Some people are simply born with restless limbs.
There are people who never feel the desire to pack up their things and leave somewhere far away. They fit in quite well in the city in which they were born, and sit on a long-sagging but cozy sofa. The familiar environment around them is all they need.
And there are people of a completely different type - similar to you and me. Those who are willing to sit in one place for a long time unless they become interested in meditation, those who read Jack London and Mine Reid as children, and who always carry a foreign passport with them. Just in case.
Whatever you call it - wanderlust, love of travel, or simply an inquisitive mind, the fact remains that your thirst for new experiences cannot be quenched by anything - no matter how much you go on vacation or travel for this.
For you in this world there will always be something new and unknown, something completely different from what you are used to. You enjoy weekend excursions, but you understand that you won’t see much in one or two days. What really attracts you is one-way tickets and traveling without a clear destination.
Having a clear goal requires detailed plans, and you are not the type of person who likes to plan everything. Plans and purpose give a trip meaning, and from your experience, you are much better off and have more fun traveling without that meaning.
At the same time, you have been like this for as long as you can remember – starting, probably, from your first childhood trips. You still regularly fly to Disneyland to relive those memories.
Recent research suggests that you may not have had a choice. Some scientists believe that wanderlust is encoded into us at the genetic level.
“My son constantly runs away from home. Every time we can’t find a place for ourselves, we search with the police, call hospitals... And after a few weeks our child is returned home. Our family is prosperous: we don’t drink, we don’t fight, so there’s no reason to leave I can’t find it. I tried to talk to him, to find out why this was happening, but I didn’t achieve anything..." A.K., Rostov
This is the letter that came to our editor. Indeed, every year hundreds of children in the Rostov region are sent to independent travel. What pushes them to seek adventure? A dysfunctional family situation, an attempt to challenge society, or an illness? We decided to talk about this with an associate professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine at the Russian State Medical University, a psychiatrist. highest category Alexey Perekhov.
Dromomania in adults is a rare phenomenon
Alexey Yakovlevich, there is an opinion that the cause of wanderlust in teenagers is often the disease dromomania. Is it so? - It's a delusion. Only in one case out of hundreds, the reason for a teenager running away from home can be dromomania (from the Greek dromos - “run”, “path” and mania) - an irresistible craving for vagrancy. This is a painful condition in which children and adolescents suddenly have a strong desire to leave, to run away from home without any visible reasons. Moreover, this desire does not arise urgently, but accumulates day after day. A person suffers, tries to drive away these thoughts from himself, because of this he develops a sad and angry mood, and in the end, in order to escape from this state, he breaks down and drives away. Without preparation, without a goal, he often doesn’t even remember where he was and what he saw. Moreover, during the trip the dromomaniac eats almost nothing, often drinks alcohol and is in a lost state. Such people are easy to distinguish in a crowd by their absent, confused look and increased nervousness. The attack lasts from several days to several weeks and usually ends with a strong desire to return home. - You are talking about dromomaniac children. What about adults? - There are significantly fewer of them. Dromomania in pure form(as aimless wandering) is an extremely rare phenomenon in adults. But very often there are similar conditions when a person prone to dromomania chooses more socialized paths: constant moving from place to place, travel, etc.
Fast Travel
So why does this disease occur? - Most often, this disorder develops in combination with other disorders, as a consequence of head injuries and concussions. Often dromomania acts as a reflection of schizophrenia, epilepsy, hysteria and other disorders. Moreover, it is mainly men who are susceptible to this disease. Eliminating the disease (along with other symptoms) is possible only with special treatment. There was a case in Dr. Perekhov’s practice when the parents of a dromomaniac turned to him. The boy was born with a birth injury. He suffered from sleepwalking (sleepwalking) and sleep-talking. And at the age of 12 he began to leave home. Upon his return, he cried and asked for forgiveness, but after a while he disappeared again. The teenager came to Dr. Perekhov only at the age of 14. After the prescribed course of medication and psychological treatment, the patient recovered. - Four years later, before being drafted into the army, he appeared with us again. During all this time, he never ran away from home, he learned to control himself, but we still didn’t let him into the army... - Were there any cases when patients applied themselves? - This is very rare, but still there have been several such cases. One of the patients admitted in a conversation that sometimes he gets “overwhelmed”, he cannot control himself, he gets ready and leaves wherever he looks. One day, in this way, he ended up in Moscow. He realized that something strange was happening to him. Then he came to us... Along with cases of true dromomania, psychiatrists are faced with diseases that have nothing in common with this syndrome, although the symptoms are the same. Several years ago there was a unique case in Rostov - there are about twenty similar cases all over the world. Rostov resident K. was going to buy household appliances. He took a large sum of money, a passport, got into a taxi and... disappeared. The police searched for him for three days: many versions were developed. But suddenly the “missing person” called: “I’m in Novosibirsk. Send money for a return ticket...” At the airport, a thin, dirty, ragged husband was walking towards his wife. There is stubble on his face, fear in his eyes. The “traveler” answered all the questions the same way: “I remember that I got into a taxi. Then there was emptiness. After a while I woke up and realized that I was standing in an unfamiliar city, near the window of a bakery. It was very cold outside. Everyone was wearing a coat, and I in a suit. I want to eat and sleep..." Later, in her husband's pocket, the wife found air tickets: Rostov - Moscow, Moscow - Tallinn, Tallinn - Ekaterinburg, Ekaterinburg - Astrakhan, Astrakhan - Chita, Chita - Novosibirsk... There are several breaks between flights hours. In three days he flew over almost the entire former Soviet Union. After some time, the attack repeated. Relatives took K. to a psychiatrist. The examination revealed that the patient's brain was growing malignant tumor, the result of which was pseudodromania. Unfortunately, it was too late to operate on K....
