I’m currently on a 2-week trip through Taiwan. As part of the itinerary, I planned a 4-day cycling tour. However, after three days, I’ve decided to cut the final leg and take the train to my next destination instead. It's a cool experience but every day has been mostly the same, and I've not been enjoying it as much as I thought and I'd rather spend my time differently.
However I feel so bad about it and I'? struggling with two things:
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I feel like I am "giving up" and failing the challenge I set to myself.
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I’m losing money on non-refundable hotels and paying extra for new ones. It feels like a "stupid tax" for changing my mind, and the waste is eating at me.
Has anyone else ever stopped their trip early? How do you move past the feeling that you should have "toughed it out"?
Added some pics and cat tax.
by Grafiska
5 Comments
Pffft, don’t feel bad. If you’re not enjoying an area, move on! You didn’t fail the challenge, you got bored. You’re going to a new are that hopefully will be more interesting, enjoy it!
Yeah I’ve ended a tour early lots of times and cancelled multiple short tours beforehand at the last minute (both mainly due to bad weather).
Why would you keep touring if you’re not having fun and can do something more enjoyable instead? No shame in that at all.
Ride your own ride. Hindsight is also always 20/20.
Don’t feel guilty, instead take it as a learning experience and focus on enjoying the rest of the trip. Now you know what suits you best for future trips
First of all, don’t beat yourself. You’re on holiday to have fun, and if you’re going to be miserable, no point in doing it. I cut short a trip by two/three days three years ago because of a heatwave, and nothing happened, I went back next year to complete it (I understand that it may not be a possibility for you, though). Unless you bought super expensive accommodation, you are probably not spending that much in the grand scheme of things. Enjoy the rest of your trip and take it easy on yourself.
I really enjoy riding around a city or other area I’m visiting to get to know it better and experience it in a different way. I feel like it’s one of the best ways to get to know a place. It’s not touring or bikepacking, but it’s definitely a great experience.