Five Months on the Road

It’s been five months since we started this epic trip, and at the risk of sounding ungrateful, I’ll go ahead and say it–I’m pooped. I’m really looking forward to getting back home in a few weeks and settling back into life in Austin.

I love to travel, but I’m also a real homebody. I remember many years ago, when I was maybe around ten years old, as my family was heading off on a road trip to visit relatives in Indiana or Kentucky, that just as we got underway, I said something to my mom about how it was fun to go out of town, but I always looked forward to getting back home again. I told her how much I loved being at home. I remember sharing that moment with my mom as she listened, looking back at me in the rear view mirror.

I’ve struggled a bit over the last month with more homesickness than I’ve experienced so far on our trip, and it’s surprised me because we’ve entered a stage where the travel is really easy–it’s hard to beat Australia and New Zealand–and traveling here feels a lot like being in the US. John’s theory is that that’s precisely what’s making me feel more homesick–that it feels so much like home already that it makes me think about home more and just want to be there. John, on the other hand, is on the up and up after getting some medication in Australia for his stomach bugs, and he’s loving all of the outdoorsy adventures we’ve been having the last few weeks. As we headed out of Australia and on to New Zealand, John declared not only that he wasn’t ready to leave Sydney, but also that it was the only place we’ve visited on our trip where he can really see himself living. What a beautiful place Sydney is!

For the last five months, we’ve had lots of good fortune–great weather, no lost bags, no canceled flights, no emergencies of any sort, and in general a pretty easy time of finding our way. So I think the homesickness is really just a true yearning for home rather than frustrations with traveling. At my next monthly update, I’ll be writing a wrap-up from home sweet home. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy our final hurrah with one more week of camper-vanning in New Zealand and a holiday-time safari in Namibia and Botswana. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy start to 2013, and we’ll see you all soon!