I left the US on January 15, 2012 to start my trip around the world. Over a year later, I’m actually starting to miss working. I’m starting to miss having a place to call home and a project to focus/work on.

During my 10 months of backpacking in Latin America last year, I did find a few cities where I stayed put for a few weeks. It felt great not having to constantly be on the move, being able to unpack all my stuff, having my own space, and making a few friends who I won’t leave behind/leave me behind just after a day or two.

I’ve reached a point where travel is starting to become tiring and repetitive. I don’t get excited going to the “must-see” places anymore or doing the “must-do” stuff. Even meeting people is starting to get repetitive. I do enjoy meeting new people and learning about them. But it’s that initial meeting that starts to bore me. Having to keep re-introducing yourself and talking about the same topics. By the time you get to know each other well enough that you can talk about more interesting stuff, one of you usually moves on to the next destination.

Perhaps, this is what some call “travel burnout.” And I believe the cure is to slow down. Too much of anything eventually burns you out.

Right now my priority is to find a nice city I could call home for a few months, possibly for 2-6 months to get some work done and really get to know the place. I want to get back to working on some projects again, polish some old skills, and just taking things slowly. It’s hard to focus on things when you’re constantly on the move and getting yourself familiarized with a new place.

I’ve been looking for that city here in the Philippines for some time now, but had been disappointed so far. I haven’t found one yet that meet my criteria: temperate climate, low cost of living, reliable Internet at decent speed, easy to get around in/good public transportation/walk-friendly city, and an activeCouchSurfing/Meetup community.

Right now, based on my research, Thailand, which is my next destination, might be the one. Specifically, the city of Chiang Mai. If that doesn’t work out, I might consider going back to Medellin, Colombia, which I already know I will like.

Sometimes it could take a month just to really start making friends and get to know the city well enough. I remember spending 5 weeks in Buenos Aires and it wasn’t until my last week that I started meeting some people that I really liked and could hang out with on a regular basis. I really wished I had stayed there longer (I already had a plane ticket purchased from Brazil to the US, my next destination at the time, as proof of onward travel is one of the requirements listed in the visa application and tickets were getting expensive).

So my goal for the next 6 months or so is just to travel slowly. Stay in one place for a few months, and then move to the next one when I get bored.

I’m still not done with traveling and still much prefer this nomadic lifestyle than the one I had back home. I just have to do it differently. I’ve learned a lot and tried things I normally wouldn’t do during my travels. It’s been a very rewarding experience so far and I’m grateful that I’m able to do this. But when you’re not having fun anymore, it’s time to make a change.