Gone travelling

I've had a conversation with a friend the other day about semantics. Are we going travelling or on holiday? While most people don't see a difference, I do. I've been travelling a lot in the past years, moving around, roaming, sleeping in crappy hostels, or not sleeping at all on busses, planes and trains. Whereas I only remember going on holiday twice in the past couple of years. I mean going away to a nice place, eat well and relax. But isn't that what spare days and school breaks were invented for? Relaxation, recharging? Why do so many people, especially me, go through the troubles of travelling then? Fly overseas, fight jetlags, worry about expensive taxis, busses not being on time, having trouble communicating, having to eat foreign foods and risking vomiting for days. In fact risking all the other diseases that come with far away travels, and in order to be prepared for everything, packing tons is unnecessary things, but forgetting the essential items. Thus carrying a backpack full of stuff to be mobile instead of a small trolley which can easily be pulled around with things inside that fulfill the basic needs of a week's holiday. I see my cons far overweigh my pros for travelling. And honestly I don't know why I keep doing it. It would be much easier not to. I can't help it though. Why can't I help it? I don't know. Maybe my experiences outside my comfort zone were really rewarding. So I want to do it again. It's a way of positive reinforcement. I've met wonderful people, seen beautiful places and felt home far away. Things I would have never experienced on holiday and would not want to miss. Also all of those bus rides with too many people crowded in a small vehicle, the cockroaches under my bed, the dirty bathrooms and the Durian for breakfast make me more resiliant to stress at home. Everytime I am annoyed because the person next to me on the subway smells, I think about how I was crowded with way more people in an even smaller vehicle for hours in Cameroon. When my bus runs late, I remember waiting for hours for my bus in Cambodia in the middle of the night. When I burn my breakfast, I remember having to eat Durian. My fond but sometimes challenging memories put things at home in a different perspective. I can appreciate many things in Germany even more after travelling- more than a week at the beach ever could.

What a feeling accomplishing something you didn't think you would

Hiking 15+ km with 12 kg on my back, still a wonderful hike with wonderful people and beautiful scenery.

Indeed very far out of my comfort zone. Climbing up the dam at Stausee Moserboden with my fear of heights.