FOMO

FOMO stands for Fear Of Missing Out, and I get it real bad when I'm travelling. I used to have it back in Perth, but then my friends and myself all started getting busy with university studies, work or relationships that there began to be less and less social events, so it became easier to skip an event here or there without feeling like we had missed out on something amazing. When you're travelling however, there are so many opportunities on the horizon before you that you have to race against time to see and do as much as possible before those opportunities fade away with the sun.

I first really came across this expression when I started my tour of Europe with Contiki. I remember my guide said to all of us that we would experience FOMO whilst on this trip, and that we should of course try to see and do as much as we can, but that's not always possible and we shouldn't get upset about it. I did get upset though, because I missed out on one of the best parties of our tour group (supposedly, from what I was told from the others). I was incredibly sick when I first started the tour (I think I actually had got tonsillitis or some bad virus from my cousins who I had spent lots of time with before I left for the tour), yet I managed to keep soldiering on and trying to fight off the sickness with my mind - basically telling myself I would get better soon and it would surely pass. However about three or four days in to the tour, I had almost completely lost my voice and could barely speak, so at the Contiki Chalet in the Beaujolais region of France my guide gave me some antibiotics and she convinced me to take a night off and try sleep it away. It just so happened that this particular night was the first Contiki party of the tour, so EVERYONE was going to it, and EVERYONE went crazy and partied hard... except me (and my roommate who was also sick, I think she got it from me). Now I did wake up the next day feeling much better and I even recovered within a couple of days, but even though there were many more parties throughout the rest of the tour (which I attended all of them), everyone was always talking and reminiscing about how good the first party was. I was kicking myself that I had missed out on this party, and I always wondered with regret what would of happened if I chose to ignore my sickness and go to the party - would it have still been good? Or would I have done more damage to my health to attend just an average event?

Regardless of this, I still had an amazing trip on my Contiki tour, and I got to see and do almost everything I had intended to do.

But alas! This FOMO has followed me whenever I travel, and this time I am trying to refuse to let it happen...

Except sometimes you have to miss out and compromise for what is really the right thing to do. After almost four weeks of being able to say YES to every event and activity put before me, I have finally had to compromise and miss out on a really amazing adventure.

My friends from Belgium had organised a hiking/camping trip to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) which is a must-see place in Norway (basically it's this massive rock that juts out 600m above the water and you can sit dangling on the cliff, testing your fears of height and fears of falling to your death with one slippery mistake). Everyone was so excited, and I was eager to come since it would be a great way to see more of Norway and spend some time with my new friends. Then they told me the day they were travelling... it was the exact same day I had one of my first lectures for my course. I was absolutely gutted, and felt torn between the two. Although they tried persuading me to skip my class, I thought sensibly and knew I couldn't miss my first lecture of the semester, even if it was going to be an amazing trip.

I reminded myself that I have come here for university, so that would have to come first and travel would come second, and I'll just have to deal with all the FOMO that comes my way.

At least I would see their photos, and I could just pretend I was there. It might not be the real thing, but it might make me feel a little closer to the trip I could of been a part of.