Tuesday, June 14, 2011

lifetime vacation

At what point does a trip turn from a holiday into a lifestyle? This is a question I have been pondering since i have become really settled in Cusco.

We are coming up to the end of our 6th week in Cusco and still do not have any plans to leave soon. If you asked me what it is i love about this place i couldn´t really tell you. It was just a feeling as soon as we arrived. We knew. It was certain that we would spend a lot of time here.

It has been really great settling down in once place for a long time. We have friends who also live here. We have jobs (in return for free beds). We have things that we like to do here. For a few weeks I took Spanish lessons (still unable to speak spanish however - but am still trying!!) and said we would leave after that. These lessons finished over a week ago. I am now volunteering for an organisation that is run by my Spanish school. Part of me thinks this may be just looking for excuses to stay, or so I can say that I am actually doing something with my time in Cusco - when I could be exploring new places. When it comes down to it, we just don´t want to leave. I think what will finally push us to move is our visa expiration date - coming up in another 6 weeks time.

But to go back to the original question...At what point does the trip turn from a holiday into a lifestyle? When people ask me of my plans they never involve going back to Australia. Of course I will make it back there at some point, but I have realised it doesn´t figure in my plan at all. My plan currently ends with going to England, working and travelling around Europe. Does this mean that travelling is now my lifestyle? When people ask me what I do at home should I be the wanker that says ´the world is my home´? If i´m working does that make this no longer a holiday? If í´m going to be away for an unforseeable amount of time does that make this my lifestyle, as by rights a holiday should involve going back to something? Is travelling my fulltime job? hmmmmm.......

Just a thought.