Are travel bloggers always happy?

Depression manifests itself in may ways. Sometimes in many ways for just one person. Travel has helped me get over a personal tragedy that I did not want to get over. I just wanted to end my life. Then I made a travel bucket list with a purpose. Things and places I always wanted to see. I always have my next destination planned. I keep adding to the list, just to stay interested in life.
I do not monetize my blog, just because I am an amateur. The root of the word amateur is doing something for love.

Everyone has challenges in their lives – travellers are no different. I get so tired of family members who think everything is always just wonderful for me and tell me how lucky I am – I can’t ever complain about anything to them. They don’t take me seriously. But I have real problems too: health issues, figuring out my non-travel life, stressful relationships, etc. People are funny – some of them only see one side of everything.

Most people are not always happy. Actually the average person is mostly unhappy, even the queen of England is not always happy. or satisfied. One good thing about being aware of unhappiness is the understanding that things must change, and you are dealing with it. You’ve done some changes. Didn’t feel like it worked out, look for some others. It is so normal, if I may choose this word, to be unhappy when the road you have taken feels like it’s blocked. The definition of happiness is mostly referring to ‘Hollywood’ mentality. Traveling or the ability to live as a traveller is perceived as a happy one. But travelers are human just as everybody else. They have thoughts. They have feelings. They have previous lives that echoes.
It is ok to be unhappy. It is ok to depressed. It is ok to feel lost and look for a way. Living your life as a nomad is your lifestyle. Or at least it was for the past few years and now you need to do something else and you don’t really know what is there that is right for you. I wish for you that going on the road again will clear up some thoughts, and new ways will open up for you.
I am a nomad myself. I do not write a blog (yet) because I disagree with the way traveling blogs turn out to be. Most of them are not honest. Very competitive. The essence of writing about traveling is lost. As a traveller I am looking for honest travel blogs. Those who write about their true experiences and not those who advertise for the reach and famous kind of vacation. I am looking for those I can refer to. That brought me to visit and follow your blog. And I think I understand what you are going through. All I can say is, don’t stress yourself. You need to do some changes in your life and that is very much ok. It may take some time to figure things out, but you will find your way.
Have a great ‘happy’ journey :) wishing you all the very best. Take care :)

Your post resonated with me, and thank you for being so open. It’s hard to find the room to be honest when you have a public life, when your explorations are the stuff of other people’s dreams. Still, what is a dream without some kind of grounding other than an unreachable fantasy?

So thanks for your honesty. Having experienced depression more than once I know there’s no cliche to offer, just that you’re doing a good job if you can even be this open about it.

Best,

EWM

I hear you. I know we’ve been talking on and off about this subject, but I felt really close to this post. Some of the sentences are exactly what I’ve been thinking for a while. I don’t have any answer, but I’ve decided to make some changes. What kind of changes? I don’t know. But I can’t stuck here forever. Good luck with your endeavors sis. And I’m always here to talk! :)

Please get a copy of Sane New World by Ruby Wax. It’s very helpful.

Wow, what is going on with all of us. I feel like it’s a virus. Ironically, I’ve finally been working on my own blog post on my own situation, which I’ve been dealing with since I came home too. That post has been in my Draft box for over a month. Each day is a battle to hold onto myself. If I travel, I’m better.

I’m there with you- having keeping it smuggled for a while. Who wants to even hear or read what I actually feel? And at the same time, I feel I’m being dishonest for not disclosing it on my blog.

Thanks for this honest post! I’m sure the decision took a lot of time.

Giulia…it takes a lot of courage and braveness to be this honest, to share your sadness and dark moments. Im in a very similar situation at the moment and im pondering if i should write about it or not.. In my case i knew this moment will come…my relationship is coming to an end and its damn hard to keep a smile on my face when im dead inside. Add my lovely anxiety and panick attaks and you know exactly how it feels liike. Its hard. I still dont know how i’ll get trough it. And i hobestly feel ashamed to be so devastated for “just” the end of a love story. i wish i could be as open as you were in your post. But i have to keep the pain inside and carry on.

You are very brave. Im sure you know that.. And im sure you know already that you can overcome this dark moment.. keep doing what you’re doing. Open up to the world, and talk to people that really understand what you’re going trough. staying at home doesnt seem.to help much…are u planning to travel again soon?
If you need someone to talk to, even if we dont knoe each other in the “real” world, im here. And i mean it..

We are strong. We carry on. And fxxk everything else.

What you said about seeing too much already, that’s partly how I feel. Once I started moving, leaving home, living in different towns, countries and hemispheres, I couldn’t stop. I don’t have any ties to anywhere so there is no point in settling. Does that make sense? I can’t function unless I have a plan or something to aim for. There seems to be a disproportionately high percentage of travel bloggers afflicted by depression or anxiety. I hope you pull out of it soon, I’ve been there.

There’s a lot going on in that portrait photo; that’s reflected in your story here. I think it’s weird for everyone to be happy all the time, even with all of our self-imposed self-censored filters that we put onto Facebook and Twitter. Honesty, truth, what’s real, where we are, when it’s real : I think that’s what’s important, no matter if we’re stationary or in motion. Thanks for writing and your honesty, Giulia!

Just wanted to send you a hug. It’s no bad thing sharing some of the lows as well as the highs as I’m sure a lot of people will relate to it. Hope your spirits rise soon.
Looking forward to your future adventures and if you visit London again (or Brighton area) hope we get to meet this time.

