10 Eye-Opening Travel Experiences

ONE) Trying new food sometimes seems scary, but it’s mostly rewarding! If you are anything like me then you may not be very willing to even try new things, you’ve already decided you don’t like them. You should get over that. Since going to Greece and falling in love with the food I’ve been really open to new things and it has paid off!

TWO) How you pack is so important! In today’s world of Instagram and Tumblr, where looking good and getting that perfect picture while wearing the perfect outfit in front of the Eiffel Tower is more important than taking in all the history surrounding you, people tend to over-pack. Let me tell you, as someone who did over-pack (for a totally different reason) it is a serious hindrance. There were times where I felt so overwhelmed by what I had to carry around that I couldn't enjoy the journey. Part way through I ended up paying 100Euro to mail stuff home. Moral of the story; pack as light as possible.

THREE) Seeing the sun and stars from somewhere else in the world is a new experience every time; I remember looking up at the stars from the desert in Arizona and somehow they seemed totally different, like I’d never seen them before. Watching the sunrise in Greece was new too, when do we allow ourselves time in daily life to watch and appreciate the beauty of a sunrise? When there is no skyline blocking the view or light pollution to swallow the stars the natural world around you is so much more beautiful.

FOUR)  Getting lost is a fact of life from travellers. Sometimes you will be lost with a forty pound bag on your back when you haven’t slept in 2 days and you will want to sit on a curb and cry until you can figure out where to go. Other times you will allow yourself to be lost, you are prepared to walk until you get anywhere and if you never get anywhere then you will get somewhere. Getting lost can be really enjoyable if you let it.

 

FIVE) Your language, whatever that may be, is not THE language. You will never know how much you take speaking, reading and even listening for granted until you can’t anymore. You know when they say “English is the universal language” it really doesn’t mean that everyone everywhere knows it and that it shows up on every package and sign. Take it as an opportunity to learn a new language, or at least a word in a new language.

SIX) Eventually you will be really and truly alone, even with hundreds of other people around you. I wasn’t expecting this, and I was very uncomfortable with it at first, but eventually I could open my eyes and truly see what was around me. Valuable life lessons are learned when we can be appreciate our own company.

SEVEN) Over-planning a trip is a wasted experience. Allow yourself the freedom to discover what you would have otherwise missed. Deciding you MUST see the Eiffel Tower: Great. Deciding you must visit the Eiffel Tower on a Wednesday between 2 and 3pm and that you have to go to Laudree for Macarons before and then be at the Louvre for 3:35 at the latest so you can make dinner at La Fontaine de Mars by 8 is a wasted opportunity. Walk places. Stop when you want to. Skip things that don’t interest you, even if the guide book says it’s a “must see!” Allow yourself every freedom.

EIGHT) When you see an icon, whether it be ancient or from a black-and-white movie you watched with your Grandma, it will blow your mind. When I walked around a corner in Athens with no destination in mind and found myself looking up at the Acropolis I was speechless. Built over 2500 years ago, how is this standing here in front of me now?  I’ve still not been able to wrap my mind around it.

                             Yes, I consider Mummies iconic

NINE) You will fall in love. Maybe you meet the person you will spend the rest of your life with, maybe you fall in love with edible insects, or perhaps with a country or city; I am certainly guilty of that. But what got me the most was falling in love with the travel experience – Wanderlust. When I got home and realized it, I was knocked off my feet. Having seen that piece of the world and been so affected by it I wasn’t sure what to do with myself in ‘real life’ anymore. Prepare yourself for that, you will probably never get over it.

TEN) No matter what happens, home will always be home. And no matter how much you love to travel, having somewhere to go back to (whether it be your parent’s house or just your home country) will always be a welcome comfort. You may not feel ready for your trip to be over, you may be planning your next trip before this one is even over, but for whatever short a time it lasts you will love your home just as much as you love the rest of the world.