Been Away For Quite Some Time, Came Home, Now I Want to Fly Away Again..........ASAP!!!

This is my situation at the moment, which I just wanted to share with you, you may agree or disagree with what I have to say, but at the end of the day we all have our own free will to come and go as we please…

Anyway, I have not long returned home not far from where I grew up, been back just over a year after travelling for the last 15 years to many countries around the world and also living in a few of them. I made the decision to return home because I missed certain people, friends, family, some food products, certain types of beer, as well as missing the humour that goes hand in hand with the culture that I grew up in…

I now want to disappear again, I really want to get on a plane and fly as far away as possible. The reason for this is because people really bore me to death and it is so painful. If I go to the pub and meet up with a few folks, sometimes I literally just want to lay my head on the table and switch off so that people can wake me up when it’s time to go home. And what is all this texting and messaging on phones all about? This Facebook nonsense is surely ruining society; people just sit in the pub telling each other what they are going to be having for their tea, or they have just been to the toilet, people can’t even be bothered to talk about anything of substance anymore to each other, they just sit there with their thumbs twitching, what a crying shame…

People my age are mostly married or divorced, had the same job for many years, drink in the same pub and sit in the same seat they occupied 20 years ago, they live in the same street or live in close vicinity to where they were born, and some have never even ventured outside their own country, not even to France, which is only 26 miles away by ferry, you can even get the train to Paris through the channel tunnel which takes under 2 hours…

Apart from being born in the same place as these people, I have now come to the conclusion that we have nothing else in common whatsoever. All these people do is moan about this and that and how unhappy they are in their relationships and jobs. I try not to say too much to people about the places I have visited and the sights, sounds, tastes and smells I have experienced across the world because they just look at me as if I am being boastful or showing off in some way. I am not a boastful kind of person or any kind of show off, I am just talking about my life and my thoughts and experiences in exactly the same way that they talk about theirs. The biggest difference is the fact that their lives are so mundane and boring and they know that they are, they tell me they are, yet they still don’t try to change their situation. My mentality has always been to try and change a situation if I am not happy and do something about it…

They talk to me and say that they wished that they had done this and wished they had done that, and then they go on and say, “Ooh, if only I had my time again,” which really P’s me off because we only get one life and you have to do what you can while you have your active mind and health. People always say that they are waiting to retire so that they can go here and there, but why wait until your late sixties and seventies? They may not even be physically mobile by that time of their lives, they don’t even know how long they are going to be on this earth, so you can’t plan that far in advance, surely. I just don’t understand why people moan when they have the opportunity to make changes within their own lives, now, even if they are just small changes…

I have tried to encourage people to tag along with me to go and have a drink or a meal in one or two other towns that are a few miles away, but they say that it is too far or make up some kind of excuse; this all just drives me bloody nuts. The other week I mentioned to a couple of guys about having a long weekend in Amsterdam, in the Autumn, one of my favourite cities and is only a 55 minute flight away, but they just looked at me as if I was asking them to fly to the moon. I just don’t get it. I have tried to encourage them to go somewhere they have never been before, not too far away, but to just get a different experience. Travel is not that expensive really, you can, and I have done it on a shoe string, that’s part of the fun of it. Once you have caught the flight to the continent you want to go to, travelling then internally can be done on a low budget, just takes a little preparation and thought….

I have found now since my return that I am going more and more within myself and getting quieter and quieter because I just don’t have anything in common with these people anymore, I actually feel as if I am becoming ill and really depressed. The main reason I think this is, is because mostly all conversations I have are just listening to others, asking them questions in conversation, but nothing ever comes back the other way to make it a proper conversation. I think the main reason for this is because people are put off by what I may bring up as an analogy in response to their situation, or a story I may tell about an adventure I had in some place they may never have even heard of. It seems as though they are scared of what may come out of my mouth about something that they are not familiar with, so they don’t get too involved. I am aware of this and try to keep things as low key as possible; I have boundaries and I am courteous towards others, but I can’t go on like this for too much longer, it is killing me. I would rather be sitting in a bar somewhere in Asia, having a conversation with another traveller in the warm and talking about more interesting topics than going through a list of items to get when doing the shopping at the supermarket, or what to have for supper...Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

So I think I have made a decision to get on a plane and leave, I haven’t made up my mind where to go yet, but I am going somewhere, that’s for sure. I don’t even think that I am going to tell anybody that I am going; I am just going to get on a plane and fly away and be somewhere more interesting….
I know I have gone on a bit, but that is my rant…

Do you agree or disagree with me, or have any other thoughts around this?

