There is a wicked bug that tends to bite curious minds. A single bite is strong enough to transform the victim's mind and life forever. Yes, I'm talking about the (in)famous "travel bug" which causes the victim to feel an obsessive need to travel the world! The fever the bug causes is commonly called "Wanderlust".
I have been bitten by the travel bug. Here are the signs that can tell you if you've been bitten by this bug too!
1) You refrain from taking a leave from work even when you're sick. Your hard earned leaves are for traveling, not for being sick!
2) You calculate things basis trips. Should you buy those boots? No wait, you can book your next tickets for that price!
3) Your Facebook friend list is full of people from different countries that you met while traveling. You have friends in almost every timezone!
4) You firmly believe travel is the BEST test for any relationship.
5) Forget movies - in your spare time, you enjoy reading travel blogs or making rough itineraries.
6) You can't ever imagine yourself settling down with anyone who doesn't share the same passion for traveling.
7) You check flight prices on a regular basis, just in case you get lucky and find a lucrative deal.
8) You start showing some serious withdrawal symptoms if you haven't traveled anywhere for a few weeks.
9) Your room has plenty of knick-knacks from different places that you have visited. UV lamps from Goa, Tibetan prayer flags from the Himalayas, mirror-work goodies from Jaipur, Tacky souvenir from Bangkok's Khao San Road, shot glasses or magnets from your Euro Trip (well, because everything else was too expensive there).
10) You have your next 5 destinations roughly planned out in your mind. No wait, 10! Uff, 50!!
11) When not traveling, your eyes light up when you randomly meet a fellow travel addict in a party. You end up speaking for hours! And unlike what people think - no you're not flirting but just sharing travel stories.
12) You don't want a birthday party in your hometown, you want a birthday trip! A birthday party while traveling is an added bonus.
13) Your advice to your younger sibling / cousin / niece is to travel as much as possible before they start working.
14) In your eyes, the most magical love stories are the ones where people meet each other while traveling, no matter how the end is.
15) You know how to say "hello" and "thank you" in 5 different languages apart from your mother tongue.
16) You may not have the best phone but you definitely have a killer backpack.
17) Let's admit it - you have shared inspirational travel images and quotes on your Facebook timeline a few times.
18) Your skin usually has a tan for most months of the year.
19) Even though it's old, but you have watched "The Beach" over and over. That shit never gets boring! Same with "Into The Wild".
20) Your inbox is full of travel deals and travel blog subscription emails. Airline deals, hotel deals, itineraries - you have them all!
21) If you could turn back time, that one thing that you'd do differently is to travel more.
Did you nod to most of the above points? Congratulations - you have definitely been bitten by the travel bug! There is absolutely no cure for this and you must keep traveling to satiate your appetite. It's time to book your tickets for your next destination!
If you enjoyed this post, then visit my blog Drifter Planet for more travel related stories. This post was also published on The Quint.