Everyone I have spoken to since I got home from my 3 months holiday have asked me if it is good to be back. I hate this question because I feel like saying: NO! But I can’t because I realize myself that this is the best time of the year to be in Sweden, it is summer, it is warm, the days are long. It is really amazing when the sun sets at 10 pm, you are still sitting outside, you don’t even have to put on a sweater and there are no mozzies. I am not saying I do not enjoy it. It is lovely to have picknicks by the water with friends at sunset, going for a boat cruise in the archipelago, not having to wear socks and all that.
Despite all this I have what could be called “post travel depression” and I might be the only one that this ever happens to. It is just when I have come back that I want to leave again the most. It usually takes me a while to get used to being at home. I have been back about a month now and I am still waiting for it. I can not remember ever being homesick. But every time I am back from travels I miss it dreadfully, more than I miss home during the trip. I think it is because I know that the travels are time limited and that I will always go back at some point. I also know that if I want to I can just go home at any time. Home is always there. That is kind of the point of it.
Travelling is about total freedom, doing whatever you want whenever you want to. Going from one place to another, discover new things, all the time new experiences. Making new friends is a big part of the fun. I feel like I am leaving a new family behind, people that I would like to get to know better. Maybe I will meet some of them again, maybe not. The maybe not makes me sad. Wouldn’t it be weird if I did not miss being out there?
How can I not miss
a city skyline at night,
driving on the wrong (yes, it is!) side of the road,
climbing the highest mountain in the country,
hiking hung over in tropical heat, after drinking ridiculous amounts of Bundaberg Rum with new found Aussie friends,
hanging on 5-ish meters watching the life under water (photo: Andy Durrer),
sailing amongst sand fringed islands,
watching the sun rise on a mountain top.
How can I not miss it?