Cheeeeeeeers………

How are you funding this travelling? Just curious.

How about you go now place? just fly around forever and stop for fuel?

Originally posted by sussy
How are you funding this travelling? Just curious.

When I get somewhere and start to fall short of money I find little jobs here and there, maybe in a bar, filling shelves in supermarkets, maybe sell some of my art work that is done on large pieces of card or canvas, and I have also performed singing and stand up comedy in English, in front of people who mostly speak a different language, but the comedy still comes across just by your actions and facial and body expressions and sometimes works better when nobody can understand a word you are saying. I love it because it enables you to think on your feet and be instantaneous and spontaneous. You also have to be quite good at budgeting and not going mad with the money that you have, and I always take a small tent and a roll mat with me, then I always have somewhere to sleep....as long as you have bread and water, then you can survive, I don't need much, I am not very materialistic....

Originally posted by Foxy1
How about you go now place? just fly around forever and stop for fuel?

I would not like to fly continually, I hate flying, I just love getting to the destination and then exploring. I just wish that some flights were a bit cheaper instead of having to scour the internet for cheap, cheap flights. If you search and search and talk to people via the phone you can normally get prices knocked down........

reply to post by davethebear


Hi Dave!

Really liked reading your rant.

I live in the UK, too, and what you have described about life in the UK is spot on. You are right; people have become very humdrum.

I like all kinds of alternative ways of doing things, but I feel really lonely these days. There used to be all kinds of interesting looking people with crazy clothes and hair styles in the UK. Now everyone just looks and acts the same and people do their very best not to stick out from the crowd. They all keep each other squashed into the same little box. It is soul destroying to observe this.

I feel ill here, too. I can not fit in with them. I would love to be able to just wander off from all this. I did try to escape, but ended up having to return.

Well at least you have ATS to come to. There are still some alternative thinking people left in the world and this is a good place for just a hint of being among likeminded people.

I just make up each day as it comes along. I don't go to the pubs because it does depress me. Even the supermarket depresses me when I see how people have become.

I hope you get to do a lot more travelling as that seems to be where your heart is. You sound like a very resourceful chap. Wish I was more extravert! I am a very quiet person and not good at meeting people. That makes life a bit harder.

Yes, the UK has fallen into some strange limbo and stupor. Though I will not give in. I still make my crazy electronic music and have long hair and am not frightened to stand out and be myself.

Don't let us die in this little box people. Make an effort to be yourself; and individual. Brighten up this drear with some colourful thoughts and imagination. I beg you!

Originally posted by Revolution9
reply to post by davethebear

 

Hi Dave!

Really liked reading your rant.

I live in the UK, too, and what you have described about life in the UK is spot on. You are right; people have become very humdrum.

I like all kinds of alternative ways of doing things, but I feel really lonely these days. There used to be all kinds of interesting looking people with crazy clothes and hair styles in the UK. Now everyone just looks and acts the same and people do their very best not to stick out from the crowd. They all keep each other squashed into the same little box. It is soul destroying to observe this.

I feel ill here, too. I can not fit in with them. I would love to be able to just wander off from all this. I did try to escape, but ended up having to return.

Well at least you have ATS to come to. There are still some alternative thinking people left in the world and this is a good place for just a hint of being among likeminded people.

I just make up each day as it comes along. I don't go to the pubs because it does depress me. Even the supermarket depresses me when I see how people have become.

I hope you get to do a lot more travelling as that seems to be where your heart is. You sound like a very resourceful chap. Wish I was more extravert! I am a very quiet person and not good at meeting people. That makes life a bit harder.

Yes, the UK has fallen into some strange limbo and stupor. Though I will not give in. I still make my crazy electronic music and have long hair and am not frightened to stand out and be myself.

Don't let us die in this little box people. Make an effort to be yourself; and individual. Brighten up this drear with some colourful thoughts and imagination. I beg you!

