9 signs you travelled too much last year

Is your passport is groaning under the weight of international ink? Do your friends forget which country you're in? If you recognise any of these signs, you were been bitten hard by the travel bug last year.

1. There’s a big hole in your bank account

A long weekend away or a carefully planned backpacking trip might seem budget-friendly to begin with, but once you've been tempted by a tour of the Galápagos Islands or a week in Iceland searching for the Northern Lights things start to add up.

What was once a well-fed bank account is now a shadow of its former self. Its demise may have been inversely proportional to your growing happiness, but you’re starting to wonder whether you might need to find a cheaper passion – well, for the next few months at least.

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2. Your kitchen is bare

Thanks to all the time you've spent on the road, your kitchen has seen better times. At least you’ve got enough miniature bottles of spirits pilfered from airlines and hotel rooms to keep you going for a while.

3. You need a new passport – again

Those celebratory stamps at Machu Picchu and Ushuaia are starting to look like a costly use of space. You still carry your ink-cluttered passport with pride, but you're starting to resent the irritating regularity of having to renew it.

4. You receive a warm welcome on every flight

With all the time you've spent on a plane, you’re starting to become a pro at frequent flying. From charming the cabin crew to making the most of your air miles, you've got the system totally figured out.

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5. You forget which language you're speaking

Spasibo? Shukran? Thank you?

After mastering a handful of new languages this year (well, “two beers, please” at least), you’ve been left struggling to remember the correct way of saying “thanks” when you’re back on home turf.

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6. You never unpack

You’ve spontaneously booked trips so often this year that you rarely bother to put away your suitcase. This might have left you with some creased shirts, but it means you’re always ready ­to go at the drop of a hat.

7. You've can switch off in any situation

It took a while, but after being kept up all night in hostel dorms and harassed by hawkers in hectic markets, you’ve learned to employ the magic of selective hearing. You now have no problem sleeping through a 12-hour bus journey or staving off unwelcome offers of carpets, tours or even marriage proposals.

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8. You've never been more proud of your Instagram account

Whether you've snapped sunrise at the Taj Mahal or posed for silly pictures on the Salar de Uyuni, your Instagram has become a guide to some of the world's most photogenic places.

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9. Your bucket list has expanded faster than ever

You thought that travelling would start to reduce your bucket list, but it’s become painfully clear that the opposite is true. Instead, you keep discovering fascinating new places – and now you’ve got throngs of new friends to visit around the globe.

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