After returning to England after two years away it was a bit of a culture shock - to say the least. Along with the joys of talking about your travels, catching up with old friends and searching for work to pay for your next fix you tend to hear the same things over and over. Here are a few things a traveller hates to hear when they return home, found from research and my own personal experiences.
Where was your favourite place?
This possibly has to be the most annoying question I first came across. Its a little akin to asking a parent which child is their favourite. You fall in love with different places for different reasons, each one has a lasting effect on you so choosing a favourite is never going to be easy. Its also a bit of a conversation stopper. Thinking back on all those adventures you had can leave you a bit dumbfounded for a few minutes and before you can speak either another question follows or the conversation continues without you, or more recently, I told the asker this is the worst question to ask a traveller and they were left dumbfounded and thinking I was rude. Its a no win question, so maybe just avoid it.
Would you go back?
As Emily from Lemon Pea Lifestyle puts it 'Do they mean to visit or to live? Because they are two very different answers' of course most travellers would go back to visit, they will want to see the things they did last and explore new places, see old friends they left behind. Going back to live is a bigger question.
When are you going to settle and get a real job?
Sorry? A real job? If someone could tell me what qualifies as this that would be great. A traveller doesn't see a job as real or not, we see it as a means to an end. So while we don't want a job that pays hundreds of thousands a year but only gives me 3 weeks of holiday and means I work overtime on weekends, doesn't mean what we do isn't a real job. Most of us would rather work hard and play hard in jobs that we can quit without a care just so we can take 3-4 months off a year and visit new places. Better yet seasonal jobs that allow us to work a few months take a couple off and then go back are even better. More time for travel and less time worrying about where our money is going to come from! So once again, what is a real job?
Where do you see yourself in the future?
A classic interview question and one for me that I had to be honest with my interviewer for... 'I have no clue'. Most of us don't think past next week. We became so used to booking bus tickets and plane tickets at a moments notice and living in the moment that we don't think beyond a few days. Planning your life out can be pretty annoying, what about all the fun detours you might miss? I can't speak for anyone else but I have never quite known where I would be next week let alone in the future.
Which questions did you get annoyed hearing on repeat when you returned? Leave them in the comments.
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