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    14 Things Every Traveler Misses After An Epic Trip Abroad

    Take me back.

    Nomadic Matt
    by Nomadic Matt

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    1. Feeling like every day is Saturday.

    nomadicmatt.com

    What's the difference between a Wednesday and a Saturday on the road? Nothing! Every day you can sleep late, relax, sightsee, drink, hang out — or all of the above.

    2. Authentic (and insanely good!) international food.

    Flickr: pondspider

    Garden Asian Palace will never top the food you had in Malaysia, Luigi's Pizza will never be like Naples, and you've come to realize your local Mexican restaurant tastes like poo.

    3. The messy art of hostel life.

    nomadicmatt.com

    Sure, it was crazy and you never had any privacy. But you got some killer stories out of it and bonded with amazing people.

    4. Learning “cheers!” in multiple languages.

    Warner Bros.

    Prost, salud, skal, sláinte, chok dee. When you're abroad, you're always toasting and having a glorious time.

    5. Meeting people from all over the globe.

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    Fun Brazilians, sexy Swedes, crazy Australians, wild Brits. The world was your melting pot. (Now, the most interesting person you've met is that crazy hobo who yells at you from a park bench.)

    6. Getting completely lost — and not minding at all.

    nomadicmatt.com

    Phenomenal detour? Check.

    7. Stacking your day with adventure.

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    You were diving the Great Barrier Reef, sailing around the Pacific, and climbing mountains like it was NBD.

    8. And at night, partying till the sun comes up.

    Dennis Thern / dennisthernblog.com

    Even the hangovers were worth it. Now, you can't remember the last time you went past midnight and, after the Full Moon Party in Thailand, you and your friends have a difference of opinion in what constitutes "a wild night." (Hint: a third bottle of wine doesn't.)

    9. Crushing abroad.

    Columbia Pictures

    Foreign accents + new backdrops + gorgeous people to "show you around"? I'm in.

    10. Stretching every dollar like a pro.

    Bravo

    It was an art, and you mastered it. Now it's more like: "$10 for a pizza?! That was my food budget for a WEEK."

    11. Sleeping in.

    Disney

    You've never felt so rested.

    12. Turning strangers into friends.

    Warner Bros.

    Striking up conversations with strangers on the road was fun and led to great adventures and new experiences. Now, people look at you strangely when you smile and say hi on the train.

    13. Not being tied to your Google calendar.

    Google Calendar

    Commuting? Nine to five? Deadlines? Endless meetings? Those don't exist on the road. You did whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted to.

    14. Feeling like you've finally found people who are exactly like you.

    Flickr: thisisbossi

    More than anything, you miss the kindred spirits who shared your wanderlust. The ones who also understood that while coming home is great, absolutely nothing beats being out there in the world on a great adventure.

    Cheers to the next one!

    Flickr: chrisschoenbohm

    Matthew Kepnes runs the award-winning budget travel website Nomadic Matt and is the author of the new book, How to Travel the World on $50 a Day, available now in bookstores and online. His tips and expertise have appeared in Wall Street Journal, CNN, National Geographic, BBC, The Guardian, and the New York Times.