I'm the Antithesis of Homebody

If you knew me, you would definitely not be surprised. Staying home when there are so many places to explore is not my idea of a good time.

I have a lot of friends who are “homebodies,” a term applied to those humans who enjoy a simple life of work and home and not much else. I don’t judge them. But I also don’t understand them.

I guess I’m more of a “not-home body,” a term I just made up that means a human who tolerates work and home but can’t wait for the next adventure.

The last trip hubby and I went on was a few months ago-a two week jaunt to the West coast of the U.S. that included a road trip up the coast of Northern California to the Oregon border. I wrote a piece about that journey that I promise to share at another time. It was something else!

This one I’m leaving for in a few days is really special. And like most really special things, at least in my experience, it was not on my radar until it was.

After the trip to the West coast, I immediately began planning more. My hubby loves to travel too, but if I had to label him, I’d say he is a “sometimes-homebody,” meaning he is just as content to travel or not travel. He’s the enviously balanced and easy-going human who is fine with…whatever. Thank goodness he supports my need to feed my travel habit.

Hubby put the brakes on my next plan for us, which involved the Galapagos and Machu Pichu; or Costa Rica, or New Zealand or Paris or…you get it. He wanted some at-home time after the big trip.

That’s why, when a friend who I’ve known since high school asked me if I wanted to join a small group going to Indonesia, I didn’t hesitate. They had an extra bed, and I was going to be the one to fill it.

We have an amazing agenda planned but are open to just see what happens. I’ve never traveled with this group before, which is a risk (for them too) but I think we’ll do great. We are spending a week in Singapore and a week in Bali. My bags are packed; okay, way over-packed, but sue me, I like options.

I’m planning on taking Tylenol PM to help me sleep and wearing compression socks for the eighteen hour flight; it’s the only part I’m not super excited about.

I'm going to the exact opposite side of this planet! The thought of crossing the international dateline for the first time is something I am super excited about. Passing through the time warp will make communicating with family very...interesting, too.

And exploring a really different part of the world, meeting locals and enjoying their stories and cuisine; also super exciting.

As a side note, but very weird and important in some esoteric sense that I’m still trying to figure out, I’m the first person in my family to return to Indonesia since my Dutch father and his family were imprisoned there by the Japanese military in the 1940’s; and many died in the prisons including my grandfather.

So, to go back there as an American tourist in 2023 is vindicating in some small way.

Traveling anywhere enriches my life, and it’s my premise that a rich life leads to lots of memories when I can’t do it anymore. It leads to great and unique stories for the writer in me, and helps me stay green and growing even though I am over the senior citizen line.

Any other not-homebodies out there?