an addiction. Further, if you go out of your way to book the flight with a 24 hour layover if a city you’ve never visited you’re definitely an addict. You’d be surprised how much of a city you can explore in 24 or 48 hours, give it a try sometime!
19) Cashing In On Delays
If while waiting to board your flight you secretly wish they’d ask someone to give up their seat in exchange for those beautiful flight credits you might be a travel addict! If you’re not on a tight timeframe giving up your seat can really pay. I once dropped my seat (only to fly 3 hours later) for $1000 in flight credit. Its a Win-Win and can be well worth it!
20) You Know The Safety Briefing
If you could recite the airline safety briefing from memory you might be a travel addict! I could recite the briefing on a few different types of airplane for sure. I’m always glad when the flight attendants toss a little humor to change things up!
21) Travel Tattoos
If you’re planning (or have) a travel related tattoo you might be a travel addict! Compasses, globes, planes trains and automobiles tend to be the going trend. It’s so cliche and yet so fitting. How many of you have one of these beauties just waiting to get shown off at your next beach destination?
22) Gift Lists
If Your gift list for the holidays or birthday consists of travel accessories and gear you might be a travel addict! When you can’t quite justify getting it for yourself you likely put it on the list of travellers gifts for your family who doesn’t know what to get your worldly self.
23) Interesting Conversations
If your friends texts start with “are you in the country?” because more often than not, you’re aren’t, you might be a travel addict. But, heck, at least they’re still trying to stay in touch and not harassing you about the lifestyle you’ve chosen!
24) Extended Timeframes
If you plan a week in a destination that most only stay for 2-3 days simply so you’ll have time to fully explore it you might be addicted to travel. While 2 days might get you the coles notes version of a city or place a week can give you a deeper understanding of the cultures and traditions. Take the time, be present in the locations and cultures you choose to visit!
25) Last Minute Extraordinaire
If can pack a last-minute travel bag in 30 minutes in order to make your last minute destination you might be a travel junkie. If you travel enough you know exactly what you need and what you don’t. A week long trip that takes only minutes to pack for is the gold standard.
26) You’re an Explorer
If you gravitate to off-the-beaten-track destinations rather than the played out tourist spots that everyone else visits you could be a travel addict. While I love a few days on the beach I’d rather do it in the middle of nowhere vs the tourist mega-resort. I enjoy when my hard earned cash makes it directly into the local economy instead of a multinational corporation’s pockets.
27) Always Scheming
When your friends all greet you with a “where to next” even though you just got home you may be a travel addict. At least they get you right? If you’re a long ways down the rabbit hole you’ll be able to list multiple destinations as your next trips!
28) The Tourist’s Tourist
When you can give other tourists accurate directions or recommendations in a foreign city that you don’t live in you might be a travel junkie. There are several types of travelers, help the novices in socks and sandals with your worldly advice. Then guide them to discovery the of the places you know about in any particular destination.
29) You Can Relate
If you’ve read and can relate to some or most of these ideas and that doesn’t bother you you’re definitely a travel addict! And to that I say Great job, welcome to the club and happy travels! Keep Living the life you love!
So? Are you a travel addict? Even if you’re not perhaps you probably know one! If you want to live this life you need to sit down and detail your bucket list. Decide where you want to visit and what you want to see before you start following airfare prices. Book yourself a trip pack your backpack and go experience the world. Live the adventure and join me to explore, create & educate.
I can’t say I have any travel related tattoos but I sure do have a never ending bucket list! These were fun to read through, it looks like I am leaning closer to being a travel addict than not!
Its Okay Megan, you’re not alone :p we can all support each other through these tough times 😉
Oh dear it genuinely seems I have a problem. I answered yes to a ton of these! If I don’t fill my passport I feel I’ve failed lol
Filling the passport is always the target as a Travel addict isn’t it?? Thanks for stopping by!
Such a fun list. I definitely have the multiple currencies. I need to donate all the change I have in one of the international donation boxes at the airport.
Well it seems like I can check every box mentioned in this post. A great and fun read, it feels great to know that I’m not the only one who starts conversation with “when I was there”.
I think I can fill up a box with all the multiple currency coins that I have gathered :). Would love to get a travel tattoo though and fill up multiple passports. Still got a few pages to fill up.
I can say with surety that I am a travel addict.
Hope we cross path someday, in some corner of the world.
Hahah glad I’m not the only one checking every box! I’ll look forward to crossing paths somewhere sometime!
I can totally relate to so many of these. Specifically, I plan my trips WAY in advance, so yeah, I have many lined up at once, and I definitely get a little thrill when I book flights, or even hotel rooms to a lesser extent. Great list!
I can totally relate to almost all of this!! haha. I just cry when my annual leave is not so big to go traveling every month or so hahah. 🙂 Lovely list!
You’re an inspiration. I used to think I was an explorer (of sorts) but now I know I’m only a poser! Well done, and keep the adventures coming– it lets me be an armchair explorer.
Oh wow! I can relate to most of the items above! Is it alarming? I don’t think so! haha
I think traveling increases your knowledge about the world. It is very educational in a way. But I guess too much has it’s consequences?
Reading this post made me evaluate myself. I MIGHT NEED AN INTERVENTION. You have just made me realize I’m a travel addict. I love the bit about the airport codes as I can relate to it so much!