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June 27th, 2011
40 Signs You’re a True Traveler
You won’t find many people in the world that downright dislike traveling, but there are many of us that can admit that we are “travel obsessed”. We spend our entire days thinking about travel, traveling, and travel-related things. Travel is our life, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Here is a list of 40 signs that you too, might be travel obsessed, or a True Traveler.
1. Instead of spending all of your money on that new phone, clothes, or big screen TV, you save it all for a plane ticket.
2. You wonder why people are always saying that they want to travel, but never do.
3. You get really irritated when friends “travel” to all inclusive resort hotels, and post hundreds of photos of themselves on the beach.
4. When you’re at home you include the currency in your prices, even though it’s obvious. Example: “I paid $40 Canadian for…”
5. You are always counting down to your next trip. Otherwise you are planning another one.
6. You often plan trips that you never take.
7. You’ve slept in more hostels than you can count on your fingers. And toes.
8. Your passport is scruffy and has stamps on every page. Renewed passports look too clean to touch.
9. You suffer reverse-culture shock. You feel more out of place when you return home, than you did while traveling.
10. When someone asks how many countries you’ve been to, you actually have to take a moment to count.
11. You refer to cities by their airport codes.
12. You hardly ever get lost, and when you do, you have no problem asking a local for help.
13. You use a beach towel for showering.
14. You spend all day reading travels blogs, and probably have one of your own.
15. You feel obligated to be friends with the other Canadian (or whatever your nationality) while traveling, even though you might not be while at home.
16. Your phone is full of geography and travel apps.
17. You have a subscription to both National Geographic, and National Geographic Traveler.
18. When you meet someone new, your first question is “where are you from?”
19. When you’re actually at home, most of your belongings spend their time in suitcases or boxes, because you never really unpack.
20. You can make take-out last for days.
21. You’ve spent more than one month in a foreign country. Alone.
22. You know about global disasters within minutes of the incident.
23. You have spent at least one night sleeping outdoors, somewhere.
24. When you ask someone for their address, you don’t mean e-mail. Postcards are the best.
25. Your New Year’s Resolutions always resemble a bucket list; listing off countries that you want to visit.
26. You commonly start sentences with, “My friend from ________ [insert country]…”
27. You commonly start sentences with. “This one time in ________ [insert city]…”
28. Your friends from home roll their eyes each time you come up with new travel plans.
29. Your permanent address is still your parents’ house, because you’re never in one place for long enough.
30. Your walls are covered in maps and photos of places that you’ve been, or would love to go.
31. You have a box full of souvenirs, trinkets, memories and random items from abroad. You keep everything from seashells to bus tickets, and beer caps to candy wrappers.
32. You have a map of the world tattooed somewhere on your body.
33. You have multiple currencies in your wallet right now.
34. You know that couch surfing has nothing to do with the ocean. Usually.
35. Your unborn children already have a bucket list.
36. You’ve taken a plane, followed by a bus, before a train, and then another bus, before a long walk and a second train and a cab.
37. You only watch TV for the travel channel.
38. If you haven’t traveled in too long, you get anxious.
39. When someone asks what your biggest passion is, you answer “travel”, without a second thought.
40. You’re named after a city :p
June 28th, 2011
Erin
Says :
Hilarious! Between the tattoo and your name – you definitely have your travel bases covered
.
June 28th, 2011
Seattle
Says :
Haha, definitely!
June 28th, 2011
Richard
Says :
I do have to admit, I do agree with about 90% of the above
But I do miss: You speak several languages or at least try to do so
June 28th, 2011
Runaway Brit
Says :
Yep, I’m truly obsessed! Great post
June 28th, 2011
Seattle
Says :
Ah yes, a good one! I may have been focusing more on my own experiences as I was writing it.. and unfortunately I am lacking in the languages department (I do try!). But, definitely a good one!
June 29th, 2011
Katherina
Says :
This is so me! I totally use airport codes and currently have 4 different currencies in my wallet. Great post!
June 29th, 2011
Seattle
Says :
haha, that’s awesome! What are the currencies?
June 29th, 2011
Katherina
Says :
mmm… I’ve got a NZD (bring me luck – or at least that’s what I want to believe…), CHF (swiss francs, I live in Switzerland…), GBP (was in London 2 weeks ago and haven’t had the chance to change them into CHF yet!) and some cuban pesos (spent 3 days in Cuba last week… had to keep some of them!)
June 29th, 2011
Seattle
Says :
WOW! You’re quite the globe trotter! haha. Sounds like a good mix of currencies
June 30th, 2011
Tijmen
Says :
Quite a few signs on this list that I recognize from myself. I took a few months last time before my backpack was completely unpacked
Als had lots of issues with the reverse-culture shock, it can be really hard sometimes, but its gets better after a while. I bet there aren’t that many people that are named after a city and have a map of the world tattooed on their body 
June 30th, 2011
Seattle
Says :
Life just seems better when you’re living out of a backpack :]
June 30th, 2011
Tijmen
Says :
haha, thats so true
June 30th, 2011
Ryan @ PauseTheMoment.com
Says :
Love this list!
July 9th, 2011
Nomadic Samuel
Says :
This was a fun list to read. I certainly fall into the category of ‘obsessed traveler’ having been on the road for six consecutive years. Points 34 & 35 had me lol. I find that even when I’m not backpacking I’m always thinking/dreaming/planning my next adventure. It’s a cycle that never ends
July 10th, 2011
Seattle
Says :
Wow… 6 years.. I am JEALOUSSSS! haha. But really–you certainly do sound like an obsessed traveler :]
July 19th, 2011
crazy sexy fun traveler
Says :
I so loved this article! Keep laughing still 5min after I read it and now translating it to my mom as she doesn’t really get my travel obsession
July 19th, 2011
Seattle
Says :
haha, I hope it helps your mom understand
July 20th, 2011
crazy sexy fun traveler
Says :
She shut me down after 6 points saying you are the same crazy as me
December 16th, 2011
Top 10 Travel Blogs from 2011 Says :
[...] My favorite post? Her amusing list of 40 signs that you’re a true traveler. [...]
December 16th, 2011
Ane Munin
Says :
Ha, I hadn’t noticed that my postcard was on there ^^
Oh, and how about:
-You only have plants that can survive long periods of drought.
-You travel with the same things over and over again but they take up less and less space each time you’ve packed.
-You only ever buy ONE book on the road, but you read several.
^^
Ane Munin recently posted..thedailywhat:
This Is All Kinds Of Wrong of the Day: Some 65…
December 16th, 2011
Seattle
Says :
Hehe, yes–it is also kind of hiding in this photo too :
http://seattlestravels.com/postcards/
Those are good things to add to the list too.. should make it 50 reasons
January 11th, 2012
Monica | The Travel Hack
Says :
Love these, all so true. Except the one about not getting lost! I really wish I could say that I don’t get lost any more but unfortunately I could get lost in an empty room.
Monica | The Travel Hack recently posted..Hong Kong’s Peak
January 11th, 2012
Seattle
Says :
Haha–that would be a funny sight! Don’t worry, I think we all get lost from time to time
February 28th, 2012
Chris Brasuell
Says :
I appericiate your article a lot. Marvellous Hee Hee