Do you have wanderlust? Read through the following and put a mental checkmark next to the statements that apply to you:
You don't love to travel... you NEED to travel.
When your vacation is (sadly) over, you’re already planning your next trip.
You feel a pang of melancholy when you drive past the airport, wanting to turn the car’s wheel, park, and hop on a plane.
You scroll through your phone's holiday photos and sigh, counting your remaining vacation days.
You subscribe to travel blogs and bookmark travel websites that show amazing, far-off, exotic places.
You check airline prices daily to find out if and when you can fly.
Seeing new sights is therapy; it keeps you sane.
Most of your credit card or other debt is for plane tickets and hotels.
You want to escape, as often as possible.
Traveling makes your world turn. It’s what you live for.
If all of this is true about you, there’s a name for your condition.
WHAT YOU HAVE, MY FRIEND, IS WANDERLUST.
“Wanderlust” is a useful word that came to us from across the Atlantic. Now it’s standard in every English dictionary.
In German – a language that predates and contributes much to English – Lust (pronounced “loost”) is a desire for something. In English the word “lust” might suggest something a bit more sensual, but in German, it is simply a choice. Ich habe keine Lust means “I don’t want to do it,” or “I have no desire for it.” This applies to food, activities, or anything a German is looking to do… or not do, in this case.
Lust is also a craving or longing for something. Germans have many Lust-filled words, including Arbeitslust (longing to work), Geldlust (desire for money), and Lachlust (wanting laughter). They might say, Ich habe Lust auf einer Pizza. (I have a craving for pizza.)
Historically, curious Germanic peoples have been nomads and explorers of the world. Today, after China and the U.S.A., citizens of Germany spend the most on travel and tourism. Because of an inborn appetite for discovering new places, they yearn to wander, or travel about. This need to roam has become “wanderlust.” And you’ve got it, too, if you checked off any of the statements above. Embrace your nomadic self and see as much of the world as you can. Get a job overseas. Volunteer for the Peace Corps. Use every extra cent you've got to get where you're going, because the wanderlust isn't going to go away until you do.
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