Travel Fatigue is a Real Condition: 4 Things I’ve Learned as a Travel Blogger

I love being a travel blogger.  Since I started this blog a year and a half ago, a whole new world has opened up for me.  I couldn’t be happier with my decision to build this blog and maintain my presence in the travel world.

I’ve been afforded some opportunities to travel professionally (for my day job), personally and through being the Editor-in-Chief for Will Drink For Travel.  I’ve loved every single second.  Once you begin to travel…I mean really travel and go places off the beaten path (see: Iceland), you become addicted to the feeling that travel brings.  The feeling of exploring new places and each day being different than the last is incomparable.

I don’t want to seem ungrateful for the opportunities I’ve been afforded, both personally and professionally.  I’m not ungrateful.  Really, I’m not. But earlier this year I experienced what I’ve termed “travel fatigue.”

To me, travel fatigue is the act of resenting travel more than appreciating it.  For example, I only had two weeks between lengthy trips to Haiti, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, back to Haiti, and finally London & Iceland.  Two weeks may seem like enough time to become adjusted to being back home and then hit the road again.

But in that time, I missed the birthdays, graduations, proms & several gatherings for some of my closest friends and family members.  Not to mention I was working full-time, trying to maintain my social life and keeping up with my blogging duties.

I began to resent not being home to share in the memories with my friends and family.  Those are memories I won’t get back.  I began to wonder if my hectic travel schedule was worth the sacrifice.  During my reflection time, I’ve learned the following lessons:

1. It’s okay to take a break.

I’ll never be the type of person to let any job take complete control over my life and while I love being a travel blogger, it’s only one part of who I am. Personally, I need the balance of being home to make me truly appreciate my love of travel.

2.  All travel bloggers are different.

I follow several travel blogs and while it seems like some travel more than others, everyone has their own style.  I need to do what works best for me. And that may mean turning down some trips or laying low for a bit.

3. I love what I do.

I never dreamt of being a travel blogger but due to life’s twists and turns, here I am.  I’ve found my passion and I love it.

4. Traveling locally is perfectly acceptable.

Of course, I’d love to be in the Maldives or Sri Lanka, but traveling to destinations close to home can be rewarding too.  Exploring more of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. is also a fun way to reacquaint myself with my hometowns.  You’d be surprised at how many local treasures are right under your nose.

I’ve purposely not booked any trips lately in an effort to regain some of my home/life balance and in that time, my travel fatigue has subsided to about 98%.  I’m looking forward to hitting the road again soon, but in the mean time, I’ve come to appreciate my time at home just a little bit more. My opinion may not be the most popular one amongst travel bloggers, but hey, it’s my blog and I can cry if I want to!

Have you experienced travel fatigue? Sound off below!

Recap: Shawnee Island Camping Experience in the Pocono Mountains

Correspondent Nyasha Chikowore enjoyed a camping experience in the Pocono Mountains. Read about her relaxing weekend including camping, canoeing, and beer tasting.

My usual summer plans consist of day parties, Miami, festivals, and cocktails. This year however, I decided to step out of my usual comfort zone and accepted the invite from the Shawnee Inn Golf Resort to try out their brand spanking new ‘Shawnee Island Camping Experience.’

The historic Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort is located in the Delaware River Valley of the Pocono Mountains in Delaware, PA.  For city folk like me, the views in the Poconos are simply breathtaking. The water is clear, the skies are gorgeous and the trees and grass are a healthy shade of green we don’t usually experience in real life.

The Shawnee Inn’s new camping offering gives you the camping experience without the anxiety and hassle of doing everything yourself. Your camp site is set up for you on the private Depuy Island, which includes ready-made tents, with two twin air mattresses, sleeping bags, pillows and a lantern.

Your visit also includes experienced camping guides who are responsible for setting up, manning the fire for your nightly s’mores intake, making breakfast in the morning (thanks man bun Trevor!), taking you for your morning hike, and guiding your canoeing endeavors. They’re also great at reassuring you that the sounds that you’ll hear at night are most likely just raccoons or deer and not bears, which the Poconos are known for.

I was lucky to experience the camp with a good group of fellow media from New York, New Jersey and D.C. We also had a couple from England join the group, award-winning travel writer Phoebe Smith & her boyfriend Neil Price, who does the photography for their travels. They stopped in at Shawnee while hiking the Appalachian Trail, a trip inspired by Bill Bryson’s book, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (FYI: the movie comes out this September). They’re actually going to hike through 14 states before they return to England to document their experience. In case you’re wondering, they appreciate how much cheaper the food and gas is here in the U.S., and were really surprised by how polite people in Georgia were. Ha.

Phoebe & Neil pointed out how much they’ve been enjoying the craft beer here in the U.S. Apparently, Americans are more experimental with flavors than they are in the U.K., which funnily enough, the Shawnee Inn also houses the Shawnee Craft Brewing Company. As an avid drinker of liquor, I stepped out of the norm again and tasted their Belgian-style wheat beer, the Biere Blanche.  The waiter recommended it as a good starting point for a non-beer drinker. It was refreshing, had a mild tartness and some citrus notes to it.  I’d order it again, with the slice of orange for the aesthetics.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by Shawnee Inn’s camping experience. If you’re into nature but not super excited about completely roughing it, this experience is for you. It would be a good getaway for a group of friends who want to leave the city behind for a few days but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg to fly away. It’s also a great idea for families who want the kids to experience the outdoors in a controlled environment, whilst having the mainland close by.

Along with the island camping experience, the resort will also offer Shawnee Island Glamping (glamorous camping), which is hidden within the golf resort. It’s somewhat similar to the regular camping experience but you get actual queen sized beds in your tent and the ability to plug in your phone at the end of the night. Both experiences were pretty glam considering my past camping experiences, so you’ll be in good hands whichever route you choose to go. For more information on all things Shawnee Inn you can visit them here and tell them we sent you!

Photo Credit: Nyasha Chikowore