Where does this wanderlust come from?

I’ve caught the travel bug, already a while ago

Growing up I’ve always loved our family holidays in Croatia and Italy with the entire family (including cousins and grandparents) but I think I really caught it once I decided to spend one year abroad in Madrid when I was 21.

It was the first time I ever travelled by myself to a city of over three million in a country I hardly spoke the language of. When I arrived, I asked the taxi driver in my broken Spanish “Hablas inglés? Do you speak English?” He didn’t turn around and just said “No!” without even trying to make an effort.

I started to panic thinking: “What the hell did I get myself into?”, but after a few minutes I calmed down and decided to embrace this adventure.

I’ve caught the travel bug

What I didn’t know was that this trip had a lot more of these surprises in store for me. Nevertheless, or maybe just because of all the challenges I faced and overcame, that year turned out to be the best one I’ve had till then.

I’ve caught the travel bug and I couldn’t get rid of it ever since. Whenever I stay somewhere for a while, I get itchy feet and I just have to get my fix and book a trip. Even if it’s only a weekend away.

Where does this wanderlust come from?

This strong desire to travel and explore the world? I’m not sure but apparently this word can be traced back to German Romanticism and apprentices or wandering journeymen, who moved from one town to the other and gain experience of various workshops.

The term wanderlust stems from the German words wandern (hiking) and Lust (desire), although it is much more common to use the term Fernweh, which can be literally translated as farsickness. Now that’s a sickness I don’t mind contracting.

There’s only one cure for it, although it’s only a temporary cure, which is travelling.

After I came back from Madrid, I knew immediately that I had to leave again soon. I managed to organise an apprenticeship at the Austrian Tourism Board in Madrid and after that in a Hotel on the Canary Islands.

After that my studies would lead me to Copenhagen in Denmark and ultimately to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where I would set up camp for a while (8 years) before jetting off again to Nicaragua in Central America as well as Australia.

Pure joy and excitement

There are lots of trips I took in between those milestones. I can’t think of anything more thrilling than this feeling of utter excitement while I am packing. A mixture of anxiety, adrenaline and pure joy floods my body thinking of all the adventures awaiting me.

Do you feel the same? If so, then book your next trip and get lost in your travels. Make travelling your lifestyle. Style your life with experiences. Experience whatever sparks joy in you.

Forget even why you travelled to this destination in the first place and immerse yourself in a new culture. Live your destinesia.