Travel Self vs Destination Self

Everyone who has ever traveled knows these two people.  The people who have traveled 8+ hours at a time know these two people even more.  The Travel Self and the Destination Self.  Two selves that battle one another constantly when traveling.

What Destination self gets to experience.

Just recently I went on a trip up to Mount Hood, Oregon.  Mt Hood is 12 hours away from Salt Lake City; not too bad.  I also just finished a 27 hour drive (turned into 30 because of fires in Colorado) going from Cleveland, Ohio to my now residence, Salt Lake City, Utah.  On both trips, the Travel self battled the Destination self.


My Travel self endures so much just to make my Destination self happy.  When traveling, the only priority I stop for is to fill up for gas.  So during that drive time I may become; tired, hungry, have to pee, thirsty, but none of that matters because the only thing the Travel self wants to do is make sure that Destination self is happy.

Now sometimes, Destination self comes out while driving telling Travel self, that "it's ok if we don't make great time" but Travel self knows better.  Travel self knows that what will make Destination self happiest, is making the little ETA clock on the GPS go down.

Travel self also knows that it will have to endure a lot with no satisfaction or reprieve.  Travel self will be starving, dying of thirst, and exhausted.  Whereas, Destination self will be fat, happy, and well-rested from a king size mattress.  The only thing king size that Travel self gets to experience comes in the form of a candy bar.  That's not even for food purposes but for the energy!

Travel self will listen to the same music over and over, since they do not have an iPod.  They will rely on music that they normally would never listen to to stay awake to trudge through the late hours of the night.  Destination self will get the freedom of going to the local scene to listen to music as a leisure, social activity mingling with others.

Travel self knows that Destination self is always looking over their shoulder; asking that nagging question, "Are we there yet?"  The rest of the conversation goes as follows:

TS - An abrupt, stressed out "No!"
DS - "Geez how much longer?!"
TS - "Seriously dude, don't want to hear it, but if you have to know it's like 400 miles, so another 6 hours or so."
DS - "Can't you just speed up?"
TS - >:@

How the Travel self feels after you are only halfway through. (@GinaBegin behind the wheel)

THEN, you arrive at your destination.  The storm is calmed.  Travel self is relieved of their duties.  The stress melts away.

Destination self. Is. HAPPY.  This is probably the happiest Destination self will ever be, and Travel self for that matter now that you are finally there.  Destination self forgets about Travel self for a little while, until next time, when they have to travel back to where they came from.