Aah, bless ya, kidder, sounds as though you definitely know where I am coming from on this matter…
Like you say, this country has become pretty humdrum and individuality seems to have got lost somewhere in the ether. Yeah, folks used to have flair and some kind of style, most of which was brought along by different kinds of music style, be it rock, punk, soul, ska, rockabilly, new wave, etc. The days when you knew what kind of stuff people were into just by the way that they dressed has now vanished…

People have seemed to lost interest in themselves and most seem to wander around looking like a dirty bag of washing even though you know that they can afford better, but just can’t be bothered. Like you say, everybody looks the same; they all wear the same crappy clothes from the same crappy shops. Why do people buy items of clothing advertising sports companies strewn across them in big massive lettering, it’s not as if they are getting paid to advertise by these companies is it, in the way that tennis players do?

Me and my closest friends who are now far flung across the planet never bought clothes off the peg, for the same amount of money you spend in a crappy shop you can venture into a retro/vintage/charity shop and find some awesome and individual clothing that you will never see on another person. This used to be the way that we were, students used to clothe themselves to look different and stand out a little from the crowd, but even students today wear just as boring clobber as every other person on the street, something got lost somewhere and I am not too sure why…

I am pleased that you are doing your electronic music, that is a great way of producing pieces of music and can change due to the way that you may be feeling at a certain time. So even though you may feel a little lost and not fit in, at least you have an activity that is individual to you, that is yours to do with as you please, and if it makes you happy, then that is a great thing. I have always been into music and played in bands since I can remember, always done something creative, without that energy I would just diminish into a pool of nothingness…

Always be yourself my friend…
T
hanks for your response and all the best to ya….

Originally posted by davethebear

Originally posted by Revolution9
reply to post by davethebear

 

Hi Dave!

Really liked reading your rant.

I live in the UK, too, and what you have described about life in the UK is spot on. You are right; people have become very humdrum.

I like all kinds of alternative ways of doing things, but I feel really lonely these days. There used to be all kinds of interesting looking people with crazy clothes and hair styles in the UK. Now everyone just looks and acts the same and people do their very best not to stick out from the crowd. They all keep each other squashed into the same little box. It is soul destroying to observe this.

I feel ill here, too. I can not fit in with them. I would love to be able to just wander off from all this. I did try to escape, but ended up having to return.

Well at least you have ATS to come to. There are still some alternative thinking people left in the world and this is a good place for just a hint of being among likeminded people.

I just make up each day as it comes along. I don't go to the pubs because it does depress me. Even the supermarket depresses me when I see how people have become.

I hope you get to do a lot more travelling as that seems to be where your heart is. You sound like a very resourceful chap. Wish I was more extravert! I am a very quiet person and not good at meeting people. That makes life a bit harder.

Yes, the UK has fallen into some strange limbo and stupor. Though I will not give in. I still make my crazy electronic music and have long hair and am not frightened to stand out and be myself.

Don't let us die in this little box people. Make an effort to be yourself; and individual. Brighten up this drear with some colourful thoughts and imagination. I beg you!

Aah, bless ya, kidder, sounds as though you definitely know where I am coming from on this matter…
Like you say, this country has become pretty humdrum and individuality seems to have got lost somewhere in the ether. Yeah, folks used to have flair and some kind of style, most of which was brought along by different kinds of music style, be it rock, punk, soul, ska, rockabilly, new wave, etc. The days when you knew what kind of stuff people were into just by the way that they dressed has now vanished…

People have seemed to lost interest in themselves and most seem to wander around looking like a dirty bag of washing even though you know that they can afford better, but just can’t be bothered. Like you say, everybody looks the same; they all wear the same crappy clothes from the same crappy shops. Why do people buy items of clothing advertising sports companies strewn across them in big massive lettering, it’s not as if they are getting paid to advertise by these companies is it, in the way that tennis players do?

Me and my closest friends who are now far flung across the planet never bought clothes off the peg, for the same amount of money you spend in a crappy shop you can venture into a retro/vintage/charity shop and find some awesome and individual clothing that you will never see on another person. This used to be the way that we were, students used to clothe themselves to look different and stand out a little from the crowd, but even students today wear just as boring clobber as every other person on the street, something got lost somewhere and I am not too sure why…

I am pleased that you are doing your electronic music, that is a great way of producing pieces of music and can change due to the way that you may be feeling at a certain time. So even though you may feel a little lost and not fit in, at least you have an activity that is individual to you, that is yours to do with as you please, and if it makes you happy, then that is a great thing. I have always been into music and played in bands since I can remember, always done something creative, without that energy I would just diminish into a pool of nothingness…

Always be yourself my friend…
T
hanks for your response and all the best to ya….

