As we start to see a bit more of a light at the end of the tunnel, I’ve caught myself daydreaming about international travel again. That wanderlust bug is kicking in, and it’s really make me consider what I miss about travel. Obviously, we love experiencing all the new sights and sounds — and eating all the food — but there are other aspects I miss about travel that I didn’t really think I would. We really do take things for granted.
Now, I don’t anticipate our family will be hopping on a plane across the Pacific Ocean any time soon. If anything, we’ll be staying closer to home for a summer vacation. That is, if we go anywhere at all. But, this doesn’t prevent me from reminiscing about the less-appreciated aspects of international travel. Do any of these resonate with you?
The Pre-Trip Daydream
I don’t remember exactly where I first read this, but the simple summary goes a little something like this. The anticipation of something usually provides more happiness than the thing itself. Just as most people are better in the abstract, the truth is most trips are better in our minds than in reality. In our mind’s eye, we envision these glorious adventures. In reality, vacations can sometimes be stressful and not go exactly according to plan. And that’s okay.
You might argue that the best part of a trip isn’t even necessarily the trip itself. Rather, it’s all the daydreaming and research you do ahead of time. Oh, let’s visit this restaurant. We should totally check out this attraction. If we’re in this area, we should pop by this cute spot. Indeed, one of the things I miss about travel the most is looking forward to going on a trip.
And, as much as other people might dread it, I think I actually enjoy packing. There’s a quiet satisfaction to picking what to bring, arranging it all into packing cubes, and getting ready to head out. The act of choosing what to bring encourages me to daydream about how I might use those things I bring.
The Smug Superiority of NEXUS
No, it’s not that I think I’m better than you in any way. Almost anyone can get a NEXUS pass, but a lot of people don’t. So, I feel pretty good when I get to bypass all sorts of lineups at the airport. There’s usually a separate line for the customs and immigration stuff, and there’s an express line for the security checkpoint too. It’s awfully satisfying. The same is true when driving across the border to the United States.
At this point, I’m not sure when and if we’ll renew our NEXUS passes, as so much is still uncertain. I am a fan of the program, though. I wrote about NEXUS basics several years ago, following up with a guide on renewing your NEXUS membership a few years later, in case you’re not familiar.
The Hotel Room Tour for YouTube
Somehow, it’s become something of a tradition for me to offer a hotel room tour of (almost) everywhere I go. These hotel video tours have been a staple on my YouTube channel for many years. They’re fun for me to do, as I feel they provide value and they allow potential visitors to live vicariously through the video. We can all find promotional photos from the hotels themselves, but my videos show what it’s actually like on the property.
The most recent was from last spring when we stayed at the Coast Victoria Hotel & Marina in Victoria, BC. Here it is, in case you missed it.
If you’re up for some vicarious travel or a stroll down nostalgia lane, I’ve got a whole playlist on YouTube of my hotel room tour videos. I cringe a bit at some of my older videos, but they also warm my heart full of treasured memories.
The Quiet Satisfaction of Good Planning
In my younger years, I’d like to think that I valued spontaneity. I’d be more inclined to just show up somewhere and start wandering, letting the day unfold as it will. As I’ve gotten older, the mere thought of arriving somewhere without a plan fills me with anxiety. Tying back to the first point about the pre-trip daydream, taking the time to plan a trip ahead of time provides great joy.
And it’s even more satisfying when we see those plans come to fruition. When I show up in a new city, knowing that I’ve already pre-arranged for airport transportation, I feel comforted. It’s like when you’ve been working on a project for months, you finally present it to stakeholders, and they love it. I leave room for flexibility, of course, but I always start with a plan of where I might want to visit or eat, and how I’m going to get there.
The First Breath Out of YVR Terminal
This is perhaps not a very surprising thing I miss about travel, at least to me, but perhaps you’ve never given it much thought. Whether we’re coming back from Mexico or Toronto, stepping out of the terminal at Vancouver International Airport feels great. I think it’s that fresh, crisp, west coast air. It’s especially good when our return flight is in the evening, particularly if we’ve come from somewhere with poorer air quality.
We love to travel. But, after a long trip, we also love to come home. You know, so we can start planning for our next vacation. Now, where should we go next? Addie says we should go to “the islands above Australia” or Pennsylvania.
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