Travel Confession. The fear of being let down.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older, becoming more jaded, or just experiencing a normal transition, but I’ve developed this growing fear of being let down. There have been multiple occasions over the past couple of years where I’ll get so excited about the prospect of something, tell all of my friends and family, get everyone else stoked with me, only to have it fall through. I feel like I take everyone with me on this emotional roller coaster where one minute I’m a giddy school girl, and the next a moping mess.
It’s gotten to the point where I don’t want to celebrate the good things coming until they actually happen. It’s almost as if I don’t want to jinx things. The last couple of big trips that we’ve been on I wouldn’t let myself get excited until we were a.) actually on the plane headed there, or b.) disembarking the plane on arrival. Who have I become?
I used to be the girl that would countdown to a trip months in advance. I would construct the tearaway chains that kindergarteners make for Christmas, except mine would be for upcoming vacations. My friends and family would have their ears bleed from my incessant talk of future travel plans. The second a trip was booked I would put it on facebook. I was unstoppable.
For whatever reason, things have changed. I am now hesitant to share our travel plans until they are set in stone. I don’t let myself get excited. It’s me protecting myself and others from disappointment.
While I might have my woes with things not going as planned, I should note that things seem to always work out for the best in the end. There have been opportunities that have fallen through that have only led to better ones. I don’t know what the driving force is behind all of this madness but I do want to change it. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to tell you exactly what I am excited for. I’m excited for Europe. Like, really excited. I’ve been waiting to touch down on this continent for as long as I can remember. I wouldn’t be surprised if I shed a tear or two once we arrive. Would kissing the ground be taking it too far?
So yeah, I’m going to allow myself to get amped for this. I’ve waited 27 years to scout for British royalty, eat fish and chips, and call people wankers. I’m not going to let my fear of being let down hold me down. While I don’t know exactly what Europe has in store for me, I do know that Chris and I will make the best of our time there.
We hope you follow along on our Go with Oh adventure. We would love it if you would visit our new Tumblr site and leave all your recommendations for London, Paris, Vienna, Venice, and Rome.
Want to take the journey with us? Come along by watching the following:
Captain and Clark & Go with Oh’s Tumblr
I would love to follow your journey!! Just looking at your goofy-faced pics makes me want to be BFFLS with you too stat. I wish you guys had wordpress tho so I could follow it that way.
Try to take joy in the things that don’t work out… maybe it’s not quite as expected but as good, if not better in other ways. Doesn’t happen at all? Well something else did and will happen to you/with you in your own space and that may be an adventure in and of itself 🙂
I know exactly what you mean about the fear of being let down. Although I’m equally excited about you and Europe. 😉
I can definitely relate to the fear of being let down. I think I’ve found a balance by not having specific expectations, but keeping the general excitement pretty high – if one thing falls through, something even more awesome will come up in it’s place eventually. I’m sure you’re going to have an amazing time in Europe!
I totally get this fear – I think I definitely suffer from it, too!
I think (for me, at least) it stems from the fact that, the more I travel, the more I realize that things very rarely end up working out they way you plan or expect them to. It’s one of the things I love best about travel, but also the thing that reminds me to not get my hopes up too high. Luckily, this usually means that I LOVE just about everything because, without ridiculous expectations, I’m almost always pleasantly surprised.
Have an amazing time in Europe!!
Agreed, Amanda! Chris and I were just talking about this today. When we don’t have expectations we walk away incredibly and most often, pleasantly, surprised. We love that travel forces us to adapt and plans falling through is just a part life. 🙂
I feel the same way, that’s why I told everyone I wasn’t making any plans for my travels moving forward — I was just going to go. Have still been holding strong. It seems like every plan falls through! Mine certainly have so far this year. Nothing sucks more than paying a penalty to change a ticket or tell everyone that, hey, actually, plans totally changed.
I can’t tell you how many tickets we’ve booked that we’ve had to cancel or change. When we first started dating we booked tickets to Spain. We ended up not going and we couldn’t refund them. I think we’ve gotten better at adapting to these situations, but we still get a little disappointed at times.
