Top 5 Things I’ll Miss Most While Traveling: Part 2

Top 5 Things I’ll Miss Most While Traveling (Nick’s List)

 

As Justine mentioned in her Top 5 Things She’ll Miss Most While Traveling, although we are going to be having a great time all around the world we’re still gonna miss a few things from home.

 

1. Fantasy Football

Yes, I started my top 5 things I’ll miss most with Fantasy Football. Before you think I’m crazy and think that I hate everything and everyone from home so much that Fantasy Football would be number one, let me explain. For the past 11 years I have been in the same Fantasy Football league with my friends, so while I’m saying Fantasy Football this also has a lot to do with the people in the league (not to get too sentimental on you). The competition and trash talk that goes on is phenomenal. We even have a weekly podcast, although this year it turned into more of a weekly bashing on how bad my season started off (2-6), but that’s what makes The League so good. Every year we have a live draft and we always do it right. We rent out a conference room at a local hotel and have it fully catered with pastas, sandwiches and enough booze to drown a small army. It’s like Christmas in August, and it is always the best day of the year. In fact, when Justine first mentioned that maybe we should do something like travel the world I turned to her and said, “Ok, but I have to be back for the draft in August”. I wasn’t concerned about work or money or anything else, just making it back for my Fantasy Football draft. She thought I was kidding but I’m still trying to figure out a way to get home for the draft. ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS Sports, any other sports or Fantasy Football website or wealthy entrepreneur with a few extra dollars to spend (cough Mark Cuban cough — I’m a big fan), if any of you want to fly me home for the draft, or better yet fly the rest of The League to me (I’ll be in Europe by draft day), it would be much appreciated.

2. Family, Friends and Co-Workers

See I’m not a heartless animal that only cares about football. I am definitely going to miss my family and friends. I come from a relatively large immediate family, and I am lucky enough to have my Mom, Dad, stepdad, two grandmas, one grandpa, one Dick (that’s my Grandma’s boyfriend’s name), five brothers, two uncles, one aunt, one sister, one sister-in-law, three nephews, and a partridge in a pear tree. I’m going to miss all of them and all for different reasons, but I thank all of you for your support on our trip and can’t wait to see you. I’m especially going to miss them during the holidays when everyone gets a little tipsy, shares embarrassing stories, and a few people get a little more than tipsy (you know who you are).

As for my friends, I have a very tight group of friends that I see all the time. I’m definitely going to miss going out with them, spending time in less than luxury communities in the Poconos, renting summer houses down the shore, going on bar crawls, and of course playing Fantasy Football. Not to mention going to Bruce Springsteen concerts when he’s touring. Last time The Boss played at Metlife Stadium we rented a bus with roughly 30 of our friends and saw the now famous “Birthday Concert” (see feature image at the top). To this day it is still one of the greatest times of my life. You will all be missed.

In addition to my friends that I see every weekend I am going to miss my friends from work. Over the past few years I’ve had the privilege of working with a ton of great and talented people at Giovatto Advertising. While I’m not going to miss all the of headaches that come with working in the fast paced world of advertising, I am definitely going to miss the people that I worked with. I have been very fortunate to not only get along with all of my colleagues, but I have great relationships with the vendors and clients I have met along the way. Thank you all for an amazing 3 years and I look forward to keeping in touch with you.

3. The Food

I know I am going to experience some amazing foods while we travel, but we are living on a budget and are not going to be able to have sushi and steak on a regular basis — two of my favorite foods. Over the past few years it’s no secret that I’ve put on a few pounds. After all, you don’t earn a nickname like “Don Ziti” by eating salads. What can I say, I like to eat. Who doesn’t?! And I’m going to miss eating great foods on a regular basis. See Justine’s post about our favorite breakfast food — Ken’s Deli BEC. But in addition to breakfast sandwiches, I’m going to miss my parents cooking. Both my Mom and Stepdad, Jim, are exceptional cooks and I will definitely miss their home cooked meals. I’m also going to miss being lazy and ordering out after a long days work. Living in Jersey there are a ton of great pizzerias and Italian restaurants. Many of which will deliver. Over the past year I must have ordered from Pompilio’s Pizzeria and Restaurant at least 20 times. They have great meals for a great price (not a plug, just the honest truth).

4. Television

I realize as this post goes on I’m sounding lazier and fatter, but there is little I love to do more after a long day than lay in bed and watch some TV. I know there is going to be TV in the rest of the world, but if you’ve been out of the country before you know it’s nothing like having 500+ channels to choose from like you do at your own home in Jersey. Plus, I’m deeply committed to watching AMC’s The Walking Dead and HBO’s Game of Thrones. Anyone who doesn’t watch either, I definitely recommend you start… but first finish reading this post, then like it, share it and comment below ;-). Behind Fantasy Football, not being able to watch these shows was my second biggest concern about going on this trip. You might be able to tell by now that I worry about the big things. I’m going to miss coming home from work (not so much the work part) and turning on the TV to watch re-runs of Seinfeld and Friends before settling into a good movie.

5. My Home

It hit me the other day that on this trip I am not only going to have an amazing time, but I am going to be homeless for a year. Not in the sense that I am going to have to beg for change on the corner (or so we hope), but we aren’t going to have a home in the sense of a place that we call our own and sleep in every night. Don’t get me wrong, I am excited to be staying at different places and occasionally camping under the stars, but there is something comforting about being in your own home that I am going to miss.

And there you have it. My top 5 things that I’m going to miss while I’m away.

Let us know some of the things you always miss when you travel!