Clearly, I do my best writing when I’m emotionally unstable. Anything that comes out of these fingers when I’m feeling completely angered, amazed, saddened, annoyed or joyous to an unbalanced level just tends to flow without thinking.
Now, I give you frustration.
Yes, family, I’m about to call you out. I apologize in advance, but it just has to be done. You are making me more than frustrated.
Of all the places I have traveled, you have not once come to visit me.
Of course, Kyrgyzstan, Guatemala and Ukraine I completely understand, and I never once expected you to go there. But, remember that time I spent an entire semester in beautiful, romantic, amazing, delicious, wonderful, coveted Italy?! Remember how I was the ONLY one in the entire group of study abroad students whose family didn’t arrive for a week or two of Italy fun? And, remember, mom, how you regretted not coming to see me AFTER I CAME HOME?
Maybe this fact has evaded the memory because when I ask you now to come to Australia, you just can’t get yourself to say that you’re coming.
What?! It’s AUSTRALIA! It’s like some people’s dream vacation to go to Australia, and here I am asking you, and offering you a free place to stay in the process, and you don’t really have a desire to go.
I have a hard time understanding how anyone in their right mind could not want to bask in the glory that is Oz with its endless beaches and bouncing kangaroos. “How?!” I shout. Who are you people, and how was I was spawned with such a desire to travel when you don’t even have passports?!
It’s a part of my life.
Travel is what I do. It’s a passion that has been going strong since my first trip overseas, and considering the past couple of years have been spent abroad, it is obviously a huge factor in who I am today.
Unfortunately, I am unable to share this with you. While you understand that travel is what I do, you don’t really… get it.
I would love to be able to show my world to … well… anyone… because no one has EVER visited me ANYWHERE. And, I understand that it’s not the easiest to get over to K-Stan or Ukraine or wherever, but NOW – now I’m in bloody Australia! Please, somebody, let me show you where I’ve been living for the past 8 months!
I’m only a flight away.
Why is it that everyone (except me – thanks) in my family has flown to Las Vegas, but they cannot get off their duffs to fly to Oz? I know, I know – Oz and Vegas are not the same thing – but there are casinos in Australia, too!
Ok, well the flight is a bit different, too… about 16 hours different. It’s a longgggg, longgggg flight from Chicago, but dammit, it is just no excuse! How about that time you managed to ride on the back of a motorcycle all the way to the world famous Sturgis rally in South Dakota. For those not familiar with US geography, let’s just say that South Dakota is not a quick ride from Illinois. Could that really be any more comfortable than a seat in an airplane… really?
Can’t handle the idea of the flight? Just think about the thousands of other people taking the same trip. If they can do it, can’t you? Grab a couple of nicotine patches, bring some tunes and some books, and you’ll be here before you know it.
Do something exciting.
The world is a huge place, and there is just so much more to do and see outside of that tiny sample back home. Take the time to do something adventurous and out of the norm – something that makes you excited and nervous and anxious all at the same time. It is just plain good for the soul.
Don’t make me do it.
I definitely don’t have much money. Even though I make a decent amount from work, life keeps getting in the way. Ever since I ventured over to New Zealand, I’ve had countless expenditures: visa and travel insurance fees, various doctor appointments, medications, deposit on new apartment, paying full rent on apartment for a month until I found a flatmate, furnishing said apartment, monthly student loan payments, and now a new laptop. Sydney is not a cheap place to live, and when you consider the apartment deposit and full rent for a month, that’s $3,000 AUD right there!
No, I don’t have a lot of money, but I do have some credit cards, and I would be willing to use them to book a hand full of plane tickets for March 2010 to Sydney, Australia in the names of various family members of mine. And, then what? Yep, you will be forced to come because I will only buy non-transferable, non-refundable tickets. This means that if you don’t come, the fact that I am broke and needing to work overtime for the next year in order to pay off that debt will be on your conscience.
