Fernweh. Fernweh is a German word I recently stumbled across while reading an article about great words in other languages that we don’t actually have a word for in English. Translated to English, it essentially means Wanderlust, a desire for travel and far off places. Some online dictionaries describe it as “the opposite of homesickness”.
Until I read that article, I didn’t know there was a word for what I’ve been feeling over the past eight months. Born and raised in rural Ontario, I have seen very little of the world. The town I went to high school in has a tiny total of 700 people residing there and, needless to say, zero diversity. I look back at my childhood and teenage years with fondness always, and miss summer at the cottage and days spent in the forest with my brother and cousins. But as I move on to the next chapter of my life, as an adult in Toronto, Ontario I often find myself feeling an ache that until recently, I couldn’t identify. I work as a sound editor & audio engineer for series television and while I love the work I do, sitting at a desk in an office all day every day allows much time for the mind to wander and the soul to become restless. I think it’s safe to say I’m no stranger to Fernweh.
Once I had a name for this feeling, the question became - what should I do about it? I’ve read so many accounts of millennials who quit their jobs on a whim and buy a one way ticket to South East Asia where they will magically begin earning a living vlogging their experiences. This is not an option for everyone because fernweh or not, someone’s gotta pay the rent. I started searching for a balance between the structure of full time work and the chance to explore the world.
I want to share with you the city I live in (Toronto, Ontario) as well as the other cities around the world I have made it my mission to experience. I had my first international travel experience in September 2017 (stay tuned for a blog post on that soon!) and have just recently returned from two amazing weeks in Italy and Greece. I have many friends who have gone on incredible trips to many countries around the world and invite you to check out some of their upcoming stories which I will be sharing on the Guest Posts page.
I'll be posting weekly, covering everything from navigating budget airlines to how to stretch your insignificant CAD dollar as far as it will go in Europe. Please follow me on social media (@truemantravels) to stay up to date on my experiences, as well as what’s going on in Toronto, Ontario. I think it’s important not to take where you are for granted - we get so used to our surroundings we forget that sometimes it’s nice to be a tourist in our own city too.
More to come soon:)
Robynne