The trouble with travel

A note from the Publisher: The Costa Rica Blog Network has chosen to feature the following article for its truthful acknowledgement of one of the worst aspects of travel: “homesickness in reverse.” Thanks to Brenda for submitting her personal account to us. We hope that the inevitable “bittersweetness” of travel never stands in your way of continuing to experience it. Pura vida!

Featured Author: In My Own Sweet Time’s Brenda Allan (visit the In My Own Sweet Time’s Blog)

It’s been a few weeks since I returned from my Costa Rica trip. I’m still brown enough that people will ask…where have you been? and I get to recount a couple of stories until I see that they are ready to move on to another subject. Don’t get me wrong. I love to travel…it’s coming back that is difficult. I  prepare before the trip by reading as much as I can digest about the country I am going to visit.  I’ll take a language class to refresh and talk to others who’ve been to that place. The weather app will appear on my computer screen for a month in advance so I can gauge what to expect and what clothes to pack. The “trouble” begins when I arrive. I absorb the the sounds, the humidity, the appearance of the trees on the skyline, new birdcalls, sounds of the traffic, the nightlife, laughter of children in the street, smells, waves on the beach, dogs under the benches and it starts an internal process. I begin bonding with the country. It gets even “worse” when we meet good people. I often travel with 4 women friends whom I have known since we were girls. We seem to generate a very positive energy that attracts wonderful people. It’s hard to explain, but it has happened so many times that we expect it now. So we talk to and befriend the locals…the waiters, the tour guides, the shopkeepers and other visitors…but inevitably, we have to say good-bye, exchange addresses and promises to keep in touch. It doesn’t always work out. It’s a little like a summer romance in its bittersweetness. That’s my trouble – homesickness in reverse.

Click here to read the above post on In My Own Sweet Time’s Blog

About Brenda Allan:

Brenda lives in a beautiful part of the West Coast of Canada. It is still wildly inspiring out here. By observing, exploring and recording, we open up new possibilities for knowing ourselves…and open a window of observation for others, too.

Post photos are owned by the featured author (not the Costa Rica Blog Network). Please contact the featured author directly for permission of use.

Pura vida!