Living Outside the Comfort Zone
Jeff and I have been traveling for over 17 years now, and we are often asked the same question. “Don’t you ever miss being at home?” Well, to be perfectly honest, the answer to that would be yes. We always miss the comforts of home, but as we began traveling more over the years, we have become accustomed to making our hotel room or guesthouse a place to call home.
Sometimes we have to make the most of a room we stay in. For example, many rooms that we’ve stayed in are very dated and not well maintained. Housekeeping doesn’t always do the best job cleaning the rooms, but we feel like we’re better off cleaning our own rooms. We have become very comfortable in making ourselves feel right at home, and that includes going on scavenger hunts for a broom, dustpan, and mop. We put things back where we got them from, but we aren’t shy about taking what we need. It’s not like we’re stealing their stuff; we are only borrowing it. There is a difference. We do whatever it takes to make our room feel like home to us.
Even if Jeff and I stay in a guesthouse right in the middle of a jungle, like the place we stay at in Malaysia, we customize our room to best suit our needs. We’re aware of the wildlife that lives around us, and if travelers get a little freaked out by snakes and monitor lizards, then they’re probably better off not staying in the jungle. Toilet blocks are outside, and I always carry a flashlight when stepping out in the dark early morning hours to use the bathroom. It’s a good idea, otherwise there’s a good chance I could step on some critter in the dark early morning hours. We’re fine with the living conditions, and we have even become well-adapted to them.
Just because Jeff and I often live outside of our comfort zone when we travel, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are uncomfortable. Many people who don’t travel outside of the US probably would be, so our kind of traveling wouldn’t be a good fit for them. That is understandable, but the more we travel, the more accustomed we become to having limited amenities. The most important thing about getting used to the elements, whether it be the climate, guesthouse conditions, or the different types of food, establishing a solid routine is an absolute must. We don’t try to have a routine like we do at home. When we travel, we have different routines, and when we get back home, we find ourselves having to readjust once again.
I must confess—I am a strictly regimented type of person. I am a perfectionist, and a self-proclaimed neat freak. I have my clothes color-coded, never leave dishes in our kitchen sink, and can’t tolerate messes of any kind. It was my upbringing that has made me so rigid in that respect, but even now, I wouldn’t change a thing. I like having structure and organizational skills, which actually helps me when I’m traveling. I strive to make a guesthouse very homey and comfortable. I adhere to my standards of neatness, maybe not quite to the level I do at home, but close enough.
Another thing many people would probably have a hard time getting used to is sleeping in different beds. I love our bed at home. It has a firm mattress, and I have a pillow that conforms perfectly to my head. I’ve also slept on several beds during our years of traveling that I found as equally comfortable as our bed at home. I think a couple of the worst beds I’ve slept on were in Thailand and Africa. In Thailand, the bedsprings were practically popping up through the mattress. The bed in Africa collapsed on us in the middle of the night. Talk about a wakeup call. There was also a time in Africa when we found a centipede in our bed. All I can say is that it definitely pays off to check the bed before settling in for a good night’s sleep.
Despite some of the inconveniences we sometimes endure while traveling, we generally do stay in some pretty decent rooms that suit our needs. All it really takes to make us happy is having a cozy bed, a shower with good water pressure, Wi-Fi, plug-ins, and a small refrigerator. Sometimes we get lucky and have it all, and other times we have to improvise. As long as we don’t have the highest of expectations, we reduce our chances of disappointment, and that is how to manage to live outside of our comfort zone.
