Travel isn’t for the Faint of Heart: An Ode to the Weekend Warrior

Is the cubicle of your work space littered with National Geographic photos and destination articles? Does your Netflix Recommendation list look like a digital travel guide? Have you ever dreamed of dropping everything and catching a midnight flight to a foreign city with no plan? Did you ever do it?

Years ago, I pulled the trigger. And for a long time now, I’ve been sharing a lot of pretty pictures of pretty places. I’ve seen some incredible things in a very short amount of time and for a lot of different reasons.

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But for 80% of the time, guys, travel sucks.

It’s true, I work during the week in the big city. Every Friday, I’m tired, and so is Tay Babe. The idea of curling up with a movie, bottle of wine and pizza is always tempting. But every weekend, we always find ourselves meeting each other at the airport. We’ve set wake-up alarms for 1:00am, 2:30am, 4:00am, 7pm, midnight and everything else in between for the hope of catching a flight, hiking a trail and maybe spending 12 hours in a foreign home.

But I know I’m not alone in saying that I would do anything and everything for the opportunity to see the rest of this world. And if that sounds amazing or even a bit relatable, this one is for you.

You know you’re a Weekend Warrior when you can say:

I’m unsettled, uncomfortable and uncertain about the future both short and long term.

I’ve slept in airports, airplanes, cars, tents, trunks, in the rain, in the snow, in the cold, in the desert. I’ve missed trains, trollies, planes, buses and spent countless hours in airports across the country. I’ve had exhaustion-induced breakdowns in public places and private. I’ve skipped potentially amazing career opportunities and I’ve lost friendships too.

I’ve sacrificed makeup, hairbrushes, toothbrushes and showers for the hope of experiencing something new and making sure my camera fits in my one carry on item. Come on, when have you ever seen a photo of my hair done?

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I’ve spent full 24 hour days in transit with only the hope and possibility of seeing the wonders of this world.

I’ve been blistered, battered, bruised, sore and torn. And I’ve apologized to hundreds of people in the TSA line after taking off my hiking shoes.

Incorporating camping into this lifestyle slammed me with a brutal learning curve. I’ve let my clothes, sleeping bag, backpacks and tents get soaked in freezing temperatures and I’ve paid the prices. I’ve lost and broken some of my favorite pieces of gear. My plans have been thwarted by weather and I’ve made the disappointing decision to turn around on trails, give up summits and leave days before my intended departure.

And I’ve spent entire maddening days watching the storms from the inside of a two-person tent. Travel has cost money, time and my sanity in the best way possible.

But it was all worth it…because in between these long bouts of transit and travel, I’m hiking mountains, swimming in alpine lakes and soaking in hot springs in the middle of the wilderness. I’m jumping off bridges, chasing waterfalls and climbing on top of things I shouldn’t.

Some of us just aren’t homebodies. We can’t sit still and we will do whatever it in our power to make sure we keep moving, keep seeing, keep learning. These are the experiences in my life that I value the most, and from them, I’m learning more and more about myself.

I’m spending time with incredible strangers, friends and the love of my life. Yes, I’m in transit, and it’s important to realize just how hard it can really be. But seriously, travel is the best and worst thing about my life and there is no way in hell that I’d change it.

Yes, I am a Weekend Warrior