“Forever young” is an overrated thing! The spotless sunshine of an eternal young mind and body has no appealing on me and I’ve always been persuaded that the very best thing in order to live at the top is listening to my body, whose needs change with time and experience.
I think that what my body says is much more important than this social hysteria of everlasting younghood and this crazy social will to look and act always as if we were in our teen.
But when it comes to travelling… I have some doubt. When I travel I can’t listen to my body needs. I neglect what my very little flesh packaging tries to communicate like I never do at home. And now that I have turned 34 I start feeling the consequences of it.
Sometimes travelling can create so many physical consequences after 30 and sometimes I ask myself if decreasing instead of increasing my travelling rhythm and habits would be the most suitable and convenient thing to do.
For example, I’ve noticed that after 30…
It’s harder to digest so many things commonly considered edible otherwhere.
For instance, onion! I’m Italian, and I have a special relationship with food and a very bed one with onion. When I travel I have the strange perception that onion is the only ingedient all people use in the rest of the world.
Once, I was able to eat little and digest everything. Now I eat VEEERY little and have terrible stomach aches as soon as I smell onion. Even drinking beer looks much more difficult now. And this is a great issue for a young lady in love with good beer and wine.
Also read (in Italian):
le più buone birre che ho bevuto in viaggio
Crazy nights… end at 21.30
Well, I have always been very boring! I’m a morning bird and I prefer waking up very early in the morning than coming late at night. I was like this even when I was 20. To be true, I’ve had an idea of what night is after 25. Well, now that life has showed me crazy drinking nights, now that I have bumped into the lowest alcohol slums of 3 continents, now that I know what insomnia is (mainly for love reasons) now that life and travels have showed me quite a lot, I still prefer the sun and the day.
But when you travel, listening to my body’s sleep need is harder! And I fall into the ridiculous habit to smell like all my teen spirits… With all the craziest consequences on my poor body.
Walking hard, dreaming harder
I like walking, in life, in general. (As I recently wrote in the post: How to take the best out of your week end getaway). When I travel I do it even more, almost forgetting I have feet to care about.
I know, walking is nothing bad, everybody knows walking is one of the healthiest things to do! Well, true. But… over training is not, even more so when you walk with the sneaekers and ballerinas (that, no matter how beautiful and young, they are very bad for your feet and your back).
During my last travel to Warsaw I had a terrible pain at the top of my legs and buttocks since the second day… and this didn’t prevent me from walking again and much. If I wasn’t in travel, maybe I would have considered my usual idea of listening to my body and resting home.
But travelling is, over 30, a kind of epic self distructive attitude. A way to still train your body to what he can’t really do anymore.
So… should I travel less, or should I just try to listen more to my body while travelling?
Both things presently look not feasible to me 🙁
25 Comments
-
-
Sabrina - In My Suitcase
I’m so happy of it, and actually I travel 3 times as much as I used to do in my 20ies (yes, also and mainly for money reason, but also because my day schedule is paradoxically much more free than when I was “young”).
Just hope someone will catch the italian-british irony in my posts, hahaha.
-
-
Brianna Simmons
In my 30’s I know what I like and don’t feel the need to try to keep up with others. I have no problem ending my night by 10 and getting a good start exploring in the am.
-
Sabrina - In My Suitcase
That’s the answer: being older must mean being more free from “what you are supposed to do”. This is one just of the 100.0000 reasons why “forever young” has never been my motto 🙂
-
-
Jenna
Definitely know where you are coming from–it’s always unfortunate when you are unable to do certain things when you start getting older. We are noticing that we can’t do everything we used to, but think traveling with small adjustments to your needs is always a great answer! 🙂 We might not keep the pace we used to in our early 20’s but we have learned to plan in some downtime to relax a bit, as well! Hope you can find a balance that works for you!
-
Toni | 2 Aussie Travellers
I’m a few years beyond you and have a couple of chronic health conditions that can make travel more complicated now than it was when I was younger but I love it too much to give it up and will increase the pace as soon as we can. I find ways to work around it but it’s a personal decision, I listen to my heart and my body – the heart wins for now.
