One Week Is Enough

One Week Is Enough

One week is enough. Or maybe two at most. Believe it or not, I can only take paradise for so long. Don’t get me wrong. I love vacations. I love being in Mexico. Yet, it quickly gets old, and I want to get home. Would it be different if I was backpacking through Europe? Maybe. Maybe not. As much as I love new experiences, I also crave a schedule and familiar surroundings. It is the creature comforts which i start to miss after just a few days.

Does this make me boring? Probably. As I grow older, however, I am becoming more comfortable with who I am. I will never be a guy who travels for more than a month or two a year.

So why do I want to return home so quickly?

Routine

I am a sucker for routine. I like to get up at the same hour every morning. I like to have my set times for working out, eating, and working. The more routine my day is, the happier I am. It is about expectations. I do better when I have a set group of expectations to meet each day. The satisfaction I feel as the day progresses is measurable.

Could I do the same when I am out of town? I guess so. But there is so much unknown. The beauty of routine is that you generally are free of surprises. Good or bad, the unexpected is stressful. After travelling for a week, I am tired of emotionally gearing up for the unknown. If I can’t visualize what comes next, it takes mental energy to prepare.

While this may sound a little neurotic, after forty five years on this earth, I realized that this is just who I am. One week is enough. I am ready to go home, and it is likely not going to change.

Self Care

I find self care difficult when out of town. It is not impossible, but certainly not easy. What do I generally do when I am on vacation? I usually eat poorly. I have little control over the quality of food I get served in restaurants or resorts. I usually don’t have the chance to cook myself. I eat more junk food than normal. I probably also drink more alcohol than I would at home.

Working out is difficult. Even if facilities are available. There is always something else going on. Or I am too full from eating junk food or drinking too much. And don’t forget that you then have to go through the pain of packing workout clothes and an extra pair of shoes. Plus, my energy is depleted from poor sleep.

I almost always sleep poorly on vacation. I am not used to the beds. I am sharing a room with my children, and they keep me up. We go to bed too late and wake up too early.

Are there workarounds for all this? For sure. But I never seem to get around to taking advantage of them. One week is enough and then I am completely exhausted.

Work

Although in half retirement, I am progressively realizing that I like work. When it is on my terms. During the hours that I choose. I like to do some concerted work everyday. At this point in my career, I can intersperse my job with periods of leisure as well as self directed projects.

Having everyday consist of both work and fun is the right mix for me. I like the routine. I even like looking forward to the weekend.

All of this makes me realize that when it comes to vacation, one week is enough. Or maybe two if I am going out of the country.

Final Thoughts

I don’t travel hack. Travel is not my why. While I enjoy it generally, one week is enough. By the end of seven days, I crave my regular routine, I’m tired, and ready to jump back into work.

This is not a matter of personal choice. It is just who I am. Who I have been. As boring as it sounds, I am no longer going to deny it to fit into the financial independence stereotype.