I hate being let down too! Personally i’ve always hated, I’d rather people just didn’t agree to something in the first place, rather than calling last minute to cancel. This happeneing 3 times in 3 days and i’d just had enough, so I took the drastic approach of having a ‘friend clearout’ and dicthing a lot fo old friends. I thought i’d feel real bad afterwards but it was actually a very refreshing feeling.
Yeah, we definitely understand. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions. We’ve been extremely fortunate in that things usually end up for the better in the end. We hope that it’s the same for you too.
I’m happy for you two! I do get what you mean with that one. I don’t want to disappoint the people around me that’s why now, I just announce my plans when I’m on my way to the destination. I think it is part of growing up. I am waiting for something right now and if things go on my favor, I’ll be visiting the UK in a few months. Just in case, let’s meet in London! Have fun and make the most out of your trip 😀
We would love to meet in London! It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one. I will say that with almost all of the plans the fell through, bigger and better ones took their places. Let’s hope that continues 😉
oh cute darlings, you will not be let down. i cannot wait to hear all of your stories. Europe may not be as odd as some of your other exciting adventures because it’s more mainstream and westernized BUT it is still completely FABULOUS. i’ll be watching & cheering you on!
xo – LOLA
Europe is just what we needed! Now I know why everyone loves it so much 😉 You’ve been holding out on us, Lola!
No way you can be disappointed in Europe. You are what make the adventure, not the location.
So true! England has been incredible. I can’t even imagine what the rest of the trip holds!
Hey, new reader here. We are also headed to Europe. So, when do you plan to leave?
Hi guys! Thanks for stopping by. We’re in London now and will spend a week in Paris, Vienna, Venice, and Rome. When are you getting here and where will you be visiting. Would be fun if our paths crossed!
My best advice for london would be to skip it and go somewhere not as soul destroying instead like cardiff or manchester.
chinatown is alright though, near leicester square.
We stumbled upon Chinatown our first day and loved it! We’re hoping to make it to Manchester if time permits. It’s been great so far.
you have never let me down(:
Aww. Thanks, dad!
It happens with every human being once in their lifetime, it’s just how you deal with it 🙂 In those pictures you both are looking very aggressive, whats with that ? 😛
I guess our excited faces do look a bit aggressive. We’ll have to work on that 😉
I’m sure you’ll looooooove Europe and you have every right to be uberduper excited for visiting a new continent!
I would work on those excitement faces, though. They kind of scare me
🙂
Haha! Thanks, Sophie. England has been incredible so far. We’ll start working on those excited faces. Practice makes perfect!
You will love being back in Europe – and we will love to have you! And welcome to Blighty (aka the UK) – full of surprises!!!
We are loving England so far! I think we could probably live here. Do you and Mr.O need any roommates? 😉
I think the key to not getting let down is diversification of interests. This is why I love skiing so much. It gives me something to look forward to during a crappy cold winter. If it does not snow then I can hike. If all else fails there is always a bar with a cold IPA.
Enjoy Europe. Look forward to the reports.
We left the UK and Europe more than 6 months ago, currently in SEA and we do miss it at times. Don’t get me wrong, we are loving our time here and enjoying discovering such different cultures, but we do love our country too.
I’m super excited for you guys, I’m sure you’ll love it and you won’t fell let down.
Looking forward to read about your adventures. 🙂
We’re so happy you’ve made it to Europe! We promise not to let you down while you spend the next month with us! Just wish I have the opportunity to meet you guys! Hugs!
i feel you. i used to announce my travel plans but now, i no longer do that because i fear that it wont push through. i am happy for you both, have a blast in Europe! i hope one day i’d get to step there too.
I know what that’s like… being let down. I actually had to cancel a pretty substantial trip to South America last year because of a serious illness in my family. I was okay cancelling it because I knew being with my family was the best thing, but ever since then, I’ve been so scared to talk about my plans and share them with people. For my next big trip, I’ve got a couple of flights booked, but that’s about it… I can’t see it going horribly awry, but you just never know, do you? Until I’m on the plane, I won’t believe I’m actually getting to travel again. Of course, this doesn’t mean I’m not totally PUMPED to go…!