101 things I learned from traveling after 2 years on the road

I am one day away from my 2 year anniversary of this crazy nomadic life I now live. I just looked over the first post on this site. I was excited but timid about my decision to say goodbye to normalcy for the unknown. I am so happy that I did it! The road has taught me so much. It has changed my views on the world. It has given me perspective that you can only get through hands on experience. I would like to share some of the things I learned from traveling on this journey with you. Some of it is personal and some of it is universal.

101 Lessons from the road:

 

1. I am still horrible with leaning languages.

 

• Mexico and Thailand tie for best street food.

 

 

• Always trust your gut.

 

 

• There will always be someone who snores in your dorm. Pack earplugs.

 

 

• I still love wandering around a new city with no map and no plans.

 

 

• Always carry toilette paper or at least napkins.

 

 

• Do not stay in the cheapest hostel in town. Always pay a few extra dollars. You want to feel good in the morning, it is kind of like not drinking well liquor the good stuff is worth it in the long run.

 

 

• That it is really only necessary to pre-book for the day you arrive from the airport or I case of national holidays.

 

 

• I can only handle dorm rooms for so long. I LOVE PRIVATE ROOMS!

 

 

• Not all who wander are lost.

 

 

• Coconuts are full of electrolytes and will make you feel better after a long night of drinking, food poisoning, travel, etc.

 

 

• Always pack a sarong.

 

 

• I can’t drive on the wrong side of the street or ride a scooter.

 

 

• Santorini is rumored to have been were the most vampires ever lived. It is one of the eeriest places I have ever visited and I am in no hurry to go back.

  Frolicking in the beautiful freak show of Santorini

 

 

• Traveling domestically can be as interesting as internationally.

 

 

• I want to live in Italy once and learn to cook from old ladies.

 

 

• Don’t carry all your valuables in one place.

 

 

• Antigua, Guatemala has one of the best hole in the wall restaurants ever.

 

 

• Buckets are not becoming.

 

 

• I am braver than I thought.

 

 

• At least attempt to learn the local language. “Hello!” “Thank you!” “How much?” and “Excuse me.” will get you farther than you think.

 

 

• Hostel breakfasts almost always suck. Ham and cheese sandwiches aren’t breakfast.

 

 

• The Philippines has the best underwater world but I could skip all the towns.

 

 

• You should only ride on the back of someone’s scooter in Asia that has a bike at home.

 

 

• I still have a fear of the vast dark blue underwater and the oceans creatures.

 

 

• Not many places are as pretty as Maui.

 

 

• Argentinians are the most antisocial groups in a hostel.

 

 

• I love countries where you can flush toilet paper.

 

 

• I am not as big of a drinker as most on the backpacking trail.

 

 

• Sometimes you will wish you had a fake wedding ring.

 

 

• The quote, “Bring half the clothes and twice the money you think you need.” Is so true!

 

 

• I will think you are an idiot if you tell me you didn’t like the food in Malaysia.

 

 

• It is completely okay to have a lazy day once in awhile. Even if you are in the worlds most exotic location sometimes you just want to hide inside and watch movies.

 

 

• People everywhere just want to be happy and healthy.

 

 

• Always pack jeans.

  Frolicking in jeans even in the middle of the Sahara Desert in Morocco. This was my ‘pretend you are in Cosmo’ moment

 

 

• Mushrooms on Bali are strong.

 

 

• Rainy days suck no matter where you are.

 

 

• Getting lost is sometimes the best thing you can do.

 

 

• Talk to people. This is a hard one for me as I’m naturally very reserved but you never know who that stranger on the bus could turn into.

 

 

• No matter how hot it is outside I still hate cold showers.

 

 

• Everyone knows about Hawaii and Maui.

 

 

• Stop and smell the flowers. Especially plumerias.

  Frolicking anywhere that has Plumarias makes me feel at home

 

 

• Skip the Killing Fields in Cambodia. Instead visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

 

 

• I am spoiled when it comes to weather and beaches and I have no shame.

 

 

• If you don’t like a town that everyone else raves about. It is okay to just move on.

 

 

• Men in Turkey will tell you in casual conversations that they “won’t rape you” and you won’t feel comforted.

 

 

• Brush your teeth with the local water.

 

 

• Asia has the best fruit shakes.

 

 

• Travel is about the journey, not the destination. The destination is only the means for the journey to begin.

