This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Anyone who spends a majority of their time away from friends and family knows that traveling is emotionally difficult. You have to be strong enough to go out on your own without the comforts of your own home. Without the comforts of having a steady place to call your own. Most of the time you live out of a little suitcase. It is the life you chose and the life you find to be the most fulfilling. I know for myself I couldn’t imagine another life. I love seeing parts of the world that I haven’t before.

However, there is a part of traveling that is not so glamorous. It is the part that makes you have some serious FOMO (fear of missing out.) Since we live in the technological age we are able to stay in constant communication with everyone in our lives. I am able to snapchat friends who are halfway around the world, show photos of my travels with the click of a button, and FaceTime my family from wherever I live at the moment. These are the beautiful bits of life.

Then there are the moments that make you feel incredibly left out. Waking up to snapchats of all your closest friends hanging out. Drinking and laughing as life goes on without you. You miss semi vital family events like your little sister moving to a new place or a family super bowl party. You miss moments like your tree expanding, best friends graduating from college and so much more. These are the moments that you have to take in stride. As tough as it is you must realize that life goes on even if you are away.

As hard as it is you have to remember not to get hurt when the ones you love the most create new memories without you there. It isn’t meant to be mean or malicious. It simply is; it is part of growing old. It makes the time you come back and visit or even the time they come to visit you so much more special. You create the memories that you look back on while you are homesick.

I pride myself in being a very independent person. I can live on my own in places far from home without blinking an eye. I love exploring new places and get bored easily if I stay in one place too long. However, as I am growing older I have been definitely experiencing some FOMO. It is odd to miss family dinners and friend’s birthdays. However, it is a part of life. It is a part of growing up. In order to do what you love you must make sacrifices. It is hard but a fact. As I get older I have come to realize how important it is to cherish the moments you have back home. They are what keeps you going when you travel. Family and friends make the world go round, as you travel or move to a new place you know you have a support system back home. So, this post is dedicated to them. My friends and family who keep me sane when I stress, who will forever welcome me back with open arms, create funny memories that get me through hard times, and finally put up with my crazy antics of trying to adult in foreign countries.