What is this? Can't stay in one place for long?

[GADDay]

Wondering if anybody else has experienced this and worked out how to beat it.

All my life I 'get bored' with where I live / work. I have lived in many different homes, moved continents (lock stock and barrel) 6 times. Done crazy things like pack up and take the children travelling for a year (before formal school started). I have always been self employed or a contractor. Only ever had one permanent job for 18 months - which I hated. Before children DH (we are very alike in this regard) and I would packup on a whim and go backpacking for months at a time. I get this overwhelming desire to change or move. It overtakes me and I can't stop myself thinking about it.

Since our children started school we moved countries just once and stayed in the same house for 10 years - I recognise their need for stability and have been happy to prioritise their needs. Two of them have now gone off to uni and our third is nearly finished school. The damn itch has started again but now it's so much more complicated - we are very close as a family and I can't imagine not being close to my children. It is so conflicting

I would be interested to hear from other itchy footed, restless souls and to know if it ever went away. Wondering why I am like this.

Oh, yes. I have chronically itchy feet and am always looking for what's next.

Yeah that's me. I'm 35 and the upside is I've seen a hell of a lot, the downside is I haven't consolidated a lot. I blame a nomadic childhood where we were moved country every 2 or 3 years, I honestly think it did something to my brain

My parents were straight up boring we did move cities for their work and I went 5 different schools. So nothing too radical.

Made me very conscious to give my children stability. One primary, one high school each.

You are so right - The consolidation is a huge factor. Finances and friends especially. When the itch strikes it's quite overwhelming and trumps and personal need for stability. We are financially soooo much worse off than we could be - stony broke right now - but it's just not important to me (logically I know this is nuts).

Does it bother you? How do you manage with children in the picture?

No to both questions! No, it doesn't bother me: I've learnt to manage it and, no, I don't have children.

I have moved a lot, too. I think I once counted 58 addresses in eight countries on three continents. Left to myself I like to move countries every couple of years — I like nothing more than a new culture, a new language, a different environment, a change of job. We’ve moved five times in two countries since having DS (now 11), but have decided to stay where we are till he finishes secondary school. It feels quite novel, but DH and I will definitely move countries again when DS is off to university.

I don’t think it’s all that unusual. We have lots of fairly peripatetic friends, who work in opera, or are touring musicians, or work on major sporting events, or work on yacht charters etc.

ADHD?

I am a bit like this, with jobs always wanted the next challenge, constantly seeking excitement though was quite successful and saved lots of money.

Get bored easily, love travelling.

Background growing up was incredibly dull did nothing much.

Quite impulsive too, might announce going abroad this weekend when younger.

Another one here with itchy feet! We've currently been in our house for 7 years and it felt like too long until recently- I've started to change things within our current house rather than look "outwards" if that makes sense. So for me it's redecoration, looking to make our garden beautiful instead of a concrete empty space, doing crafts and trying new things instead of looking to change my location. I also went to 5 schools, thanks to a mix of moving house (primary aged) and bullying (secondary). Having said that, being restless seems to run in my family on both sides- lots of travelling, random escapades overseas on one side, refugees due to war on the other, so I wonder if there is a link. I was brought up with stories of x going here, y going there and anticipated that I would also go places and see things when I became an adult (I've seen a few! But less than I'd like!)

I guess we are all different. Sometimes I wish I could just be 'normal'.

Some extended family members have only lived in one town - a few have never left their own country. They are so happy and settled. It is good enough for them and I envy that peace of mind.

I never really considered this. Will do some reading.

Despite wishing for 'normal' - there is still nothing more exhilarating than shutting the container doors on one life and embarking on another.

I absolutely love the feeling of landing somewhere new. Eating different food, different languages being spoken. New ways of doing things.

I look for local adventures. If you're still up for it, you can travel now your kids have grown. You stay close to them by having your home base near them.

That's what we are going to do but it doesn't satisfy the bloody itch.

Interesting that this seems to run in families. My eldest moved away for uni - halfway across the world and has always been intrepid.

I really hope the younger two don't inherit our vagabond ways. Would far rather they be content and happy in their home town.

I really hope the younger two don't inherit our vagabond ways. Would far rather they be content and happy in their home town.

With the advent of remote working, they might be able to find jobs that enable them to work anywhere in the world. There is a mailing list about this - look up "global nomads".

TBH I think it's interesting that more of us don't choose to live like you do. Life is so short and most of us spend it in the same place doing the same things.

Yes, I do feel like this but unlike you I haven’t done much about it. Moved out of my hometown, yes, but never lived abroad. I was held back by severe anxiety when I was younger and it’s only now in my 30s I’m making serious plans to travel or move abroad. I wish I’d been more adventurous in my 20s (but I didn’t have any money then to have adventures)