 

 

• I am happiest on a beach in a hammock with a coconut.

  Hammock frolicking in Nha Trang, Vietnam

 

 

• Cuba is like nowhere else. Go now before it changes. I love places that feel like time traveling.

 

 

• Hanoi Backpackers is one of the worlds best hostels.

 

 

• Smiles are universal.

 

 

• Even after 30+ countries I’m still intimidated about visiting India.

 

 

• Always wear slippahs (flip-flops for all you non-Hawaiians) in the shower.

 

 

• You will get homesick.

 

 

• I will can eat Acai everyday in Brazil and it never gets old.

 

 

• Sadly some stereotypes are true.

 

 

• The cliché experiences really are worth it. Go see the sunrise over Angkor, ride the hot air balloon in Cappadocia, see the Cristo in Rio, etc….

  Frolicking in a Hot Air Balloon over Cappadocia, Turkey

 

 

• Pack your favorite skin care products.

 

 

• Most people dream of traveling.

 

 

• Traveling with a man is very different from traveling as a solo female.

 

 

• The media lies. The world is not dangerous and crime filled. It is sad they only report the bad stuff.

 

 

• Mexican food is the thing I crave the most.

 

 

• Tampons are super hard to find. Stock up when you have the chance.

 

 

• Tuk-Tuk drivers will offer everyone drugs but me. Honestly, the only time I’ve been offered drugs on the road by a stranger was in Chefchaouen. I guess I just have an innocent face.

 

 

• McDonald’s bathrooms can be a godsend.

 

 

• At one point you will get Bali/Delhi/Traveler’s belly.

 

 

• Drink lots of water.

 

 

• I regret not buying glass lanterns in Turkey and Morocco and silk lanterns in Vietnam. I guess I have a thing for lanterns.

  Frolicking in Hoi An, Vietnam taking pictures of things I want instead of buying them

 

 

• Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive. You can live cheap in almost every country.

 

 

• It’s okay to wear the same outfit days in a row.

 

 

• No matter how many goodbyes you say on the road, they don’t get easier.

 

 

• Don’t get so drunk that you blackout. You will get hurt or robbed or just look like an ass.

 

 

• It is almost impossible to find a good cup of coffee in Central America even though most of the world’s coffee is grown there.

 

 

• This trip will only happen once, don’t be cheap. Splurge sometimes on a good meal, nice hotel or once in a lifetime experience.

 

 

• Camels pop a lot!

 

 

• Internet is easier to find in Thailand than in America. I have yet to end up in a country where the guest houses don’t have free wifi.

 

 

• The local moonshine is always cheaper but also comes with a giant hangover.

 

 

• Your friends are as inspired by your travels as they are envious of them. I promise.

 

 

• The news always shows you the worst about a country.

 

 

• Sometimes the package tour is better than doing it yourself. Most often this is true with border crossings. Pay for the minivan shuttle service instead of the two local buses, taxi and walking.

 

 

• English is almost universal but I’m still embarrassed I don’t speak another language.

 

 

• Washing your clothes in the shower is sometimes a necessity.

 

 

• Americans really are the least seen on the road. I have yet to meet someone else from Hawaii.

 

 

• Lonely planet doesn’t know everything.

 

 

• Every town has an Irish Bar and a bar with a Bob Marley banner.

 

 

• Monkeys in Bali have been trained to rob you.

 

 

• Ice Coffee in Vietnam is the best I have ever had.

 

 

• Bargaining is an important skill to learn.

 

 

• I could eat green papaya salad from a street vendor in Thailand everyday of my life.

 

 

• Elephant rides in Asia are sad.

 

 

• Write about your journey: years from now you will be so happy you blogged or kept a journal.

 

 

• Always look into visa regulations before you leave.

 

 

• If your favorite band is playing in a town you are in. Fork over the money for tickets. Nothing like a taste of home in a far off land.

 

 

• Ziplock bags can be a lifesaver.

 

 

• Don’t leave your drink unattended.

 

 

• You get more for you money in Asia than in Latin America.

 

 

• Send yourself postcards. One of the cheapest souvenirs you can buy. Plus postage stamps are almost as cool as passport stamps.

 

 

• Swim with glow in the dark phosphorescent if you have the chance. It is even better with a mask.

 

 

• Jumping photos are always fun.

  Frolicking in Urfa, Turkey

 

 

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