The Travel Bug

[ trav-uh l  buhg ]
​A wicked bug that bites those who have the courage to travel and keep a curious mind

There is a contagious disease spreading through a handful of people. Nobody knows where it started and nobody knows patient zero.

Little is actually known about this disease because it affects everyone so differently. Symptoms are not the same from person to person.  The only thing that can be confirmed is how it is contracted.

A booked flight to some place new, some place foreign and some place exciting, followed by an amazing personal adventure will undoubtedly produce a “Travel Bug” bite which will become infected.

Now, some might tell you that the “Travel Bug” is a BIG joke, one in which your friends and loved ones make after you have come back from traveling. But as an infected traveler myself,  I am here to tell you that the “Travel Bug” is very real.

Symptoms almost always appear immediately after the traveler begins the return trek home. Once safely home the symptoms become more prominent.

It doesn’t really matter if the traveler has adventured for a few days, a week, a month, or even a year, they are never quite immune.  They may have learned how to get from A. to B., navigate a new city or town, or they may have even lived through a few scary near mis-encounters as any good adventure has a great deal of both ups and downs but, these experiences will not keep them safe from the effects of the bite. In fact, the effects become more prominent  the longer the traveler is home.

Travel Bug Symptoms:
Please note that these are a few of the symptoms, as they will vary from traveler to traveler.

1. Upon arrival home, travelers will notice increased popularity.  People will be impressed and the traveler will feel an amazing travel high.  2. In the first few weeks back the traveler will experience  a whirlwind of conversations reliving amazing experiences. Please note that some travelers might have a problem keeping their stories and excitement contained bringing a slight case of paranoia that some people may only be asking about the adventure to be polite.  Please help your traveler with these symptoms by keeping your questions to a minimum and your comments brief.  
2. Travelers will begin to daydream of new adventures as they fall back into their daily routines expected by society to maintain. The traveler may feel others may not appreciate the changes in their mood, health and happiness and may show signs of adventure withdrawal. In a few months the traveler will be fixated on the next big adventure and giving you reasons why.

The Travelers Reasons “Why”: Next BIG Adventure

1. The last adventure changed them in so many positive ways they cannot begin to list them all  
2. People don’t or won’t understand the experiences the traveler has experienced so they need to infect others with the “Travel Bug”.    
3. The unforgettable sights, experiences, smells, tears, laughs, and life changing moments are addicting and the traveler needs an “adventure fix”.

Bottom Line -  Come and travel, learn valuable life lessons, be free, get lost, focus on what is important in life, expand your views, connect with people and experience different customs and new knowledge, teach and be taught.

Even though you look the same and talk the same, your mind, perspective, and values have somehow been expanded and you know the inner change has enriched your life forever.