-
-
Tonya Denmark
I think no matter if you’re traveling or not you’ll have to listen to your body, so why deny yourself something you clearly enjoy. Traveling, and life, is what you make it. Will you really be happy sitting at home?
-
-
Carly Moore
I’m approaching 30 and already experience some of these things lol. If I stay up past midnight it takes me like 3 days to catch up on the sleep I lost haha. Also, I seem to have lost all love for red meat and bread makes me want to gag. Hopefully it doesn’t get too much worse as I age lol. Great post.
-
-
Anne
I am 42 and went travelling round Asia last year. I’m still suffering the consequences of those terrible beds so for me the only difference is that travelling when a little older requires a better bed and more sleep. I plan to stay travelling into my nineties (God willing)
-
-
anto
I really enjoyed this post as I can really relate to it! I’m 35 and just returned from one month in Tasmania. We hiked, biked and camped, slept somewhere else each night. A few years ago this was fine, but by the end of this trip I was exhausted. All I wanted each night was to sleep and I just didn’t feel like sitting outside of my tent, enjoying a campfire. This made me realize this was my last trip this style, for my next big journey, I will take it easier, listen more to my body and also my mind…
-
Sabrina - In My Suitcase
Your’re right, I know if I was in your shoes I would have suffered but… I must say that if now someone asked me to make the kind of experience you just did I’m not sure I’d be able to say “no”. Maybe we’re hopeless 🙂
-
-
Trisha Velarmino - P.S. I'm On My Way
What an interesting issue to be brought up. I have a couple of years before I hit the big 3-0 but I feel I can already relate to your woes. I would still consider myself a fun-loving and spontaneous person but I’ve grown to become more pragmatic and less impulsive and erratic. I guess these things come with age. I have learned the value of being well rested. I learned how to make myself a satisfactory thing. And of course I’ve had thoughts of settling down. But at this point, I’m just being patient. Thank you for this, Sabrina! You’re not alone!
-
Sabrina - In My Suitcase
Thank you Thrisha! Settling down… don’t do that, it’s a trap 😉 lik growing up
-
-
Meg Jerrard
I relate with a lot of these … and especially my husband re the not being able to digest everything. We used to eat everything and anything when we went overseas, though as we’ve grown older our bodies have started rejecting gluten which has put a huge strain on travel. We usually eat in now and stay in accommodations which have facilities which will allow us to cook.
Have realized that change is part of life, and part of growing older, and we just have to embrace it and realize that a change in travel style doesn’t have to be a bad thing 🙂
-
-
Veronika
I feel with you with falling asleep early!!! I agree it is so much better to wake up, maybe go for walk early in the morning, where the light is the best and everyone is still sleeping!
-
Vicki
Interesting the issues we face as we get older – but at the same time – I lost the passion for wild nights out in my early 20s, so my wild nights have always consisted of wine at home and an early night! So much for the rock and roll lifestyle!
-
Darlene
i think that there should be a balance between listening to our bodies and making sure that our bodies are fit. I also like walking especially when I travel and I make sure that I run as much as I can when im not travelling.
-
jen
Interestingly the issues that you are having with your body are just as present at home and when traveling – or so I have found. Sometimes it just takes a little more planning. I hope that you find the right balance for you.
-
The London Mum
I’m 32 this year, I think as we get older we learn our limits. I think you should continue to travel but take it at a pace that’s just more convenient. I have a young son now, so I’m forced to take breaks and make sure we rest up- I spread itineraries out usually only having one or two things to do in a day.
-
Sabrina - In My Suitcase
Having a baby would be a great idea! I’ll have to travel at his/her pace and maybe I’d spare my health 🙂
-
Monika
Last year I turned 40, and I guess I should relate more to this post, but I just felt strange reading it. I do travel differently than 20 years ago and value comfort more than before, but I guess it’s because I’ve got a bit more money and I’ve seen and experienced many things.
I’ve never liked parties till the morning so nothing changed really and I still stay out all night sometimes, but not often. I keep on walking a lot and tasting food became more and more important for me.
It has never crossed my mind that my age puts limitations on my travelling. Not yet.