17 Signs You Were Born To Travel

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1. You’re willing to try anything once. Whether it’s food, a new activity, or something totally random your best friend suggests you have an open mind and a passion for new experiences.

2. Your dream job has always been a position that allows you to explore the world. Being a writer for a travel magazine, going on treks with National Geographic, or working as an anthropologist are all things you would seriously LOVE to do.

3. You’ve always loved studying other cultures and landscapes greatly different than your own. Social studies and/or Geography was your favorite subject in school and you can still get totally lost reading travel blogs or in travel memoirs.

4. While other people seem to hate airports you actually love the experience of flying. You seriously love just sitting in an airport and people watching. Everything from observing the different types of people flying to thinking about why they’re traveling and where they’re going – it’s one of your favorite parts of traveling.

5. You’re one of those people that others seem naturally drawn to. A stranger sits next to you on a bench or public transportation and 20 minutes later you know their entire life story. You’ve always been able to make friends wherever you go.

6. You hear about some crazy adventure sport or some strange activity people are doing in a country you’ve never been to and your first reaction is OMG THAT IS AWESOME I WANT TO DO THAT HOW CAN I DO THAT.

7. You can’t get enough of travel memoirs so writers like Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux, Cheryl Strayed,  and Jack Kerouac are some of your faves. Your favorite books are the ones where the protagonist leaves home to go on a grand adventure of some sort and experiences a series of life changing reflections.

8. You’re not sure if you would have a permanent home base if money were no object and you could keep traveling for as long as you wanted. You love the idea of being a nomad and admire people who can find careers that enable them to live a remote lifestyle.

9. You’re pretty easy going and don’t let negative experiences get you down. When something bad or weird happens to you on a trip you’re able to shrug it off relatively quickly because you know it will make for a great story to tell your friends and family later on.

10. You honestly have never understood people who have lived in the same town their entire lives or people who don’t own a passport. It’s not that you think traveling makes you better than anyone. It’s more just like, HOW CAN YOU NOT WANT TO EXPERIENCE THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD? I mean, have you SEEN Planet Earth?

11.You love collecting vintage travel items. Even though it’s completely impractical you really really want one of those old school suitcases you always see on Tumblr or elsewhere on the web. You might be able to actually use it for traveling but at least it looks super sweet in your apartment, right?

12. You have a thing for maps. Seriously. Whether it’s your iPhone case, the background of your computer, a special Pinterest board, the theme of one of the rooms in your house, you can’t get enough of maps. You think they’re one of the best things to decorate with, mostly because anytime you get bored you can look at one and think about your next destination.

13. In a perfect world you would be fluent in at least 5 languages. You daydream about being able to go to France or Russia or Thailand and having the ability to speak the local language flawlessly. “Wow, your [enter foreign language here] is impeccable. Are you sure you’re not from here?” some very chic local would ask you.

14. Sometimes, honestly, it’s hard for you to plan your travels because there are SO MANY places around the world you desperately want to see. You know you have your entire life but some days it’s just like damn, where do I go next? You want to see ALL of the things.

15. National Geographic was one of the first magazines you ever consistently read. While other people were reading fashion or entertainment mags you had your eyes on Nat Geo, like, yo did you know giraffes have helped space science?

16. You have at least 5 perfect dream vacations you’ve already religiously researched and daydreamed over. A safari adventure in Tanzania, eating your weight in carbs in Italy, getting an RV and roadtripping through the US. Ahh yes, you’re already well prepared for the day someone drops unlimited funds and free time on you and tells you you have to travel OR ELSE.

17. You’ve mastered the art of being able to sleep anywhere. Dirty ass hostels. Uncomfortable tiny seats on a plane. Small crevices for which one should not be able to sleep. You can sleep anywhere, anytime – it’s one of your greatest skills. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

Former senior staff writer and producer at Thought Catalog.

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