I’m sorry if this sounds threatening and forward, but the truth is, it IS a little threatening and forward – MAYBE because I just don’t think you GET IT. The joking anger that I portray on Skype is more of a show, and after 15 months since the last time I was at home, I’m beginning to wonder how long it would actually take before you do.
There are 1001 reasons why you should come to Australia (those of which I’m sure anyone in the travel community can back me up on), so please give me an answer soon.
Don’t make my credit cards do the answering for you.
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Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009, 9:56 am | 
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December 1, 2009 at 12:00 am
that is the best thing I have ever read
December 1, 2009 at 12:00 am
LMAO! I share and know this fustration when I've tried convincing some friends to travel. HOW can someone NOT want to travel or NOT feel ANY inclination to do so??? I just can't understand this, it is what makes life interesting, it IS life! You are not living if you don't travel! I guess, in the end, some people are just born to travel and some aren't. As a fellow globetrotter, I share your passion and understand your frustration. I'd love to visit a fellow globetrotter in Oz should your family not come through! =)
December 2, 2009 at 10:21 am
Hey, maybe I could adopt you, and then you could pay for ME (your new mom) to come see where you’ve been living!
(But you may have to get rid of the creepy spiders.)
December 2, 2009 at 1:22 am
Don't feel too bad, my mom has never came to see me and I live less than 100 miles away. And I promise, if you are still in Oz by the time I get a real job, I will make the journey to see you! I know this message wasn't intended for me per se, but I am family, and do miss you. Hope everything is well.
December 2, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I feel ya on this. I’ve been reading your blog for quite a while now, and I thought it odd that you’ve never made mention of anyone coming to see you.
I’m kind of in the same boat as you. I’m not overseas wanting my parents to come visit me, but I am a flight attendant with great flight benefits that I can’t get my parents to use. I just don’t understand their lack of desire to see all this world has to offer.
I’ll come visit you, though. And I’m not a creeper.
December 2, 2009 at 6:47 pm
hey brooke’s family,
go see her. soon!
if i were in OZ, my family would totally come EVERYDAY.
you don’t want her thinking my family is better? do you?
get on a plane, please. there are rewards down there.
December 2, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I feel ya. Out of the 5 years I’ve been in San Diego only a handful of people have come to visit me. A small handful.
I’ve come to discover that when they have the money they don’t have the time and when they have the time they don’t have the money.
Alas is life. This is why we wanted to become full time travelers anyway right?
It still hurts though.
December 3, 2009 at 2:44 am
Hey, Thomas… maybe her parents could use some of your buddy passes so she doesn’t have to charge up her credit cards.
And, if you have a few you just CAN’T get rid of, feel free to throw some my way. I have family in Costa Rica I can’t afford to see!
December 3, 2009 at 5:34 am
But Lisis, you work for a major airline. How can you not afford to see family? I’m so confused.
December 3, 2009 at 7:24 am
No… I USED to work for the airline. Now I’m a homeschooling mommy which, btw, doesn’t pay so well. Still it’s a much better gig.
December 3, 2009 at 7:15 am
Hard to believe that your family hasn’t come to visit. Thankfully that is something that I can’t relate to.
Really just wanted to confirm your first sentence and say that it was a really well written post. You kept your stream of consciousness going the whole way through it and yet were able to put it in a very organized format something I didn’t realize until well after I read it. I’m guessing that it takes a few years of blogging to be able to hold that together.
Hope something works out and you get some visitors.
December 3, 2009 at 11:38 am
Ha! People keep telling us they are going to come visit us when we travel. I’m not holding my breath. Though Oz really is fantastic. And, I know you are going to love New Zealand. We just left New Zealand and were blown away by its beauty.
December 3, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I envy your passion to explore the world and wish I were in your shoes. Having lived in Asia in the late ’90s, I had also clamored for my family to visit me from NJ with little success. And, I visited Sydney (from NJ) this past August for a family wedding and loved every minute of the brief time I was there.
Perhaps, your family may wish to live vicariously through your adventures or have reservations of being on a really long flight, I don’t know. Or, maybe they think there’s nothing better than the good ol’ US of A. But, I’m fairly certain your open letter won’t improve the situation. Good luck, though! : )
Cheers!