Thanks Dave! I wish you the same!

Thanks, too, for your reply on the Elvis thread, I replied to you guys there also today.

We are definitely feeling the same kind of blues. It's good to know you are out there doing your thing.

Just keep on doing it and don't let the blue meanies turn you to stone...ever!

I will hang on in there. I got a way to make a bit of money hopefully and want to do some more travelling!

Hope to see you around lots here on ATS. You have a very gentle and genuine Spirit about you and that is not common.

I am just like you. I love all the charity shops, etc. I always buy clothes there. It is great fun.

I do just feel sorry for people that they have lost the plot a bit. It is not any kind of disrespect, but something has definitely gone wrong here.

Once you have a gypsy in your soul, it becomes like a siren calling you onward ever onward. The mundane and humdrum have nothing to offer you. You are not afraid. That is the single thing that separates you from peers in your home town. They fear change, risk, and you do not. How wonderful to be free! Congratulations! Go for it, be sure to take a computer and share with those of us whose wings have been clipped. Safe journeys.

Originally posted by Iamschist
Once you have a gypsy in your soul, it becomes like a siren calling you onward ever onward. The mundane and humdrum have nothing to offer you. You are not afraid. That is the single thing that separates you from peers in your home town. They fear change, risk, and you do not. How wonderful to be free! Congratulations! Go for it, be sure to take a computer and share with those of us whose wings have been clipped.

Safe journeys.

Cheers Iamschist, yeah, it must be the gypsy and nomad blood in me, that's what people say...

Thanks for your best wishes, I shall always be here on ATS, that's one thing I know for sure...

Take care kidder......

reply to post by davethebear


Your story resonated a lot with me and also brought up some qualms I have about moving back home. I've lived a similar life as you traveling around the world.

I recently realized that my buds from back then more than likely will not welcome me back with open arms as they have their own lives to live. If they want to reconnect, that's cool, but it is not like they really stayed in touch with me. It was always me staying in touch with them.

When/If I move back home, I'll just have family. Some may think that is a good thing, but I would be returning to become a caregiver, for which I am not all that suited for physically anymore. My back is toast. But I can always make new friends.

There are both pluses and minuses to both where I currently live and Wisconsin. I'm weighing my options and trying to decide which course will make me happier overall.

Good luck with your travels through life.

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by davethebear

 

Your story resonated a lot with me and also brought up some qualms I have about moving back home. I've lived a similar life as you traveling around the world.

I recently realized that my buds from back then more than likely will not welcome me back with open arms as they have their own lives to live. If they want to reconnect, that's cool, but it is not like they really stayed in touch with me. It was always me staying in touch with them.

When/If I move back home, I'll just have family. Some may think that is a good thing, but I would be returning to become a caregiver, for which I am not all that suited for physically anymore. My back is toast. But I can always make new friends.

There are both pluses and minuses to both where I currently live and Wisconsin. I'm weighing my options and trying to decide which course will make me happier overall.

Good luck with your travels through life.

edit on 30-8-2013 by TDawgRex because: Just a ETA

Yeah, I fully understand where you are coming from regarding keeping in touch with friends....

Your story is similar to me in the fact that it always tends to be me who contacts them, because they are so tied up with their lives, plus they are getting older and don't always want to do stuff, but I carry on regardless of age because I live in a place where today could be my last day. I don't want to get older and sit in and watch TV every night, what's the point of that existence. TV should be used really as an occasional leisure activity, not to vegetate every day like a couch potato getting fatter and more unhealthy as time goes by.People need to keep the brain active, get out and about and do stuff. Surely we haven't gone through millions of years of evolution to vegetate in front of a box of rubbish that's on most of the time...

As for the family thing, I totally agree with you on that one, but what ever you decide to do I wish you the best of luck and enjoy yourself........cheers

A book I read about 6 years ago that changed my perspective and ultimately changed my life. It's called The 4 Hour Workweek.. The principles with what you are saying about living life NOW not at a fictional timeline in the future. The book's message wouldn't leave me, it haunted me ongoing to the point that I followed the principles within the book and reversed my life to "retiring" in my mid 40's and living the life all of us were meant to live.

