I miss traveling. But I don't.
If you know me, you know that for more than a decade, I traveled nearly non stop, all over the globe, mostly for work. It wasn't just my life, it was my identity. Towards the end of that chapter in my life, things were slowing down and I was burning out. Then the Pandemic came to seal the lid shut, ready or not. Since then, I've taken a few trips here and there, but nothing like what I was doing before. I miss the rush of not knowing exactly how things would unfold as I cast myself out into the world. I miss not caring how anything turned out because I was comfortable with whatever came my way. I saw some of the most heartbreaking poverty and nauseating wealth that exists on this planet, and learned from it all. In a way, I felt like I belonged more out in the world than I do here at home.
But I don't miss traveling.
Maybe it's my age showing, but travel has become too much of a grind to be very enjoyable anymore. Somewhere between tagging my own checked bags at the self-serve kiosk and the complete lack of etiquette anywhere in the process of flying, the entire act lost its luster. Don't get me wrong; it wasn't exactly glamorous when I was globe trotting, but it was perhaps the last gasp of the twilighting golden age of travel, with warm meals still being served on any longer flights, and seats and lavatories designed for actual human people. I wouldn't define it as comfortable, but it was not barbaric, as it is now. Upon arrival, jet lag is suddenly a real thing for me and I prioritize sleep over more time adventuring - that is certainly my age talking. But people have also seemed to change, and the experience on the ground isn't what it used to be. Tourists are more widespread, with cell phones always in hand, and locals are much more guarded, scheming, or downright predatory. Both sides have their reasons and rights.
What I miss is more of a memory. It's nostalgia for something that I know will never return. Maybe it wasn't even what I remember it as. Maybe it's better for the world when more people can visit more places, spreading more money further around. It doesn't really matter - that's the direction the world and my life are headed. I only have the choice to accept and go along with it, or avoid and complain. Lately, I do both.