Those of us who have the urge to wander endlessly understand each other. Other folks, often very close blood relatives, seem to find the desire to travel for long periods very strange. I often hear travelling colleagues mention how disapproving their extended families are of their lifestyle.

In my experience, trying to get other people to understand is futile. People either get it or they don’t. You’ll know those that “get it” because their eyes will instantly light up when you talk about wandering around different continents for 6 months or more at a time.

Basically, I’ve found that the best bet is to keep things as normal as possible. While travelling you’ll have the normal conversations you’d usually have with family but via Facetime rather than in person. Take care not to imply that your lifestyle is somehow more exciting than their’s. Sure, I think some folks are trapped, but others genuinely find their lives as exciting as they want them to be – without extended travel.

Another great option if your family are interested in short trips is to try to have then fly out to visit you. You’ll get to show off your tour guide skills and finally get a sense that your family see you as useful 😉 Take care not to try to talk people into it who just aren’t interested. For example, family members who have no interest in flying half way around the world to experience Paris, or explore Australia. Some folks are home bodies and like it that way. It’s important to respect that other people have their priorities for how they want to spend their money.

If you have some spare frequent flyer points then you might be able to fly your Mum out to see you. Taking your Mum on a trip is a very fun thing to do, even if you’re a guy. Sometimes it’s Dads who are the more adventurous ones, and going on a trip with your Dad can be cool too. Dads are sometimes more wanting to be in charge, whereas Mum’s will often enjoy sitting back, relaxing, and letting you do all the organization.

Try to stay interested in things your family are doing. Even if they don’t seem interested in what you’re doing, it’s still the right thing to do. Try to keep up with their lives: Are they enjoying their job? What’s going on in their social lives? Are they doing any home renovation projects? How are you nieces and nephews doing? With Facebook and all the easy communication tools, it doesn’t take too much effort to ask these questions.

Another thing you can do that will please your family and help them warm to your travel lifestyle is to make an effort to meet up with extended family and or family friends while you are on your travels. For example, if you have cousins spread out across the globe look them up while you’re in town. This will show that family are important to you.