Therapy.

Some people go shopping (retail therapy), other people bake cookies (emotional eating)…. 

and i buy plane tickets (trip therapy).

(the cover of my journal when i studied abroad)

I discovered Expedia and Orbitz when i was 15 – i had a boyfriend in college and wanted to visit – so it didn’t take me long to start navigating my ways around travel sites. It was only the third time i’d been on an airplane…. but the first time it wasn’t a required family trip. I felt the rush of going on a trip just because.

Since then i’ve lost track of the planes i’ve been on, road trips i’ve taken, and stamps in my passport; traveling has become a huge part of who i am. There’s something about escaping the ever day and going somewhere new (or even somewhere old) to take a break from your current reality. Most of my trips wouldn’t be qualified as “vacation”, but more so as traveling, visiting, or simply put… holiday.

Over the past three years or so, i’ve realized that whenever i’m not feeling my best… i take a trip. This could be to Tampa, Tennessee, or Tasmania, but planning a trip completely changes my mood. Some of my favorite trips have been booked without much thought or planning. There are too many amazing places to see and amazing people to visit for me to stay in the same place all the time. 

Some people have the same wanderlust in their hearts. Others cannot understand this part of me that is physically unable to stay put for long. But i guess everyone has their form of therapy that i might not quite understand. There’s a song called “The Wanderer” by Marc Broussard and one of the lyrics says “I’m a wanderer, i have no place or time…” and that is the best explanation i can give for myself.

My most recent therapy session involves my passport and a trip to the UK to visit friends and my favorite city. After a year and a half hiatus, i’m anxious to go back. However, i’m already trying to figure out the next trip? Maybe i have an addiction.

Until i find that a bubble bath or a new pair of shoes makes all my troubles melt away…. i’ll continue to grow my stash of frequent flyer miles.