December 3, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I think it’s just a matter of understanding where your family is coming from…they’ll never understand your passion for travel, and perhaps they’ll visit you once…but you never understand why they DON’T. (granted, I’m with you, so I don’t either), but I don’t foresee any resolution. It *may* be time to accept the limitations of certain individuals of your family. Although, I would never stop pestering them to visit! They’re the ones truly missing out!
December 3, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I’m pretty sure I just made my mom upset. sigh.
December 3, 2009 at 10:28 am
Thanks, Drew
You're a peach.
December 6, 2009 at 9:08 am
Please don’t go into debt to try and force your family to visit! I can understand your point of view and why you felt a need to express your truth, but the great thing about life is that we don’t all like the same things.
Travel is not for everyone! There is a huge difference between a flight to Vegas from Chicago and a flight to Oz. They just aren’t apple to apple comparisons.
You can’t force anyone to do anything.
You CAN change the frustration and judgment inside of you about this issue.
I understand, this is our 4th year in Europe and we have invited everyone to visit. We have had one lovely 3 generation visit/tour together, (and stage 4 cancer prevented the other side from a planned visit), but bottom line, they would much rather we just move back home.
Better yet, never have left. Yet, Skype keeps us closer than ever.
I’d hope they would at least send the teen age cousins so we could show them a bit of Europe, but no one is biting.
Such is life. Seems like their loss to us maybe, but perhaps it is all just perfect.
Your family (and mine) is doing what they feel is right for them. You might be just as frustrated even if they do come as they will not understand or appreciate it like you do.
They might never “get it”. YOU “get it” and that’s really the only one that matters. What is good for your soul might not be good for their soul.
Wishing you peace with this issue and sending a cyber hug to you and your family!
December 6, 2009 at 10:28 am
Thanks everyone for the comments
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one and it is more common than I thought.
I guess I feel like I’ve really set up a little life here in Sydney. I’ve been here for 8 months, have been working, have an apartment and a wonderful boyfriend (who I met last year while traveling). Basically, if all goes well, I might be applying for another visa in the coming months to stay longer.
It would just be nice to be able to share it with my family. It’s more than just the travel part in a way.
December 25, 2009 at 3:41 am
Brooke,
We just wanted to wish you a happy Christmas and New year. The teachers you know at Parkview are following your site. Hope to see you soon we all miss you.
Margaret/Howard Schoenman
December 8, 2009 at 3:23 pm
That’s a Grade A guilt trip, right there.
Let’s hope it works!
December 19, 2009 at 3:17 pm
As a fellow traveler who has found (temporary) roots in Australia, I felt exactly the same way as you! However after having the good fortune to go back home (Canada) for a visit (I had been gone for a few years, so was due for it), I realized that the mammoth journey from North America is nothing to sneeze at; 30+ hours to fly to Oz is not everybody’s cup’o'tea, even if somebody awesome is waiting at the other end.
Not to mention cost, and ability to take time off. I don’t usually recommend any family visit me here unless they have a couple of weeks to do so, since the jet lag can be cumbersome on shorter visits.
Because I wound my way to Oz via a bunch of other countries, I didn’t realize just how far/expensive a place it is to get to directly. And since travel isn’t everybody’s thing anyway, I’ve learned to be very pleasantly surprised if somebody does come for a visit (and I agree – people don’t know what they’re missing: Australia is freaking fantastic!). Our only visitors on the road thus far are my boyfriend’s parents, but I imagine that over time, I’ll connect with more family and friends in other worldly abodes.
Cheers!
January 23, 2010 at 1:15 am
Not everyone has our love for travels. My folks live maybe 120 miles from me and I only see them a couple times a year… and we both live in Florida! Great work Brooke.
December 25, 2009 at 3:41 am
Brooke,
We just wanted to wish you a happy Christmas and New year. The teachers you know at Parkview are following your site. Hope to see you soon we all miss you.
Margaret/Howard Schoenman