Comments on: 5 Great Reasons to Love Returning Home After Your Trip

By: wanderoverhere

wanderoverhere — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:31:56 +0000

Great article! I can definitely identify with these. 2 and 5 are my favorite.

By: Jason

Jason — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:45:59 +0000

Hey thanks for using my photo up there, it fits well! How did you come across it?

Nice article too.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 07:26:01 +0000

Thanks all … @Benny, don’t tell my family I didn’t put them on the list. But to be honest, I’ve never felt homesick for my family – email and Skype etc seem to mean we’re actually in closer contact when I’m further away.

@Geoff, you are a lucky man. I am fond of my home town (Perth) but it’s not always too exciting, certainly it’s no London!

By: Lola

Lola — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:17:21 +0000

Definitely #5

Great stuff as always

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:09:22 +0000

The best thing about coming home for me, is that I live in London, my favourite city in the world. No matter how much I enjoy being away, I know there’s never any chance of me getting bored when I get back (well, until I start daydreaming about my next trip!)

By: Coqui

Coqui — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:19:37 +0000

Excellent article. #2 is a must after most vacations, eveb if you’ve been staying in a 5 star hotel. There’s nothing like waking up in your own bed…

By: Benny Lewis

Benny Lewis — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:32:56 +0000

I agree that these are great points to feel when you go home (I go back to Ireland 3 or 4 times a year between travels). But actually, it’s all stuff you can feel if you have a temporary home on the road. I don’t stay at hostels, I couchsurf and I usually stay in a city for a month or two and just rent my own place (works out cheaper than a hostel every time if you are good at finding stuff on a country’s equivalent to craigslist). I get my own big kitchen to cook nice meals, a bed just for me, etc. Since I take my time getting to know a city there’s plenty of time to reflect on it, compared to rushing around the world binge-hosteling… I also have plenty of time to sit down and plan the next trip. (I am lucky enough to work over the Internet, but if you have budgeted to travel for several months you can definitely afford doing what I do if you could afford hostels).
So basically none of your points apply to me at all in terms of going home… they are just the comforts of having “a home”, which can be anywhere. I suggest you try travelling without staying in hostels It’s a completely different experience. Couchsurfing and renting a place to stay and really get to know a city is so much more satisfactory.
When I do go home, it’s for reasons I was surprised not to see in your list… I go home to spend time with my family and to soak up my own culture again so I can share it with foreigners later. To see the places and friends I grew up with to get a better sense of self that you lose when travelling. That’s what my real home has to offer
To see my philosophy of trying to get to know other cultures more deeply check out my blog! Thanks for the stimulating discussion