wanderlust means A strong impulse or longing to travel. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
Why this word is great
WANDERLUST — [Noun] A strong, innate desire to travel and explore the world. From German Wanderlust, from wandern ("to wander, hike") + Lust ("desire, pleasure"). Unlike “wander,” which merely describes the physical act of drifting, or “tourism,” which codifies the organized consumption of place, wanderlust is the internal ache that precedes and motivates the journey. It is the finger tracing a railroad line on a crinkling map, the specific melancholy of finishing a book set in a city you have never seen, the magnetic pull felt where tracks vanish into an unseen horizon—a quiet conviction that the self you are is waiting for you somewhere else.
noun
- A strong impulse or longing to travel.“Very often we made detours from the main caravan, rejoining it at a given spot, and this spirit of "wanderlust" brought us into a nice quandary one fine day.”
- An impulse to be unfaithful or seek out other romantic or sexual partners; a straying heart.“Males like lots of rapid anonymous sex. It's a biological drive. When you get a male-female couple together the male often gives up his wanderlust in exchange for the security of having a home.”
verb
- To feel a strong impulse or longing to travel.“Yes, he probably saw a picture of the South Sea islands last night, and now he is wanderlusting.”
- To roam or travel widely.“"Be assured that we will never weary listening to tales related by one who has wanderlusted so many years," flattered Mrs. Cunningham, [...]”