No one should have to be happy all the time. Fact is no one is ever happen all the time. A lot of people blog for fun and a lot for money. Its your blog and you have the freedom to do as you please. I like the blogs that are true and real to themselves. Those are the ones I can relate to. Glad to hear you will be traveling again.

I have followed your blog for maybe a couple of years now. I started following because you seemed to live what I want to but can’t because of circumstances. Plus I like your writing style and your vision of the things you see.
I want to tell you that I would be one of those that would think “wow how can you be sad? Your life is amazing”
Of course you can be sad and depressed and lonely and afraid and …….
I’m sorry to be guilty of not understanding that until now. No matter what life you live, how much money you have or fame or good fortune, you are still human with human needs and human feelings. I’m sorry you have to feel that you must be silent about your feelings because you will be judged unfairly.
I’m wishing you well. I hope returning to travel will be helpful to you.
Thank you for your honesty. And for sharing the world with us.

Ciao Giulia,
ti chiedo anzitutto scusa se ti scrivo in italiano ma credo che, pur conoscendo bene l’inglese, nella nostra lingua madre possiamo capirci di più su un argomento così delicato. Sono un viaggiatore anche io, amo viaggiare e scrivere comunicando le mie emozioni, anche se non ho ancora creato un mio blog.
Ho letto attentamente e con partecipazione il tuo post…il tuo bellissimo post direi. Perché è il post più bello che tu potessi scrivere. Ho conosciuto il tuo blog un anno e mezzo fa credo, e da allora ogni tanto ho avuto modo di leggerti. Sei davvero brava, sia per ciò che scrivi e per le risposte che dai ai commenti, che per le bellissime fotografie. Ma quello che volevo dirti è che il fatto che tu abbia un periodo così negativo e che trovi il coraggio di dirlo così, rende ancora più carico di emozione il fatto di leggerti.
Poco prima di aver iniziato a leggerti un anno e mezzo fa, anche io attraversavo un momento molto, molto difficile. Insomma, ho vissuto un brutto periodo depressivo…ma veramente brutto, credimi: per farti capire, ho trascorso notti in cui dormivo solo 1 ora e il tempo rimanente sentivo un qualcosa che mi rodeva lo stomaco. Dopo mangiato, diverse volte ho vomitato per l’ansia. E tante altre cose. E la cosa che mi faceva soffrire maggiormente era che ero quasi certo che non ne sarei uscito più, non vedevo la luce in fondo al tunnel. Mi sentivo con entrambi i piedi nella fossa. Poi, gradualmente, non so bene neanche io come, ho cominciato a stare meglio, e il fatto che ho trovato la forza per PROGETTARE una nuova avventura (un anno in Australia, che ho concluso 6 mesi fa) ha contribuito in maniera determinante a tirarmi fuori da quella situazione, anzi credo sia stato il fattore decisivo. Mi ha colpito molto la tua frase “dopo aver dormito sotto le stelle in Giordania, come posso emozionarmi per una serata qui al pub?”. E’ vero, ti capisco perfettamente. Non sei la sola, anche io come te ci sono caduto perché venivo da una esperienza bellissima che mi aveva cambiato la vita e la cui “nostalgia” si era tramutata poi in depressione.
Ma il fatto che tu stia già progettando qualcosa per “evadere” è un passo avanti enorme, che piano piano ti porterà fuori completamente. Sai, ora che sono tornato qui al mio paesello nel sud Italia, mi sento anche io di nuovo perso: non mi piace stare qui e cercherò di scappare di nuovo al più presto, perché la “fuga”, se così possiamo chiamarla, a volte è proprio quello di cui abbiamo bisogno. E sto cercando una strada per farlo, una professione che mi permetta di fare quello che mi fa stare bene e mi fa essere quello che realmente sono: viaggiare e conoscere nuovi luoghi, nuove emozioni. Proprio come te. Io non ho ancora le competenze professionali per farlo, cioè per mantenermi così, competenze che invece tu possiedi già! Quindi coraggio!
Grazie per aver scritto questo bellissimo (anche se sofferto) post, spero non averti annoiato e averti dato un altro po’ di coraggio, e soprattutto spero davvero di aver ancora modo di interagire con te…non dimenticare che sei una delle mie fonti di ispirazione, eh! A presto, per qualunque cosa contattami pure…e ricorda che non sei sola…
Christian

[…] Believe me, it was not even nearly as harsh as it sounds here. But I talked about my struggles in my previous post already, and this is supposed to be a happy post, well, at least a positive one. So here I am with […]

Strange how this post almost exactly mirrors my feelings this past month and is the very reason why I disappeared from blogging in the same amount of time. Even your mention of Anita Mac and how it affected you was very similar to my reaction to that. Unlike you, however, I only briefly alluded to these deep emotions in my ‘return to blogging’ post last week. Either way, it was very therapeutic reading your post, especially that bright light of hope in the end. We all gotta hang in there, and keep finding a way. Keep in touch, Giulia.

No one should have to be happy all the time. Fact is no one is ever happen all the time. But your Blog title gives a wonderful message to us .. Keep smile on you face :)

That picture of you in Egypt says it all. I do hope you will find you inner balance again and blog on – for yourself first and then for others.
Why for yourself first- I use the blog as a therapy for myself. I won’t go into details, but last year a news was broken to me, which has had hard impact on my life. I am always the Do-er and at times, I can’t! THis is the point, where I took up the blogging – also as a travel diary – but as a therapy for myself and it has helped! In the end, it is what and how you do in life!