As a result, all of my friends, except a few are either jealous and act like I'm missing something not working, or don't understand that life is meant to be lived, not slaves to debt, work, and bills.

I totally understand where you are coming from! Thank you for posting!

Originally posted by curiouswa
A book I read about 6 years ago that changed my perspective and ultimately changed my life. It's called The 4 Hour Workweek.. The principles with what you are saying about living life NOW not at a fictional timeline in the future. The book's message wouldn't leave me, it haunted me ongoing to the point that I followed the principles within the book and reversed my life to "retiring" in my mid 40's and living the life all of us were meant to live.

As a result, all of my friends, except a few are either jealous and act like I'm missing something not working, or don't understand that life is meant to be lived, not slaves to debt, work, and bills.

I totally understand where you are coming from! Thank you for posting!

Wow, that's really cool, I shall have to sort that book out and have a look at it...Yeah, I will not be a slave to bills and work, debt is a complete no no, if ya can't afford then don't have it, don't put yourself through unwanted misery until the day you die, what's the point of that.....

Cheers for your post curiouswa, nice one and all the best to you whatever you do...

reply to post by davethebear


You are a cultural creative! You are alive and interested in the world. You're happiest when you're learning, and seeking out new experiences!

That makes you different than the average guy sitting next to you at the pub. It isn't easy to be different==it is sometimes very lonely. But that's the price you pay for being special. You are being treated to a wonderful ride through life because of who you are, so isn't it worth the price?

I travel a lot, too...but I've made it my career. I'm a tour director, so I get paid to take people places. My favorite tours are archaeology tours. I leave for northern Chile and Easter Island in a few weeks.

I don't talk about my travels much and people make it perfectly clear that they don't want to hear about them. If there is one job or hobby that creates instant jealousy in others---it is traveling.

My Dad traveled around the world for 2 years with a tent and a knapsack, and when he came home, he learned very quickly to be humble about it. I, of course, wanted to know everything, but I'm the exception. Most people just don't want to hear your stories.

So, you're never going to be happy with vanilla and that is amazing. You're lucky to be who you are! Seek out like minded people. Move to a place that resonates very strongly with you. Where you choose to live your life is a very important decision, as it defines us in a way that nothing else does.

Good luck!

MRuss
reply to post by davethebear

 

You are a cultural creative! You are alive and interested in the world. You're happiest when you're learning, and seeking out new experiences!

That makes you different than the average guy sitting next to you at the pub. It isn't easy to be different==it is sometimes very lonely. But that's the price you pay for being special. You are being treated to a wonderful ride through life because of who you are, so isn't it worth the price?

I travel a lot, too...but I've made it my career. I'm a tour director, so I get paid to take people places. My favorite tours are archaeology tours. I leave for northern Chile and Easter Island in a few weeks.

I don't talk about my travels much and people make it perfectly clear that they don't want to hear about them. If there is one job or hobby that creates instant jealousy in others---it is traveling.

My Dad traveled around the world for 2 years with a tent and a knapsack, and when he came home, he learned very quickly to be humble about it. I, of course, wanted to know everything, but I'm the exception. Most people just don't want to hear your stories.

So, you're never going to be happy with vanilla and that is amazing. You're lucky to be who you are! Seek out like minded people. Move to a place that resonates very strongly with you. Where you choose to live your life is a very important decision, as it defines us in a way that nothing else does.

Good luck!

Thank you for your post, I must admit, your job sounds of very much interest to me, sounds like my kind of job, any openings for me...haha....

So you are off to Chile and the Easter Islands, awesome. I have a close friend that had just come back to the UK, after 12 years in Chile, and now he wants to go back, he loves it so much. But Easter Island, that is a place I have always wanted to go to since was a kid reading Erich Von Daniken books in the library when everybody else was reading plain old story books...

All the best to you in whatever you do.....

reply to post by davethebear


This is exactly how I felt a few months ago but I hadn't had the traveling experience yet. I got accepted into a good university and had a whole life planned around working which ultimately would have led to me living from pay check to check which is something I didn't want.

So I packed my rucksack and left and I've been wandering around Australia (originally from England) for the last couple of months and I'm loving being free.

Pack your bags and leave. Peace