The Overlooked Cost of Travel

There are few things more exhilarating than deciding to plan that trip away, even more so if you’re travelling with others. The more you zoom out, the more exciting it feels. The broad-strokes vision is magical. You can see city skylines, golden beaches, green forests—whatever it may be.

But then at some point, you need to make concrete decisions. Which city, which beach, which hike? When? And how will you get there? Suddenly you pour hours into researching flight routes, tracking train lines, and comparing hotel prices. It becomes work.

When I’ve felt stressed at times this year, that has been easy to neglect. I forget that there is a lot of background static going on. Every few days I have to navigate a new place. A check-in. A check-out. Packing everything up and then unpacking it again. Finding flights, accomodation, and connections, then actually booking those things. It adds up. Remembering