Why I Love Coming Home After Traveling (Which Of These Can You Relate To?)

by SharonKurheg December 31, 2019

December 31, 2019

Joe and I love to travel. Whether it’s 3 nights in Key West, 5 nights at our favorite water park in Texas, or 3 weeks in Japan, we love the adventure of going beyond our regular day-to-day lives.

However, there are some things we leave behind when we travel that are wonderful to come home to. This is my personal list, but I’m sure you have your own list, as well.

Our dog

Dobby is our toy poodle. She’s fun, playful, smart and a little bit stubborn. We love her to pieces and although we know she gets spoiled when she’s at “camp,” (a.k.a. our vet’s kennel), we miss her bunches, especially every time we see a dog during our travels. We can always hardly wait to see her again when we get home.

Our bed

We’ve stayed at all different brands of hotels over the years, so we’ve slept in all different brands and styles of beds. Some are better than others, but none of them are “our bed.” That first night back in our bed is always particularly sweet.

Coffee the way I like it

I am admittedly a coffee snob. I’m a fan of Starbucks blonde roast and if I’m not grinding my own beans at home, I’m ordering a “tall blonde in a grande cup” while I’m on the go. The larger cup is to allow for extra milk, but when I’m traveling, especially in a foreign country, blonde roast tends to turn into Americano, and they don’t understand the “tall coffee in a grande cup” thing. So there’s not enough room for extra milk, they may or may not have my sweetener of choice (I bring my own nowadays), etc. Yeah, I told you I was a coffee snob ;-). So anyway, I love coming home and being able to have coffee just the way I like it.

My toilet

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Stop laughing! (and don’t knock it ’til you try it) 😉

After my first visit to Japan in the early-mid 1990s, I fell in love with Toto washlets and we got one when we redid our bathroom several years back. It’s rare to find bidets like that “out in the wild,” so I’m always happy to come home to my own toilet.

Food options

When we travel internationally, the food options are usually very different from our own. Bratwurst, schnitzel, nigiri sushi, and beans, salad and/or grilled tomatoes with breakfast are fun for a while, but there comes a time you just want food that’s familiar. Stopping at a Hard Rock Cafe (when available) usually helps, but being able to come home and cook what I want, the way we like it is always especially enjoyable.

Knowing where everything is

I don’t know about you, but I’m a creature of habit. I’m a firm believer of, “There’s a place for everything and everything in its place” but that kind of goes out the window when you’re on the go, and sometimes it’s virtually impossible to find, I dunno, the light blue socks you were going to wear with your jeans because they were supposed to be in that side pocket but they’re just…not. So I like being at home and knowing where everything is.

Not having to translate everything

If we visit countries where the primary language isn’t English, we find ourselves either having to translate everything we see or hear, or continuing on, missing something because it’s not in English. Of course, this is our own fault for not learning the language like maybe we could. But it’s still a relief to come home and understand everything without any extra mental manipulations.

So that’s me. What sort of things do you miss when you’re away and relish when you get back into town?

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary

7 comments

Denise December 31, 2019 - 9:40 am

I’m old school. Besides some of your things, I miss being able to simply walk outside, pick up my newspaper, and read the comics (my comics) with my coffee.

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Bill from Maine December 31, 2019 - 12:16 pm

My 2 biggest complaint’s about going away is there is rarely a hotel where I am comfortable with the bed and pillows and the inconvenience of traveling out of a suitcase. In Europe, its the AC. Too warm for me (except in eastern Euro countries). I like a room I can hang meat in. I also miss my local sports teams.
I always feel good when the officer tells me :”Welcome home” when I clear customs.

wanderlust18blog December 31, 2019 - 8:27 pm

Relate at 360 degrees (completely and in every direction) tomorrow we leave for the longest period away from home ever, and the trepidation is killing me. I already miss my bed, my bathroom, my huge TV and my dog. We tend to do very short trips, and we usually find that the last day is wasted because we just want to be home.

SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT January 2, 2020 - 1:04 pm

Like you, I really look forward to coming home to my pups. When they were younger, the two 15 year old’s would often travel with me to my stores around California. Now, they are retired and just enjoy staying home, relaxing on their big fat comfy bed pillows and watching Boomerang cartoons all day! I know – weird, but I leave the tv’s on for them when I’m not home furing the day.

When I travel, I just can’t bear to place my pups (two are 15, one is 11, one is 7) at the kennels within the vet – or elsewhere. I hire known people to stay in my home, and take care of my pups. This gives me peace of mind that someone at my house, and my pups are receiving their meals on-time, and their medications. My family teases me that I’m running a doggie nursing home. I lost my almost ready to turn 16 year old (she just couldn’t walk anymore – her back hips just gave out), and a 14 year old to cancer earlier this year.

Also, it’s nice to reach into the pantry and refrigerator and find my favorite foods and slip into a very comfy bed!

The TOTO toilets are great! Friends of mine thought I was nuts went I bought a couple of them almost 20 years ago – the price was a little much back then. You’ve lit the fire – I think I should have some installed in this house.

Happy New Year!

SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT

SharonKurheg January 2, 2020 - 3:03 pm

We’ve used Trusted Housesitters for Dobby when we’re going on a long (read: 2+ weeks) trip. Otherwise, we have neighbors we trust, who know how to get in the house if needed, to watch over the house. And Dobby is thoroughly spoiled at “camp” so we don’t feel so guilty.

Sorry to hear about the dogs you’ve lost – sadly, Dobby is not our first dog; Pippi made it to 18, although the last 3 years with her were pretty rough.

I LOVE my TOTO washlet. And if you think the prices were bad then, they’ve gotten worse now. This is actually my 2nd TOTO – the first one broke about 3 years ago, after 10 years of making my butt happy ;-). It would have cost over $1000 to get the same one I had, so I downgraded. It has most of the same features, but I have raise & lower the cover, and flush it myself. #firstworldproblems

SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT January 3, 2020 - 7:35 pm

Story about your Pippi – 18 wonderful years though! A very long time – with many memories to cherish.

The one thing I wish I could feasibly do is bring my Golden’s on the plane – and purchase a seat for each one of them. No, I’m not going to make-up stories about service animals – they would flunk the “test” as they would be going up and down the aisles licking people and looking for snacks!

All of my pups are Golden Retrievers – and the boys are big boned – not fat – just big boys, and as they get older, they need additional help to get around. It’s the deterioration of the hips that usually bring them down. It is amazing to me though, how many years they have lived beyond what I’ve been told that a Golden’s average life is 10 years. However, I have had another Golden boy pass away at 3, due to cancer.
They certainly are amazing creatures – and it’s very tough when you have to say bye—but only for now. We will meet again!

I’m already looking at Toto’s – I think on Saturday I’m going to visit Pacific Sales and few others in the L.A. area and start gathering ideas. Especially now that the state law passed on Saturday limiting the number of gallons each person can use – it’s either laundry or shower – no longer are able to do both on the same day – or the water police will fine you!