10 things long travels teach you

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Traveling is always a new experience and life lessons. It is possible that it is for them that we go to distant countries and foreign cities.

Two years ago, Anisa Purbasari left her career as a successful lawyer to start traveling the world. During this time, she managed to visit many countries, meet with a huge number of wonderful people and get very useful practical experience. She wrote about the main lessons learned during long travels in an article, an adapted translation of which Lifehacker presents to your attention.

1. Determine clear goals and intentions

Many people dream of giving up everything and leaving to travel. It seems to them that they will plunge into a simple and pleasant life that will whirl them in a whirlpool of events and impressions. However, even the most interesting journey will quickly get bored if you are mindlessly burning your life.

It is best to think about why you are traveling at the very beginning. What are your goals? What do you want to achieve as a result? Then the journey will be built in accordance with your goals and will not bring disappointment after its end.

2. Watch with your own eyes

The travel business has created a myriad of rules and guidelines for travelers. Each country has lists of recommended sites to visit, foods to try and routes to follow. As a result, all travelers see roughly the same landmarks, take similar photos, and tell the same stories.

I am not urging you to completely get off the beaten path, but sometimes it is useful to make forays into uncharted places. Explore new sights, tastes and traditions.

3. Talking Honestly About Budget

If you are planning a trip with a companion, you should compare your options before starting it. Money is always an important thing, often it is their amount that determines the duration of the trip and the degree of its comfort. In joint travel, it is most often because of financial issues that disagreements arise, which ultimately can lead to the collapse of the entire event.

4. A long journey does not solve problems

Some people leave to travel in the hope of hiding from their problems or troubles. More often than not, this does not bring any relief. Problems rarely get solved on their own. On the contrary, they tend to accumulate and grow.

5. Insurance

Accidents happen to everyone. And just when you least expect it. Even if you consider yourself the most experienced traveler in the world, even if you are going to a resort for European retirees, take out insurance anyway. Don't even think about saving on this.

6. You will experience fear, insecurity and sometimes boredom

All travelers sometimes get into trouble, but few like to talk about it. The internet is filled with glamorous photos of tropical beaches and breathtaking mountain climbing tales that create a completely misleading impression of travel as a never-ending, fun adventure.

In fact, this is not the case at all. Travel is a continuation of life, and it consists not only of positive emotions. You should tune in in advance that you have to meet with a variety of, sometimes negative events and emotions, so that it does not become a surprise in the future.

7. Memories

Most seasoned travelers are well aware that recognized tourist attractions are the least memorable. I have nothing against magnificent palaces and ancient ruins, but this is not at all what remains in my head. A real impression is formed from an unpredictable mixture of smells, sensations and accidents that can never be planned in advance.

8. Interact with the locals

Once during my trip to India I was invited to a wedding in a village. It gave me more knowledge about the local culture and people than any book or article. And a casual conversation with a tuk-tuk driver in Cambodia made it possible to feel the local realities better than numerous news releases.

When you travel, it is very easy to hide from the locals in the tourist hotel and bus. However, this way you will never know what this country really breathes.

9. Money is not a guarantee, but a convenient tool

Now it has become fashionable to travel with completely insignificant budgets. Some travelers flaunt so much that they managed to travel half the world with a few dollars in their pocket that it just becomes some kind of mania.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with money. Yes, they do not guarantee success or even positive experiences, but they can greatly speed up your movements and provide you with an acceptable level of comfort. Never take less with you than you can afford.

10. Stay in touch with new acquaintances

Traveling is always new meetings and acquaintances. Meet people you would never meet in a familiar environment. Sometimes these acquaintances develop into friendship, which stretches through the years and continents.

Never miss an opportunity to get to know new people and let them get to know you. Be open and communicative, it helps in any situation.

What did travel teach you? What did they give you besides a set of standard photos and souvenirs?