The title gives it away: our question today is, how does the constant search for excitement and change impact your daily life? Does it affect your relationships, preferences, or career?
When a new travel destination or possibility comes to mind, what are the first questions you ask yourself? And what do those questions reveal about you?
Back in university, we invited two travelers, Özcan Bostancı and İsmail Özger, to speak at one of our student club events. Both of them had been ordinary engineers who quit their jobs to go on a tour. They shared wonderful stories.
My question for them was this: How will you return to working in an office after all this?
I don’t remember exactly what they said (it’s been more than 10 years), but one of them said he could return to an office, while the other was at a very different point in his life.
When I put myself in their shoes, it seemed impossible to me: after traveling so much, how could you return to being stuck in an office — or even in a single city?
Indeed, my own desire to discover different things began to shape my decisions. I found myself studying in Germany. Though my desire to relocate out of necessity diminished, my burning curiosity to explore has never gone away. Over the past ten years, I’ve traveled as much as I could, met new people, and tried new things. And I realized that these are the moments when I’m happiest.
So what does this say about me?
According to my girlfriend: that I’m unreliable and could leave at any moment.
According to me: that I’m someone eager to learn, someone who loves novelty.
Looking at it objectively, both are true.
I see myself as realistic enough not to just pack up and leave impulsively. Sometimes I temper or redirect my urge to leave. For instance, I channel it into learning something new, discovering my current city and surroundings, or even hosting travelers in my home — helping them and having the chance to connect with different cultures without leaving.
Yet, my desires still influence my decisions. Because so far, I’ve always made my own decisions — and I’m used to that. But when you do this in a relationship, it often doesn’t work.
Just like the places we visit, those relationships can come and go.
Joint decisions, on the other hand, inevitably turn into limits we place on ourselves or desires we give up when we don’t share the same character or ambitions.
The same applies to work: unless it’s a dynamic job, even the smallest frustrations can make the office walls feel like your limits. The thought of taking a long vacation starts gnawing at your mind.
Being in Germany offers an advantage in this regard. Some of my colleagues love to travel and explore, while others constantly renew themselves where they are — picking up new hobbies. And vacation time and working hours in Germany are relatively good, allowing for frequent travel.
It’s a country that has accepted travel as a need.
Since the pandemic, the emergence of remote and flexible work options has made things a bit easier too.
When a new travel idea pops into my head, what do I do? What questions do I ask myself?
In fact, I don’t do anything right away because work, money, time, relationships, and other responsibilities build walls around me.
But before those walls appear, I feel a surge of excitement: What can I do? What’s nearby? When could I go?
Then, reality starts hitting me, little by little.
At that point, I ask myself another question: Does this desire to explore, travel, and embark on new adventures — and what I would have to sacrifice from daily life to do so — really feel worth it?
The answer to this is deeply personal.
For some, it’s yes; for others, no.
And here’s another question worth asking: Is my constant urge to move and explore something that genuinely comes from within me, or is it the result of the content I consume?
I think this is the most important question to reflect on.
When you consider your priorities, your reality, and your responsibilities, you can better understand what your inner voice is really telling you.
Whatever the answer may be: Exploring is beautiful.
bahadirhancicek 
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