“Wanderlust (n): A very strong desire or impulse to wander and explore the world.”

Wanderlust is not just a word, it’s a feeling, a desire. We choose our hostel name to be Wanderlust NZ as we believe our hostel is a place dedicated for discovery, adventure and exploring the world. It’s more than just a place to stay.

All over the world countries and cultures have their own specific word to translate this special feeling, wanderlust. Here you can read about some examples from all over the world.

Cosmopolitan (adj.)
English – Free from local, provincial, or national ideas, prejudices, or attachments. In other words, someone who is at home all over the world.

Hiraeth (n.)
Welsh - a type of home sickness that is unique to Welsh culture; an expression of intense longing and bond one feels with one’s home country when away from it.

Eutheromania (n.)
Greek - An intense and irresistible desire for freedom.

Fernweh (n.)
German - An ache for far-off places and being as far from where you are as you can be. The craving for travel. I.e. “farsickness”

Nefelibata (n.)
Portuguese - Literally “cloud walker”; one who lives in the clouds of their own imagination, or one who does not obey or live by the conventions of society.

Vacilando (v.)
The act of wandering. The art of travelling when the journey is much more important than the destination.

Yūgen (n.)
Japanese - An awareness of the universe that triggers emotional responses too deep and mysterious for words. That feeling on top of a mountain, or in the middle of the ocean that leaves immense sense of magnificence with the magnitude of the Earth.

Lehitkalev (v.)
Literally “to dog it.” To put up with a lower standard of uncomfortable conditions of living or travel.

Resfeber (n.)
Swedish - The restless race of the traveler’s heart before the journey begins, when anxiety and excitement are tangled together; a travel fever that can manifest as an illness. It’s that jolt in your heart when you officially purchase your plane tickets, when a mix of overwhelming emotions can leave you feeling anxious or physically ill.
 

Let us know if you have a word in your language that we missed out on. We would love to learn more words for Wanderlust!