And if you just like wandering...
But how can one distinguish true dromomania from imaginary one? - Cases of imaginary dromomania occur hundreds of times more often. And if we are talking about teenagers running away from home, then this is ordinary vagrancy. And it is always possible to identify its causes: it is either a protest against excessive demands in the family or at school, running away as a reaction to fear of punishment, domestic violence, vagrancy as a result of fantasies (after reading adventure books, watching films) or as a way of manipulating relatives. For example, in a family where a teenager is constantly bullied, the child often sees only two options - either suicide or escape. And it’s good when the choice is made in favor of the second. In addition, vagrancy is typical for adolescents with certain structural features nervous system. Unstable, anxious and suspicious, withdrawn, with hysterical behavior - in each specific case the problem can only be solved with the help of an individual approach. It is more difficult with asocial children, street children, for whom vagrancy is a way of life in which they are not burdened with obligations. It is much more convenient for them to live at train stations, use drugs, alcohol, and sniff glue. Therefore, you can no longer lure them with any social benefits. - So what should parents do if they cannot keep their child in the family? - If a child has ever left home, this is a direct signal to contact clinical psychologist. If the psychologist determines that this is not a form of protest and there is much more serious reasons for anxiety, then you need to contact a psychiatrist. And the police will never help you, as your parents think about it. Yes, they will find the teenager and bring him home, but only doctors of the soul will help you figure out the reasons, take the right line of behavior and get rid of the problem.
Svetlana Lomakina
By the way
There are cases when, having arisen in childhood, dromomania persists in adult men and women, and the woman is not stopped by the presence of small children, whose health is endangered during vagrancy. Can professional travelers be called dromomaniacs? They, too, cannot stay in one place for a long time; they are also drawn by the wind of wanderings. However, unlike sick people, they set off on a journey quite consciously, not spontaneously, they think through the route in advance, etc. And most importantly, they remember all the trips very well. And yet, it is quite likely that light form they have this mental disorder. For example, the Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia classifies the famous traveler Fyodor Konyukhov (pictured), who constantly leaves home on seafaring adventures, as a dromomaniac.
© DepositphotosDo you love traveling so much that traveling is, if not the only, then the main activity in your life? Are you sure that your passion for travel has not become excessive yet? And the thrill of endless travel still brings pure joy? Are the first signs of confusion accumulating in your soul? We will help you understand yourself.
What's the diagnosis, doctor?
In fact, dear travelers, everything is very simple. There are certain signs that your travels have gone beyond comfortable trips and are gradually turning into automatic actions. And if you find yourself with most of these “symptoms,” this is a sure sign that you should seriously reconsider your views on travel. Or maybe the travel itself?
So, here are some signs that you're traveling too much.
- Sign: when talking about cities, you say not their names, but airport codes.
Yes, this is a classic sign that you are just a mega traveler. For example, when talking about the capital of Ukraine, you pronounce “KBP” instead of “Kyiv”. Or in a letter to your friend you mention that while traveling around Canada you had a lot of fun visiting YYZ. By the way, it will be very difficult for your less traveled friends to understand that you meant Toronto.
- Sign: PYou begin almost any of your sentences with the words:" When I was in..."
And for you in in this case It doesn’t matter at all whether this phrase sounds appropriate. You just forgot how to think differently. You live only by travel, by the places you have visited. But for your interlocutors who travel around the world less intensively, such statements will have little connection with the logic of the conversation.
- Sign: TYou only watch a travel channel on TV.
News? What's the news? What, has there really been a crisis in the world? Yes, you, as an ardent traveler, may well not know the name of the president of our country or what films will be shown in cinemas in the new season. But don’t you think that you are still missing out on something important in life?
