word
German
Wanderlust
lit. “desire to wander”
A strong urge to travel.
Origin
Entered English in the early 20th century alongside the rise of leisure travel and the Romantic glorification of solitary wandering. The German Romantic tradition — Goethe, Caspar David Friedrich — supplied the mood.
Modern usage
Now squarely a travel-marketing word. Used unironically on Instagram captions, ironically in essays about overtourism.
Tags
travel
longing