When I was growing up in the 1960s and 1970s they called it 'White Line Fever’ or 'Wander Lust’. An addiction to being on the road. I can relate to part of that. When I was presenting over 100 seminars a year I did a lot of driving. However, my primary reason for wanting to be on the road was getting paid for speaking, not because I liked being away from home for months at a time. Each time I headed out it was alright for the first few weeks, then the long drives and everything else would start to wear me down.

On some occasions I flew, but rarely. I do not like flying. However, some people get addicted to air travel. I knew a retired dentist who loved flying all over the world. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for his airline adventures. He would sneak aboard commercial flights, write bad checks or look for tour groups waiting to board flights and claim he was a last minute addition. He was caught one out of every three or four times. A doctor's note for his condition kept him out of jail.

Sometimes travel destinations cause addictions. Most people riding a subway or train in the middle of winter see one of those attractive poster ads for some tropical location and start making vacation plans right away. Others become addicted to tropical locations and can't wait. They use all their vacation time and sick days to hit the beach several times a year. They beg, borrow and coupon their way there when no reward miles are available. They’ll even partner up with strangers for shared hotel rooms and expenses.

First time visitors to places like Jerusalem sometimes develop an addiction called the 'Messiah Syndrome’. They suddenly feel chosen to stay in the Holy Land and deliver a religious message. They will likely vanish for a few days until someone reports them missing. Local authorities deal with this problem all the time. They are normally able to locate the missing person quickly, then they get him or her on a plane home as fast as possible. Once they come to their senses, few return.

Finally, there are those who visit a place like Orlando, Florida, and get caught up in all the excitement to the point that they decide to move there. Most are couples with kids or singles thinking they'll find a high paying job at a theme park. Some families move there from Europe thinking they'll use their financial nest egg to start a tourist store or business of some kind.

Sadly, most theme park jobs are not lucrative. You can't live on what they pay. Orlando and Kissimmee strip malls are filled with empty spaces where someone's idea of a dream business was once located. And as far as families moving there… well… it's a fun place to visit. High paying job opportunities and affordable housing choices are limited. Living expenses are higher and you really don't get much bang for your buck.

Sometimes avoiding a travel destination addiction is as simple as separating fact from fiction. If you travel to a place like Branson, Missouri, you might look at the smiling faces that greet you at any one of the many shows and attractions thinking these people are well paid. They are not and many live in broken down motorhomes travelling to seasonal attraction and state fair jobs all year long.

Another way to avoid falling into the trap of a travel addiction if you see yourself heading that way is to try Staycations for a while. Most areas have enough out of the box entertainment choices and unusual places to build a nice Staycation on. Give your own area a chance, or diversify your vacation destinations yearly to avoid getting into a rut or developing an obsession with a particular area or attraction.

(DOCTOR KNOW) Bill can be contacted on FACEBOOK.