Ridiculous and Ridiculously Awesome: Holiday Travel

On the one hand, those who live a “normal” life – living in one place – love the opportunity to travel on their vacation time. At Christmastime, the travel industry is booming with tourists taking advantage of the break from school, work, or whatever other obligations they might have. Those craving relaxation head to a nearby beach (which, for most Canadians and Americans, isn’t quite so near). This time of year is wonderful for all those people looking to get away. It’s quite awesome, really.

But for nomads… it’s pretty ridiculous. I enjoy the feeling of Christmastime – the decorations, the music, the holiday cheer. But I haven’t given much thought to the fact that others are now doing what I’m doing: traveling. Booking a bus one day in advance isn’t an option on the first weekend of the Christmas holiday. Booking a hostel the day-of will land me a cheap, crappy place. Everywhere you go, hotels, hostels, buses, and airplanes are all booked up or crazy expensive. This same thing happened to me in Europe this summer – I learned that I really should book a weekend hostel a couple days in advance. You would think I’d have learned from that experience…

Oh well. So what’s ridiculously awesome for so many, is really quite ridiculous for me, and all those like me. I suppose that’s the price I pay for enjoying all this festivity. If I’m still on the road next year, maybe I’ll find a place to stop for a couple weeks… hassle-free.