Hit 12 countries in 18 months and finally understood my limit

I hit my 12th country last week in Lisbon and it hit me hard. Turns out moving every 3 weeks sounds exciting but after 8 months I started feeling burnt out. The last 4 trips I barely saw the sights, just worked from Airbnbs and missed having a routine. Anyone else hit a number that told them to slow down?

3 comments

3 Comments

mianelson1mo ago

Oh man, that Prague thing hit close to home. I remember staring at the Eiffel Tower from my hotel window and thinking "yeah, that's a big metal thing" before going back to watching Netflix. At some point you're just collecting passport stamps like they're worthless Pokemon cards or something.

mary_nelson711mo ago

Wait, you had to check Maps to remember what CITY you were in?? That's insane, I thought I was bad but I've never hit that level of travel brain. I had a similar moment in Budapest where I literally walked past the Parliament building three times before realizing it was the actual Parliament, not just another old building. But forgetting your location entirely? That's next level, dude.

blake7921mo ago

Moving every 3 weeks sounds exciting" man that got me. I did something similar a few years back 6 countries in 9 months and by the end I was just sitting in hostels scrolling my phone instead of exploring. The worst part was I started forgetting what day it was or even what city I was in. Like I'd wake up and have to check my location on maps. I think the real kicker was when I landed in Prague and felt nothing. Just went straight to the Airbnb and ordered food. Thats when I knew I was done. Now I try to stay at least a month in one place if I can. It feels way better to actually know a neighborhood and have a favorite coffee spot. Youre not alone in this.