The Wanderlust Syndrome, The Obsession With Traveling

Wanderlust syndrome is a term that refers to the obsession that some people feel about traveling. A desire that arises from a “need”, out of the ordinary, to know new places and discover other cultures.

Its etymology comes from wandern (excursion, trip, walk) and lust (desire, longing). From the union of the two lexemes the term “desire to travel” is born. The literal translation of wanderlus t into Spanish would be ‘passion for travel’, similar to the meaning of ‘dromomania defined by the dictionary of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language (RAE) as an excessive inclination or pathological obsession to move from one place to another. other.

The wanderlust syndrome, the obsession with traveling

Until a few years ago, leisure travel seeking adventures to tell and unleashing the traveling spirit of young people was unimaginable. The wanderlust syndrome is much more than the desire to go on vacation, which in some way we all have, it is a need that carries the passion for traveling and discovering new places and different cultures.

This syndrome affects men and women equally, usually between the ages of 20 and 40. They have an irresistible urge to go out, love to escape to any part of the world, and are always looking for new destinations. Some surveys and studies have shown that it is the priority and interest for this generation. To achieve its purpose, the  Internet is your best ally, since the network becomes your best travel agent. Reservations, purchases, tickets and information; everything is solved through new technologies.

These inveterate travelers spend most of their time reading travel guides, browsing the Internet in search of flights, hotels, hostels, etc., they enjoy watching documentaries about exotic places and spend a good part of their income traveling. The destination passes to a secondary place in the planning of the trip, a mere excuse to enjoy the pleasure of traveling, it is then that the wanderlust experience acquires all its meaning and becomes a way of life.

Traveling enriches the person, opens up new perspectives and enables other points of view. Knowing other cultures, soaking up traditions and living in different places, helps us to broaden our views and feed – and at the same time satisfy – that curiosity for the unknown.

Wanderlust syndrome and genetics

There are people who do not feel the need to travel, who do not have a special interest in discovering places. Holidays are considered as a time to rest and be calm or perhaps to go to a hotel and disconnect from preparing meals or cleaning. Logically, this approach is the opposite of the wanderlust syndrome, where the need not to spend too long in one place prevails and the desire to travel becomes the center of the lives of those who suffer from it.

Beyond a fad, some experts assure that the adventurous spirit or wanderlust syndrome is actually found in our genes, and more specifically in the so-called DRD4-7r, a dopamine receptor (pleasure neurotransmitter) that has been baptized as ” the traveling gene ”.

For David Dobbs, a researcher at Nacional Geographics, this gene causes people who have it to “better accept changes and adventure, and also feel they have a greater affinity to take risks in terms of new ideas, foods, relationships, etc”. In addition to the constant need to travel, individuals who carry this gene are creative, launched people who seek to discover new cultures and other ways of life. In short, anything that gives them personal growth.

Do you suffer from wanderlust syndrome?

People with wanderfust syndrome have characteristics that differentiate them from the rest:

• They always have their passport up-to-date and handy in case the opportunity to travel unexpectedly arises. They are not afraid to step out of their comfort zone because they like changes.
• The curiosity to discover new places and other cultures goes beyond imagination and becomes a necessity. All the money they can save goes toward new adventures.
• As soon as they return from a trip they are already planning the following : consulting specialized Internet pages, watching documentaries or reading guides.

The passion for traveling and seeing the world is not only reduced to having the traveler gene, but is also related to childhood, the time when we learn through play and imagination. It is at this stage that the interest in knowing what lies beyond the limits of the home develops. Beyond the boundary of school and homework, there are adults who continue to feel the same (or more) passion than they did then.