When you come back ...

I think everyone know that it can be hard to come back to a more standard lifestyle after two years of travel. there is so many reason for that; like getting back in a routine, a job, getting much less adventure, and live in a much slower pace; it’s hard to readapt yourself. there is a lot of reason like that, that everyone understand. but the hardest things, only the ones who traveled can understand it.

I know it’s not the case for everyone, but for me I love to share my experience with someone, i don’t like to keep everything for myself, that was one of the hardest thing for my during the end of my trip as i was traveling on my own, and one of the reason i came back in Montreal.
When you travel, you usually feel that everyone is interested in your experience, from the feedback you have from your friends back home and the people you meet. So when you come back you expect to be able to share your experience with everyone. But very quickly you realize that no one really care about it. You end up staying alone with it.
There is always few people interested in it, but theses people are really rare. it’s hard to find them, it’s hard to differentiate people that actually care from people that say so not to hurt you. They are not necessary in you close friends, it can be people you barely know. it’s not always easy to get closer to them, but these people can help a lot.
They can help you, just by listening to you!! You make them happy by sharing your stories, they help you by listening to you and being actually interested in it. It make your experience a bit less meaningless and more useful.
Quickly you realize that not only no one care, but also you can't even talk about it. Some people will take it as being pretentious. you end up having awesome stories that you have to keep for yourself.
traveling was all your life for 2 years, so obviously the first thing you have in mind in any discussion are usually related to this trip. but if you say something about it, people get bored very quickly and think you're bragging. It is really hard to deal with everyone.
So with the time you try to adapt and talk less about it. but it’s actually hard to avoid it, it was all your life during so long, most of the thing you have to say, are usually related. you might end up saying nothing and appearing boring for everyone....  It isn't possible to be back the way you once were, you don’t  even remember how you were before, you don’t know what you used to talk about you don't know what to say that isn't related to your trip
You just have the very hard feeling of being stuck between being boring or arrogant, there is no middle place....


Another thing, during all your travel, you stay with a memory about your old life back in the place you used to live, with the time those memories can change, and appear better than what it was.
 When you come back you expect to come back to that awesome experience you once had. You come back and most things appeared to be the same, most of people still work/ study and live in the same town,  you feel like you will quickly find the marks you once had. But during your time away, everyone else also lived and evolved, they don't go out as they once were, they don't live the same way. You feel like they didn't change during your travel, because everything look almost the same, but they do, and actually you are the one that didn't change on that part you expect to be the same!!
You left at some point, you kind of put your life on hold for a while. When you come back you expect to reset your life to the point you left it. Even if your travel changed you a lot, you need the safety of the comfortable old life you had to find your marks quickly; But you will realize that it won’t work.
People don't wait for you to evolve, they go on with their life. You did too but on totally different part, and you are getting late on aspects of your life you left home that make a huge offset between you and your friends your are 2 years ahead of them for the adventure side of your life from your travel and 2 year late on a social side and making a family.
a simple example some friends will have kids, for you it’s hard to feel how big that is as it’s hard for them to feel how big your trip is for you, they still seems to have the same life just with a kid in it; but for them it everything, your trip is nothing compared to a baby.

All you friend’s life evolve and you were not there, you will never get back the place you once had ! it is really hard to fill the gap and it is impossible to find your marks.

Its time for a break

I have been on the road since two years now. With a big break in New Zealand in the middle of my trip, I traveled around the world for long time now. It’s time for me stop for a while. Catch up with my friends, and get back to a social life!
That's why I decided to stop traveling and go back to Montreal to settle down here…
I will take few months here to save up some money, socialize and relax. Take some time to think and see how things go for me here.
I won’t have a lot of things to post here for a while, but I will keep you updated on my plan for my future!!
Settle down, or hit the road again?? The future will tell!! But after two years of travel, is it really possible to stop like that?