- Sign: You always have banknotes of different currencies in your wallet. Yes, just in casey.
Do you like saving money? What do you need them for? For traveling? Look in your wallet right now. What do you see there? Dollars, euros, Emirati dirhams, Indonesian rupees, Swedish kronor, Japanese yen, Bulgarian levs... By the way, are there any hryvnias in your wallet? Maybe take a good look in the secret pockets? What can I say? If in your wallet the currencies of other countries prevail over the currency of your native country, then you should admit to yourself honestly - you travel too much.
- Sign: You spend your days exclusively reading travel blogs.
If you're not traveling right now, you're still thinking about travel. Dear travelers, this is very similar to addiction. And something needs to be done about this.
- Sign: when you look at the price of something in a store, you are evaluating the feasibility of purchasing it from the point of view of your next trip.
That is, a person dependent on travel may not spend money at all in everyday life. Such a traveler thinks as follows: “If I buy this thing now, I won’t be able to afford to spend three days in Europe.” And, as a result, the purchase is not made in favor of a future trip.
- Sign: you do not have a permanent residential address.
You are a professional nomad. You don't have a permanent home. And where, please tell me, should I send it to you? Greeting Cards? Where in the world will you find yourself in the next few hours?
- Sign: All your possessions fit into one large backpack.
As a person who is used to constantly traveling, you don’t buy too many things, so it’s difficult to carry them with you all the time. The sign of a true traveler is if you can easily pack all your things into one backpack or bag.
We believe that travel is wonderful. Tourism is one of the best inventions of mankind. But we are also convinced that everything is good in moderation. To fully enjoy spring, we suggest you visit one of the Ukrainian festivals. Where and when the most interesting ones will take place - read
Are there really born travelers or is travel addiction a disease whose origins should be sought in childhood? The desire to run away from home is an escape from reality. If the disorder manifests itself in mature age, then a travel-hungry person – a dromomaniac – should consult a psychotherapist. A specialist will help a dromomaniac learn to manage his experiences by increasing a person’s self-awareness and level of responsibility. Dromomania (Greek δρόμος "running", Greek μανία "madness, insanity"), vagabondage (French "vagrancy") - an impulsive desire to change places.
– Traveling can become as addictive as drug addiction. There is a release of endorphin into the brain - an internal drug that acts like heroin and leads to a “high”. When you stop traveling or return from a trip, you experience symptoms similar to withdrawal (depression, anxiety, excessive irritability), says psychiatrist Alexander Fedorovich.
Famous American travel blogger Nomadic Matt says that he always feels depressed when he returns home. However, he was not born a traveler; his first trip was only at the age of 23.
– Post-travel depression is real. Anyone who has returned from a trip knows what I'm talking about. We always think how wonderful it is to go on vacation, but much less often we realize that returning is more difficult than leaving. Online communities help me, where I find like-minded people, but only a little, writes Matt.
The blogger explains his depression by the fact that during the trip he changes internally, but the world remains the same.
– When I went on a trip around the world, I imagined what the world would be like when I returned in a year. But when I arrived home, everything turned out to be as before. My friends had the same jobs, went to the same bars and did all the same things. But I was “renewed” - I met new people, learned a lot of new things. It's like the whole world remains frozen while you're traveling,” Matt explains.
However, psychotherapists warn: if you constantly want to travel, this means that you try to avoid reality.
– Very often the desire to constantly travel is a way of interacting with society. A person commits certain neurotic mechanisms that result in forms of avoidant behavior. If a person is incompetent in something, then he constantly wants to get away from it, to run away,” says psychiatrist Alexander Fedorovich.
According to the expert, people who constantly dream of going somewhere experience pleasure not only from emotional experiences, but also from physical ones. However, under the guise of pleasure from hobbies and interests there is a hidden reluctance to take part in real, everyday life.
“As long as the person himself is not bothered by this situation and it does not come at the expense of his work and family, treatment is not necessary,” Fedorovich continues.
Most often, this situation worries the family itself. On women's forums you can find many complaints about traveler husbands.
– A friend had a traveler husband who spent all the family’s free money on his hobby. At the same time, the wife herself received condemnation, especially from males, that she did not share the interests of her husband and was imposing some everyday nonsense on such an extraordinary person,” Yulia writes on the forum.
Travel psychologist Michael Brain, who first introduced this concept, says that travel helps to quickly satisfy highest level needs for Maslow's pyramid– self-actualization (realization of one’s goals and personality development).
