A fascinating thread here, and so many interesting things have already been mentioned. This sort of thing, incidentally, is what makes the FTer gang so great as we support, learn from and experience the world together.

A keen traveler like the rest of you, at 25 I haven't yet hit the point that the OP has encountered, where things just don't quite seem to have the same effect or significance.

However, there was a time not so long ago – my younger 20s – when I was chasing status and sweet travels more so than now. There was something about the challenge, of gain and of 'winning', for lack of a better word. In itself, perhaps there's nothing wrong with that. But I do think that it can be easy to get sucked into a sort of habit, and as others have said, became a slave to the system. I lived to travel, rather than traveled to live. In other words, the 'chase' became more important than the travel itself.

A few years on and I've learnt that there is so much more to life. Don't get me wrong – I still love travel and those travel experiences to different countries or even interstate have certainly opened my eyes and helped me to develop personally in many ways. But the travel should not be the point of existence, if you get my meaning.

It's a very personal thing. But now I'm more discerning on the what and where, even if I am still inspired by the cheaper hard-to-beat deals. Travel, for me, has its purpose. I embrace opportunities that fill my soul, rather than my points balance. Rather than mere status with an airline or a hotel, I consider it part of my own personal development, hence museum visits, missionary trips or other opportunities that take me, to an extent, out of my comfort zone.

Those quotes above remind me of others I've seen that are rather cliché yet all so true in my own experience.

Long winded, but in response to the OP and others in a similar boat: take a break from the travel side of things for a while. We're still young, with decades ahead. The world will still be there waiting for your return when you feel re-inspired. Travel is, in many ways, a luxury in itself that many do not have. We are blessed to have this opportunity, so let's not take it for granted.

Like all good things, enjoy it in moderation because there's some wisdom in the notion that dwelling on too much goodness in life makes us less appreciative of true beauty. There is a time for travel, and a time to unwind at home. There is a time for work, and a time for leisure. Moderation and balance is a key.

Likewise I prefer getting out into the 'real' world beyond the big cities, away from work and the fast-paced hustle and bustle of everyday life. But the 'real' world is encountered in the day-to-day life even when we're not traveling too. As Anton Chekhov writes, any idiot can face a challenge; it's day to day living that wears you out and in which you realise your full potential.