“…when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”- Sherlock Holmes

When trying to pack as much into our trip as possible, I fully believed we’d only be sightseeing, eating, and sleeping for 2.5 months straight.

I was very, very wrong. Again.

I really didn’t think much before we left about having downtime. And why would I? The main focus was getting from amazing new city to even better new city, without issue and under budget. But once you get through the logistics and are actually living out your days, you will find that there is quite a bit of downtime that is unavoidable and some that is avoidable but completely worth taking advantage of.

The Unavoidable:

Finding cheaper flights, trains, hostels, etc, are almost always going to have a catch along with their price tag. Whether it’s an extremely early departure time, an inconvenient check-in process, a bit longer of a walk, or not offering a single snack, drink, or movie while aboard a 7-hour plane ride, each of these deals are far from perfect. And every time we purchased these non-refundable tickets, we said to ourselves that it was more important to get to our destination than it was how we got there. This was unequivocally true and I wouldn’t change a thing about that decision. However, these inconveniences can take a toll on your body (especially when combined with inevitable jet lag, stress, and the infectious germs of travel). And between train rides, plane rides, waiting in airports, waiting to check in to hostels, waiting in train stations, waiting, waiting, and more waiting: there is a lot of waiting and therefore downtime, that I did not plan for.

Sure, a lot of this time can be spent people-watching, or simply taking in your surroundings, but it is nice to have a book, Sudoku, or pair of headphones on hand for the not so pretty sights/sounds you are bound to encounter on your trip. Such as being in close proximity to a couple that is performing some very provocative leg rubbing and may or may not be [this] close to going all the way while you’re sharing an 8×8 train cabin. This is just one example from our experience; and trust me when I say that staring out the window while it was all going down wasn’t enough to combat the experience.

The Intentional:

You’re in “name your location here” once, why would you waste time in your room doing something you can do at home?? I wondered this myself the first few weeks to the point where it made me mad. But then I realized how much I looked forward to this downtime, how much our bodies needed it, and how much, mentally, it helped us relax and recharge.

I hate to state the obvious, but backpacking requires a lot of walking– I’m talking an average 6-10 miles per day if you’re being efficient. So you can expect for your feet, legs, back, you name it, to be sore. On top of this, your mind and your nerves really are hyperactive when in a foreign place. And though the process of traveling, being aware, and trying your best to speak the native language gets easier over time, it’s still exhausting. Thus, giving your body a break is not only a good thing, but absolutely necessary.

Lastly, it is unreasonable to go out every night while abroad; for both health and monetary concerns. For our trip, the nightlife was not why we chose to visit the cities we did (which I realize isn’t the same for everyone). In 9 out of 10 cities, we preferred to experience the food and sightseeing over the parties, and our budget reflected that. Therefore on many evenings, we finished out the day with dinner and showers; then found ourselves happily cooped up in our hostel bunk bed or common area, with one ear-bud in each of our ears watching Sherlock on Netflix.

The Benefits:

Sherlock became and was our comfort zone. This also gave us the opportunity to be together. [I write this as I laugh to myself. We were literally together the entire 2.5 months — but what I mean is a different kind of together.] Thinking of other trips I have been on in the past, it makes complete sense to me now. Because even when travelling with a group, you aren’t going to get to know your travel partners while you’re in the middle of Piccadilly Circus or snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef; it’s the bus rides, making and sharing meals, and the time spent unwinding before bed that you’ll really get to know someone and enjoy quality time together.

So the downtime became our quality time. And no matter what happened that day, whether it was cold and rainy, whether we got in an argument over food (happened more than I’d like to admit), or that night we ate Subway in Paris, we always came back to our hostel bunk or common area and were able to let it all go. Plugging in each of our earbuds to watch Sherlock was the equivalent to pulling into your driveway or plopping on your bed. The iPad, for us, was home—a place where our senses did not need to be on high alert, where we felt calm, relaxed, and safe.

Downtime may not have been something we planned for, but it ended up being something we were entirely grateful to have.