9 Reasons I Miss Travelling Abroad

Travelling abroad is something I have always wanted to do. I knew that an important part of my life would involve travelling and exploring the world as often as I can. Where did I get this need to travel from? My grandma. That woman has travelled all over this world, and is still going! I want to be travelling the world when I’m in my eighties, for sure.

With the pandemic, both my husband and I have felt very travel deprived. Travelling abroad is something that the two of us LOVE to do and that was snatched away from us in an instant. How important is travel to us? We were engaged in Amsterdam!  Not in a place that was specifically important to us, but knowing that travel was an important piece of our life together.

The only trip we had planned in 2020 was Chicago for my marathon in the fall but we were talking about the possibility of travelling abroad to Japan in 2021. Obviously, none of this went ahead and the thought of travelling abroad felt so out of reach.

Why I Miss Travelling Abroad

At the time of writing this, we just came back from our first International trip since February 2020. And I do consider Hawaii to be more International compared to flying down to Arizona or California or something. I know it’s the USA but it feels like a completely different country.

1. The anticipation of travelling

You guys! I miss the excitement and anticipation of travelling abroad. I mean, I get excited about all travel adventures, but travelling abroad means a new culture to explore. Thinking back to our last trip abroad to Italy, we were so excited.

Back when I was employed within the events industry, the Winter and Early Spring were SO BUSY. As we are a childless household, we took vacations before those that have school-aged children. Come May, still busy but less so, we’d be getting ready to head out on vacation. And after an exceptionally busy conference season, travelling abroad and escaping work for a few weeks was something I was always counting down to.

While Jason loves to plan out the route our travels will take us, I love to read about places and see what’s touristy (to stay away from) and what the local culture is known for.

2. Leaving real life behind.

Saying sayonara to conference season and leaving real life behind for a few weeks is something I miss. Obviously, life is a little different right now, and I am no longer in the conference industry. When we were getting ready to travel to Hawaii last month, there was no excitement as we know how quickly travelling abroad can be taken away from us.

But once we had those negative C tests, we boarded that plane excited to leave real life behind for a little and go explore a new place.

I mean, we’ve been cooped up for the last two years, can you blame us? Leaving real life behind for a little bit shakes up routine and gets you out of day-to-day ruts.

3. The people watching.

Personally, I love to people-watch here where I live, and I love to do this when travelling abroad. Seeing how people go about their days, especially when in Europe, compared to North Americans is fascinating to me. That’s the part of me that loves psychology (behavioural psych btw) and I am unapologetic about that.

You can learn a lot by watching people regardless of where you are. But when you’re in a different culture, it’s just so much more interesting.

4. Learning about new cultures.

On that note about culture, immersing myself in the local culture is something I miss. You can learn so much by stepping outside of your box and seeing how other cultures live their lives. We’re all different and the best way to learn and grow is by travelling.

I will scream that from the mountaintops until the day I die.

5. The food.

The number of fries and waffles I ate when we were in Belgium, not to mention the amount of beer consumed, is unreal. I’m pretty certain our first meal in London was fish and chips, because duh. We get to France and stuff our faces full of cheese and baguette.

Sure, we can get these things at home but you know what’s amazing? Local food places are known for. Waffles in Belgium hit different; you can’t find a baguette in Vancouver that mimics France to save your life. The pasta and pizza in Italy are unreal. I’m surprised I didn’t come home in the shape of a pizza honestly.

I love food and when travelling abroad, we eat all of our favourites. Don’t restrict what you eat because you’ll just feel worse. You’re so active when travelling abroad, that you can eat all the good stuff.

6. Train travel in Europe.

I love to travel by airplane, but when in Europe specifically, train travel is the best. Speeding through countrysides, listening to your favourite tunes, and sitting in first class for not an outrageous amount of money is the best.

Oh, and not having to show up 2 hours before is the best. Have we run across many platforms to catch a train with seconds to spare? Yes. You can’t do that with a plane.

7. Meeting new people. (I’m looking at you Courtney!)

The best thing that came out of our trip to Belgium was our new BFF Courtney. You can get yourself some very interesting adventures when meeting new people and travelling abroad. Maybe you just have one experience together, or maybe you become long-distance friends.

Courtney is our favourite American, and she’s also an honorary Canadian. We are bonded for life now and I am working constantly to try and get her to come back up here and visit.

Meet new people. Be smart, but be open to talking to new people and/or fellow travellers. You never know what you’ll have in common.

8. Learning/trying a new language.

French is the one I am the best at (I suck, don’t be fooled) and Italy was a struggle. Amsterdam was fine as most people spoke English. Belgium, again, lots of English was spoken, but also a lot speak French so that was our backup.

9. New experiences.

Travelling abroad offers you so many new experiences. We went on ghost tours in Belgium and Scotland; we went to the Blue Grotto along the Amalfi Coast in Italy. In Hawaii, we saw legit lava flowing out of the Volcano but also watched the sunset from Mauna Kea (experience of a lifetime).

Learning to make pasta from scratch in Florence was something I am so glad we did. Making pasta from scratch when in Italy seemed far less daunting than here. It was so easy and so delicious.

It’s been a while since I’ve made some pasta …guess it’s time to make some!

Live Life Abroad – Get Out And Explore

If you weren’t huge on travelling abroad, or locally, before the pandemic, perhaps your mindset has shifted a little. Perhaps it hasn’t changed at all. But if you haven’t really travelled outside of your Province/State/Country, and the pandemic had you feeling a little trapped, make plans to travel abroad. It’s so much fun and helps you experience more of what life has to offer.

If you did love to travel before the pandemic, what are you most looking forward to now? I am looking forward to finally getting over to Asia and exploring Japan. I don’t know when that will be, but I’ll also never turn down a trip to Europe. I mean, I can travel to London in eight hours for not a lot of money and then it’s a jumping-off point.