I recently had a friend visit me in Santiago. One night, we sat down for a chat over a glass of wine while she was editing photos.

I was curious to see how she was capturing the city in images. To my surprise, Santiago was almost unrecognizable. Sure, there were the iconic shots of San Cristobal hill and the main square, but I was amazed how the buildings, the corners I transited every day, the shop fronts, the people, and even my local bakery, looked completely different through her eyes.

Was it her skills a photographer? The angle? The light? Partially, yes, but I would say the main difference is that she had “fresh” eyes. The eyes of a traveler, not a Santiaguina, like myself.

It got me thinking how I walk around “asleep” half of the time when I am at home. Being mired down in daily life makes it easy to lose sight of what I have –unless I am playing host, of course. My focus is on getting from point A to point B, usually while multi-tasking on my phone (a terrible habit, I KNOW!). Or, I am plugged in to an audiobook to “leverage” that idle time. The list is endless, but generally speaking, I am anything but observant to what is happening around me on the street. Ironically, this is almost never the case when I travel.

Ayyyyy… is this the reality of everyday life? If so, that must be why traveling feels like the anecdote to the mundane. The contrast really makes me appreciate what I have. It’s like I need to be taken out of context and pulled into a place where the common daily acts of life become uncommon, the usual exotic, and the people look different—even strange.

I started to think about this a little more whenever I ventured outside to the street. Was I being mindful or mindless with my surroundings as I went on my way? Why did I think Santiago looked dull comparably, to say, London, Hong Kong, Paris, or Berlin? Was it really like that or was I the one who was bored?

The truth is that I was often too wrapped up in my small little world to notice. On some outings, I didn’t even look up to see the horizon! I listened to music rather than take in my surroundings. I was creating the sensation that the city had lost its wonder, not vice versa. Then, one morning, after leaving yoga (very blissed out), it dawned on me that I had completely fallen into a routine that was both comfortable and limiting at the same time.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!

I needed some disruption. ASAP.

I craved that sense of spontaneity, surprise, and openness to whatever lies ahead when you travel. You know how it is. You arrive in a foreign city and you just head out without having a clear idea of what’s around the corner. It doesn’t matter what you are the searching for–it could toothpaste, medicine, or coffee. Finding it becomes the entertainment, a chance to check out life on the street in another place.

That need to immerse myself in the unfamiliar is constant. Stroll charming streets, gaze in beautiful shop windows, watch the sun set in a beautiful plaza, or pass hours in a café people watching. Sometimes I wish I could spend every evening in a new city to just feel that exhilaration and newness all the time.

Is it, then that travel is just about keeping my mind engaged, my heart contented, and my soul fed? Or is it more about breaking up the routine?

I kept mulling over this and trying to identify why I can never shake the intense need to move around. It’s not something I can explain on a logical level. I feel it in me. I have to shuffle my surroundings. I have to get on a plane and fly for my wellbeing. I have to wake up in cities, and places, that are completely foreign to me.

Maybe it’s that “abroad” is a place where I am totally out of context. I am pulled out of my ordinary routine and in doing so, I get to be someone else. I can step back and play the role of the observer. I can appreciate things I would normally ignore.

When I travel, I realized I also do all kinds of things I never do at home. I stay up too late, drink a little too much wine at lunch, eat things off my normal diet, I follow my impulse to wander aimlessly sometimes. I feel wide open. I live in the moment and am not buried under responsibilities, daily duties, all those things I have to DO. I am open for interpretation—ready to transform myself—at least for that moment.

My conclusion is that’s there no remedy to this other than to follow my heart and where it takes me traveling. I go to refresh and renew; be inspired and be daring; and mostly to feel free.  And then, I come home revived and ready to be settled for a while.

Arriving “home” also feels good, and novel, for a while. I tend to revel in the comfort and spaciousness of our home. I love being surrounded by my books, my pillow, my bed, my shower. I like playing in the kitchen and catching up friends to swap stories. Being back in routine with work, exercise, diet, brings such a sense of accomplishment.

And let’s be clear, nothing about Santiago has changed. It’s all me. I arrive new. I am the one who acquired a set of “fresh” eyes while traveling. I know that will continue for a while until routine rears its head again…and then it’s time to go on another trip.