– During travel, we grow and mature and achieve our goals much faster than in ordinary life. In everyday life, we are busy satisfying the most basic human needs (food, shelter, etc.), and during travel, spiritual needs are satisfied. And this happens faster and more noticeably for ourselves. Therefore, of course, we want to travel more and more. To some extent, it’s a form of drug addiction,” Brain explains.
In addition, there are pathological travelers, their scientific name is dromomaniacs. These are people who cannot stay in one place for a long time. A similar term refers to people who have there is a constant desire to run away from home. Such a desire is understandable for children and adolescence. But if the disorder manifests itself in adulthood, you should consult a psychotherapist. A specialist will help a dromomaniac learn to manage his experiences by increasing a person’s self-awareness and level of responsibility.
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Do you have that friend who is never in the same place for more than one week? If yes, then you know this situation: he always sends you photos of exotic food or places that you had no idea existed. He returns home only for a day, tastes his mother’s treats, and then hits the road again. Traveling has become the norm of life for this man. He is not embarrassed by airplanes, yachts, or the hardships associated with a tiring road.
This begs the logical question: who is sponsoring all these trips? Maybe your friend has an unexpected inheritance or his job allows him to be anywhere in the world? Or maybe he travels the world teaching yoga, or roams the streets of cities as a street guitarist? Nevertheless, he does it, and your inner voice continues to claim that this guy is wrong. 
Travel addiction: myth or reality?
What if your friend does not belong to himself and has long been trapped in an unusual addiction? To answer this question, you will have to ask the experts. After all, if there are people who are ready to part with large sums in casinos, why shouldn't there be people who spend six figures on travel, exploring the most remote corners of our planet? 
Addiction or obsession?
A person who has an obsession with something must meet three characteristics: he strives to conform to a certain model of behavior, he does not see the harmful consequences of his activity and cannot interfere with his desires. Wanderlust does not fit any of the three parameters listed. That is why it cannot be classified as “mania”. Although the desire to travel again can be quite compulsive, instant gratification cannot be proven neurologically. Going on another trip, a traveler never knows whether he will like it or not. “There is no evidence to suggest that a dedicated hiker will experience a dopamine rush,” says Dr. Daniel Epstein, a Florida-based psychotherapist who specializes in human addictions. 
Why does travel make us happy?
So why can't some people stop traveling? Why do they get excited as soon as their flight appears on the scoreboard screen? Why do they buy themselves a new suitcase every year and why do they put up with staying in hotels? There is no doubt that traveling makes people happy. From time to time we like to change our surroundings and enjoy getting to know another culture. However, this does not make us obsessive maniacs.
A long journey usually tires you, and after a two-week stay in a foreign country you are strongly drawn to home, to your comfort zone, to your usual activities. Most people get tired of endless flights, take, for example, artists on a world tour. All they dream about is to see family and friends as soon as possible. Perhaps not only psychology, but also genetics is to blame for the addictions of some of us. 
Mutating gene
People are genetically programmed to lead a “sedentary” lifestyle. The development of ancient tribal communities clearly confirms this trend. However, not every person is subject to this genetic model. Scientists claim that the DRD4 gene, which is responsible for the control of dopamine, has the ability to mutate. This condition is usually associated with increased anxiety and anxiety. The DRD4-7R mutation affects almost one fifth of the population. Agree, very impressive figures. This means that twenty percent of people are prone to experimentation. They all enjoy trying new foods, taking risks in business, and often changing sexual partners. 
If we take into account the average young European, who is not yet firmly on his feet, we can explain the popularity of hostels, as well as why many of them cannot sit in one place. Now it becomes clear why they hitchhike and embark on various adventures. The mutating gene DRD4-7R whispers to its owner about the extraordinary crowdedness of the Western or Eastern Hemisphere.
Other prerequisites
Scientists believe the gene is more common in people whose DNA can be traced back to migratory populations. For example, it is much easier for Americans to uproot and move to the other side of the country. Among them there are many more convinced travelers. Although there are no substantiated scientific evidence, confirming this trend, a certain correlation can still be traced. 
Psychology matters too
If we abstract from genetics, we can discover another interesting pattern. From a psychological point of view, an avid traveler is not yet a fully formed personality. When traveling, this person is looking for something that he cannot find in his ordinary reality: the meaning of life. Well, partly, single people are looking for new acquaintances and romantic interests there.
Can an obsession with travel be somehow harmful?
The problem lies only in getting used to this lifestyle. When you're 20 and unsettled, sooner or later you'll have to settle down. And then you will fully experience the hardships of existence. It is difficult for you to find a suitable job, because your resume says that you have not stayed in the same place for long periods of time. 
Conclusion
There is nothing wrong with traveling until you realize that you are trying to escape from reality. Avoidance of responsibility, family, everyday and professional problems really gives cause for concern.
