I booked flights yesterday. We travel again very soon. The plan was for this to be a short trip. But what if I just don’t come back? Regular readers will know that we travelled for almost 7 full years, not van life or domestic, international full-time family travel, all over the world. I’ve had an “at home” life for 6 years now, since we were forced to stop. A homestead life for 4 of those years, as we become more and more self-sufficient and off-grid. Travel is calling me again, but I have anchors today.
Travel or Stay Home, Pros and Cons
Travel gives us so many more opportunities to get what we want from the world, and to stay in touch with the world and its people.
Home offers contentment and the enjoyment of serving and caring for my family. Home has animals, a garden, duties and chores.
I’m not unhappy at home, not really. I’ve become very good at seeing the beauty and joy in what’s around me. I often say that I’ve never been happier.
I just really enjoy travel, and that’s reason enough to do it.
Travel is more challenging. I’d have to work harder to stay afloat. Home offers a safety net, security and ease.
I can travel as a digital nomad because I’m a travel blogger and I make money that way. I love my job. I can do it at home or on the road.
At home, there is very little to do that is novel or interesting. My interesting things come from YouTube and books today. They used to come directly from the world.
Home is expensive. If I travel in Southeast Asia, my needs become cheap.
Travel means giving up on our goal of self-sufficiency, nurturing our land and livestock and eating organic, fresh, real food.
Travel means fluoride in the water and breathing polluted air.
Travel offers me more work opportunities. I’m a travel blogger, and I enjoy sharing the world with our email subscribers and helping them to “live differently” by breaking free from the norm.
But then, homesteading and self-sufficiency in a remote location aren’t exactly normal either.
I’m not in a position to sell everything and rent out the house as we did last time. At least one family member has to be at home, and the workload for that person will be huge. A small farm and animals are a team effort.
We will be split up as a family, and I hate that idea. But the fact that I’m even considering travel over family, my husband and kids, shows how strong the urge is.
The rest of my family is in Europe, I’d like to see them and travel makes that more likely.
Solo female travel doersn’t appeal to me, I’d much rather travel with at least one of my children, and the coming flights are for 2 of us. Maybe I could travel solo for a while, after he goes home, and see how it feels.
A meditation retreat would be good for me. I need that sort of environment to really focus on those things.
Maybe I’ll get an email, an invitation. I’ve been invited to go sailing in Europe this year. I’ll probably go. Travel blogger perks.
Home is boring, travel is fun.
I’ve tried both travel and home in endless permutations and in many countries. I’m not sure which way I’ll jump.
It’s January 1st 2026. New Year’s Day is my favourite day of the year because it’s a fresh and sparkling start. And 2026, the year of the fire horse and a “1” year, a beginning, is very special. I’m spending the first day alone, cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking.
I am a fire horse. We are independent, adventurous, and a bit of a handful.
The same as just about every other day. The kids have nothing to do but stare at screens, once the daily chores are done for us all. They don’t take long.
There’s nowhere to go that we haven’t gone dozens of times before.
I’m starting to wonder why I don’t just leave.
Deciding If You Should Travel or Stay Home?
Is that what you’re facing right now? The choice to travel or stay home. I was booking flights, tours, and hotels all day on New Year’s Eve, yesterday, and it felt so good. I felt like me. I have more to do in this life than just take care of my house and family.
Raising and educating those kids was important. But I’ve done my job so it could be time for some self-indulgence.
I’ve been watching too many videos about expats “retiring” to Vietnam, Thailand, and more. I’m not at retirement age yet, there’s no pension coming in, but it got me thinking.
Maybe this year should be about me, or you.
I’ve spent 20+ years putting the kids first in everything and it could be my turn.
What about my husband? He works so much that he’d barely even notice I was gone. Other than when his clothes aren’t clean and in his drawer, or there’s no packed lunch made for him to take to work. He’s working today, a public holiday.
This is rather like being a Chef’s widow all over again. I barely ever see him. He won’t read this post.
Maybe he will join me, and the kids can hold the fort. Maybe we could all travel in shifts. The big hurdle is how ridiculously expensive and difficult it is for us to get out of Australia. This would be so much easier if we were based in Europe or Asia with great flight connections. But we’re not.
I wrote a post called “why we stopped being digital nomads” just a few days ago. Read that too, if you like. Also read “the negatives of long term travel“. Both may help you choose which is right for you.
Putting thoughts on “paper” helps with the decision-making process, and I have nobody to talk this over with. Do you?
What do you think? Travel or stay home? For you and for me.
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