A few months ago, I was sitting in the kitchen of my hostel after a night at work. I was chatting with Alex, a British guy, about politics. Around one am, just as we both started to yawn, three young girls came into the kitchen. They had a box of pizza and were giggling. Turns out they were Alex’s roommates: three Australian best friends traveling across New Zealand together for two weeks. We heard their stories about the disastrous start with the rental car, we listened to them talk about their itinerary. They were so enthusiastic and I loved every second of talking to them.
I felt myself feeling slightly maternal towards them. They’re 19, and up until then had never left Australia. I wanted to take them under my wing and share my stories of travel with them. We did connect on Instagram, and they also introduced me to Milo – an Australian chocolately/malty beverage. Our paths only crossed for a few hours, but I still think about them and I wish them all the best in school, in life, and in travel. I think they’ll go far.
It got me thinking more about what else I would tell a young traveller… things beyond the practical. The intangible elements of travelling. I had some ideas, but I wondered what other people would say. So I crowdsourced: I asked older travellers at the hostel. I polled my gals on Facebook.
It was a hard question for a lot of people. “Hmmm… I need to think about that. I mean, wow. Yeah. What would I tell someone? Huh.” I just said, get back to me. But I continued to think about it, and then the comments started pouring in. Here is (more) advice for a young traveller.
go with an open mind. You are travelling to explore the world (or your own country) and if you have any preconceptions, you can end up disappointed. This applies to food, culture, and history. Sometimes, what you have read in the history books is wrong, or grossly biased. (Mom, Isabel, Jenna)
Schedules are great. If you’re working. If you’re not, then why would you restrict yourself to only your plans? Why not go with the flow. Megan says it best: “so many of my journeys happened because I met a group of people who happened to be going somewhere I hadn’t even considered, but I tagged along for the ride and diverting from my plan was so worth it. Leave yourself open to possibilities and change.” Remember that Pirates of the Caribbean quote? Think of your guidebook as just that: a guide, not a rule. (Megan, Jenna)
I want to elaborate on this one too. When I was road tripping with Paul back in January, he was adamant that we make plans for every day. Toward the end of the trip, when we were in the Coromandel, he mentioned researching for the next day. “But Paul,” I said, “tomorrow is the day we do Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach.” “Well, yeah,” he said, “but there’s other stuff -” “Paul,” I interrupted, “Cathedral Cove is twenty minutes from here by car and then a forty minute walk. And when we get there, I’m not going to take some pictures and turn back around. We are going to hang out on the beach for a little while. And then we have to drive to Hot Water Beach. For low tide. We won’t get anything else in tomorrow.” Honestly, I don’t think he was happy with me at that moment. He had been religiously planning out our days: where we would stop for lunch, what was on our way… and to an extent I liked that. But I gave up on plans awhile ago. The lesson here is, let your day evolve organically, unless you need to be someplace to make a ferry/airplane. And even then ask yourself, is it going to kill you to not be on that plane?
And also… stay longer and move slower. The “cram it all in” mentality of so many travellers is a recipe for seeing other people trying to see what you’re trying to see. We aren’t saying, “skip it,” we aren’t saying, “it’s not worth it.” We are saying, take your time. Soak it all in if you can. But………. “the “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list” mentality is the death of travel. there is no seeing it all. If you try to see it all, you won’t taste it. Feel it. Smell it. Hear it. Or love it. Go for well rounded experiences instead of the destination.” (Dara)
educate yourself. Learn some of the language, some of the culture, some of the history. Read current event stories about what’s happening there. An informed traveller is a smart traveller. Personally, I love reading up about the history of a nation and I love asking the locals about where they grew up. It’s a conversation starter for some and there’s always something that the guidebooks leave out or that history has forgotten to tell you. It was heartbreaking to see these sharks dead on a Mexican beach several years ago. I’ve since read up on shark fin soup and will never, no matter how curious I am, try it.
But beyond that, I think it’s important to be aware of what’s going on around you. We unfortunately live in a time where anything can go wrong – with disastrous consequences. read the news. I read the news every morning – it’s on my phone. If anything, it’s something to do over breakfast and tea. I’ve come across so many travellers who don’t have a clue as to what happened the day before – even in their own country. I’ve also met people with whom I’ve had intense political and societal conversations with until the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes, those are the best connections.
Even then… “If some news channel is telling you to not go there, take a look closer. Obviously we should avoid war zones, but my last travel turned into my permanent home: Egypt. Let yourself have the last word, not the media.” (Dara)
meet the locals. As Dara says, us travellers are mad cool. And we’re fun to hang out with. But you will learn the most about a country if you “make emotional ties with the people that live there.” Why do you think I love Turkey so much? Some of my greatest travel experiences came from meeting Turkish students and subsequently visiting them years later.
As for language, in so many countries it’s easy to get away with speaking English all the time. Pretty much everyone in Europe learns it from the time they are five and anyone in the tourism industry will speak to you in English. but learn some phrases in the national language: “hello,” “goodbye,” “thank you,” and “where is the…” are all good ones to know. So are “train station,” “bathroom,” and “hotel.” Trust me on this one. In places where English is not commonly taught (Central Turkey, rural Southeast Asia, rural India), carry a small translation dictionary with you: pull it out and share it when you need help. Each of you can flip through and find the words you need; even if you can’t pronounce it, you can point at it. This has saved me getting lost so many times in Istanbul (and I speak a tiny amount Turkish!)
And yet… if you find yourself wavering, let it go. Don’t try to force a place to love you as you love it. Sometimes, the missed trains, broken down buses, grungy hostels, or worse – muggings, injuries – these are life’s way of saying “you don’t belong here.” Don’t fight it. you’ll find someplace else, someplace better. Even if you don’t think so at the time.
travellers! weigh in — what do you think? leave your thoughts in the comments below.