Travelling from France to Canada in July is much easier than going from Mexico to Canada in January, or from Nicaragua to Canada in February. It’s summer, the weather is about the same and I have spent the past ten years going back and forth between the old world and the new world—I know the drill.
Yet, there are still things that feel pretty awesome after any long trip.
Lying in your bed after a long day of travelling
Dozing on and off on the plane or in the bus is better than no sleep at all (and I certainly wish Mark would wisely choose this option… I mean, at least he has a pillow—my boobs!), but nothing beats a bed, clean sheets and a nice pillow.
Eating all your favourite comfort foods because the fridge is empty
Oatmeal, cookies, pudding, a banana and chocolate eggs are a perfectly acceptable dinner option when you’ve just gotten home—and it’s almost healthier than airline meals or anything you may have grabbed at the airport.
Rediscovering your clothes
Like this t-shirt you haven’t worn in a few weeks, or a pair of socks without holes (everybody knows you walk a lot when you travel). Conversely, the downside of travelling light is it looks like you are wearing the same clothes in all of your travel pictures.
Opening the stack of mail and finding a few good surprises
Like cheques from clients or coupons. Okay, most of it is bills but you can put them aside for a few days.
Using the “meh, I’ll do it tomorrow, I have to recover from jetlag” excuse
It won’t last forever but feel free to postpone chores for a few days without any guilt whatsoever. Jetlag is a serious business and the best cure is to be lazy. See, I can barely write a paragraph—and I don’t care!
Emailing/calling your friends and catching up
No one wants to be forced to see ALL of your travel pictures (especially if like me you take a few hundred) but everyone likes a good anecdote. Plus, the world didn’t stop turning while you were away and you definitely missed some news.
Catching up with your favourite blogs or websites
I don’t spend much time online when I travel, except to write articles and upload pictures. It’s a real pleasure to read all the pages I bookmarked when I come back (and yes, I do dig into archives if needed!).
Breathing the air after you land
Each country has a specific smell and for a few minutes, as you step outside the airport, you can notice it very well. For instance, to me, France smells of buttery treats, perfume and coffee, Canada smells of trees and Mexico has a laundry detergent and plastic smell (no, really!).
Starting a new routine
Things will eventually get old, boring and predictable. Now is the time to try something new and to see things from another perspective. Your mind is still halfway across the world, and a grocery trip can turn into a fun cultural experience (“eh, I hadn’t noticed this product before!”).
Feeling smart
No more looking for directions, no more desperate attempts to locate the laundry powder at the supermarket, no more last-minute runs to the store on Saturday night because you forgot everything would be closed on Sunday, and no more counting your change slowly! You are home, and you master your environment.
How about you? Anything you enjoy after a trip?
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Yessss lying in bed after sitting in a plane and on the metro.
My ritual after getting home from a trip is to immediately take a shower and wash my hair. It feels so good.
I can’t say I enjoy the empty fridge though. I like a full fridge!
Oh yes, the shower… how did I forget that? It’s heaven after a long flight.
I definitely agree with the own bed part. I envy people who can sleep during a flight. Unfortunately I’m 6’4″ tall and there is no way I can get more than a short nap during the flight.
As for the food, I really don’t care much. Give me a Subway restaurant and I’m happy :). Even more so if there were none at the destination (ever tried to find a Subway in Bangladesh?)
I also enjoy not having to deal with stupid excuses form the airline when a flight is delayed… I returned from Washington to Ottawa this weekend and it was 7:52 am when the flight status changed from 8:02 am (on time) to 09:30 am “due to waiting for the arrival of a late inbound crew”. Seriously? They learned that they have no flight crew just 10 minutes prior to departure? There were five status updates and every single one informed us of another 30-60 minutes delay. I can’t believe they don’t know where their flight crews are. Just tell me the truth in the first place and let me go eat something instead of making me believe that we’ll depart in 30 minutes so I have to stay at the gate.
Anyhow, that’s the kind of stuff that I don’t need to worry about anymore once I’ve reached my destination *flex*.
And of course I use the jetlag excuse extensively. Hey, I was up for like 35 hours when I came home from Doha via Dubai via Washington. I’m entitled to recover for a few days. I have once read that the body needs one week per hour time difference to recover. If that’s true, I can be slacking… uh, I mean recover for almost two months. Unfortunately the jetlag doesn’t pay well 🙁
Last but not least: since my trips are usually for business (meaning I travel alone), I’m happy to see my better half when I come home.
I feel for you, dealing with delays is so annoying. It’s almost never the passenger’s fault and airlines don’t compensate easily. I hate having to show up four hours before my flight just to be told that I have to wait an extra two hours because the flight is delayed.
No Subway in Bangladesh? Here is a franchising opportunity! On a side note, I hate fast food joints in first world countries but they can be an interesting experience in a few “exotic” places because the menu is so different.
The most awesome, these days, after a flight, is that the plane has landed safely.
… or not gone missing.
For me:
1) bed
2) a cup of tea
3) naps for a few days
4) getting clean (I always feel gross after flying)
5) kisses from my dog (and Luke too of course)
I can’t nap. I wish I could but I can’t!