The travel bug. If you have it, there’s no cure. In fact, it only gets worse, even at times like this.
I’ve got it—bad. If you’re reading this, chances are you have it, too. If you’re not sure, here’s a list of 33 symptoms.
Score over 15, you’re a member of the club. Score over 25, I’ll probably see you when we’re back on the road.
- You start too many stories with, “When I was in…”
- Instead of asking friends to drinks, you ask them to go on trips.
- You’ve watched everything travel-related on Netflix. Even the kids shows.
- You read guidebooks for fun.
- Google Flights is your homepage; Google Translate and XE Currency Converter are two of the most-used apps on your phone.
- You receive at least a half-dozen flight deal newsletters.
- You’ve watched every episode of No Reservations and Parts Unknown (RIP, Anthony Bourdain).
- You always ask people “Where are you from?” even when you can tell by their accent so you can talk to them about their country.
- Your local airport feels like an extension of your house.
- You plan trips you’ll never take.
- There’s extra toilet paper in your tote just in case.
- You have more than one currency in your wallet.
- You keep a packed suitcase at the ready.
- You call cities by their airport codes.
- You have SIM cards from a dozen countries.
- You have elite flyer status on at least one airline.
- You have a paper map tacked on a wall somewhere in your house.
- If you haven’t been on a trip for a few weeks, you get withdrawal symptoms. (Yes, I’ve got the shakes right now.)
- You can breeze through airport security with your eyes closed.
- You spend two hours every day reading travel blogs and travel websites.
- You subscribe to at least four travel magazines.
- No matter how often you travel, your bucket list keeps getting longer, not shorter.
- When you think of prices, you value things in terms of how many days it costs at your next destination. “That loveseat is seven days in Paris! Let’s get this one; it’s only three days.”
- You only use credit cards that earn frequent flier miles.
- Some people cry when they leave home. You cry when you have to go back.
- When people ask you your profession, your first impulse is to say “traveler.”
- Your passport’s pages are filled with visa stamps before its expiration date.
- You have trips planned for next year—and the one after.
- You keep old guidebooks as mementos.
- If you have a tattoo, it’s a map or a compass.
- You think about your next trip while on your current one.
- People you haven’t spoken to since kindergarten message you on Facebook to ask for advice on their upcoming trip.
- You write about being a travel addict.
