30 Travel Lessons I've Learned From 3 Years of Solo-Travels
I’ve been traveling alone for nearly 3 years now. I didn’t realize how much I’ve grown and learned until I shared my travel lessons on Instagram. I recently dedicated 30 days to sharing 30 lessons I’ve learned from traveling the world alone. It was so much fun to share, and also so reflective for me. So I decided to turn my little instagram project into an official blog post. Here, for you, for me, forever.
Drying up in the desserts of Rajasthan, India, February 2017.
Here are my 30 lessons I've learned from traveling the world alone:
1) Never leave a place without thanking it
I always thank the land, even my rooms. Gratitude for your travels makes room for more travels ; ).
2) Live your life, by your rules
Getting married, buying a house, and having babies is not everything, nor for everyone…and that’s ok.
3) Pray with the locals. Pray for the locals.
Make it a point to visit a local place of worship. And notice the paintings on the walls. They usually always tell story, of good vs. evil. Good always triumphs.
Mending life-changing scooter scars in Chiang Mai, Thailand, May 2019.
4) Nothing will give you a stronger sense of self than solo-travel
With no loved ones around to influence you, you’re free to be who you want to be. Who you want to be when one you really care for is watching, is who you really are. Solo-travel sheds the layers, labels and limits.
5) Sleep. As much as you want.
When you travel alone, no one will say you sleep too much, like it’s a bad thing.
6) Travel with your parents.
Whenever possible and as often as possible, travel with them.
Climbing vandalized churches in Quito, Ecuador, January 2019.
7) Beauty is a conditioned opinion
The more places you visit, the further from home you go, what you think is beautiful doesn’t necessarily change, but expands. What’s considered beautiful in Japan may not be what’s considered beautiful in Cuba. Doesn't make it any less beautiful. In Asia, they sell whitening creams. In America, bronzers. In India, conservative is classy. In Colombia, tight is sexy. What’s considered beautiful is a conditioned opinion, not fact. Travel, more, far. Expand your definition of beauty, until you realize, s*%t, we’re all beautiful.
8) People are inherently good
Go ahead. Travel far. To a foreign land. Where you don’t speak the language. Get sick. Get in an accident. Get lost. And see for yourself that people are inherently good.
9) Traveling will not solve your problems
It will provide a temporary fix, not a permanent solution. So if you’re miserable at your 9-5, leaving to travel long-term will only make you happy short-term. The misery will return. You’ll have to face it eventually. Whether you face it in the comforts of your home or in the beaches of Bali is entirely up to you. Take it from a girl who’s experienced misery and happiness abroad and at home. It has nothing to do with location.
Chasing waterfalls in Laxapana, Sri Lanka (and then bathing in culturally appropriate swimming attire). October 2017.
10) It’s not death we’re afraid of
What we fear most is the inability to experience life. So go. Experience it. And the fear will die away.
11) We don’t see the world the way it is
We see the world the way we are. Everyone has a different lens and is experiencing the world based on what they are projecting. Remember this when taking travel advice from others.
12) You can be a traveler and a tourist
Do the touristy thing sometimes. It’s popular for a reason. But also skip it if it’s not calling you.
Cuddling with God’s greatest creation, the papaya. Antigua, Guatemala, September 2018.
13) Solo-Travel doesn't mean lonely-travel
You don’t need an insta husband. Get yourself a handy-dandy tri-pod and do the damn thang.
14) Wear the comfortable shoes
My greatest travel lesson yet.
15) Travel off-season
It’s kind of a given why. Cheaper and less crowded is just the beginning. Locals tend to travel around their country in off-season (for the reasons I just listed). It’s a great way to connect with them and make new local friends. Don’t only connect with fellow travelers.
Waiting for the bus (a novel by me). Jaco, Costa Rica, December 2016.
16) Buy your clothes there
Bring the essentials. But trust me, buy your clothes at your destination. It’s so fun shopping and expanding your personal style!
17) Quality > Quantity
Country counting is for people who feel they have something to prove. You have nothing to prove. Spending three months in one place will give you a much deeper understanding of the culture than flying through seven countries in three months.
18) How to stay healthy on the road
I don’t know. No one really does. “Healthy” is subjective and personal. But here’s one simple tip that keeps me feeling good on the road. Eat fresh fruit everyday. Fresh fruits keeps my digestion and skin happy :).
Freezing my Miami ass off somewhere in the Himalayas of Nepal. April 2017.
19) Get yourself a hobby and go find your people
Cuban-salsa dancing in Amsterdam. Sivananda yoga in Vietnam. Whatever your hobbies are, trust me, wherever you end up, there’s a scene. There’s your scene.
20) Get clear on WHY you travel
And just do that. Why waste your precious travel time going to that museum just because it’s on someone’s “20 things to do in …” blog, when you don’t even like museums? Or walking around a crowded UNESCO World Heritage Site on a blazing summer day when you’d rather be coffee tasting at that hidden coffee house. I give you persmission to not care about museums or architecture or heritage sites. There. If that’s what you needed.
21) Working and traveling full-time is exhausting
When you get travel burn-out (and you will), you don’t necessarily have to go home. Just park yourself somewhere comfortable and create a home for at least a month to recover and have some routine. Then onward.
Celebrating my 30th birthday with new friends. Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka, October 2017
22) Celebrate at least one birthday abroad
But don’t expect it to be the best birthday ever. You know what they say about expectations…
23) Celebrate at least one birthday abroad and alone
Hello, reflection.
24) Visit your travel friends
Seriously, take them up on their invite. But give them their space. Don’t be a burden they have to entertain. Do things on your own.
Getting my Golgappa on. And don’t forget the mango lassi! New Delhi, India, June 2017.
25) Keep your doors open
Return the favor by keeping your doors open.
26) Never underestimate the value of a hot shower, a clean bed and a homemade meal.
Priceless.
27) Get lost
Ditch the google maps and just walk around. It’s the best adventure.
Posing for family I just met. Havana, Cuba, December 2018.
28) Keep those travel connections alive
But don’t force them. Having true travel friends around the globe makes the world a much more intimate, cozy place. A world not to fear.
29) The greatest lesson the world will teach you is patience
You’re learn it at every single airport. On every single flight. Patience. You’ll learn it when you’re lost with no wifi and you don’t speak the language. Patience. You’ll learn it as you decipher what is NOT rude, but simply cultural. What it is considered polite or rude is cultural. Patience. You’ll learn it when things don’t go as planned. And they won’t. They never do. Patience. You’ll learn it when you’re overcharged because you’re a tourist. No point in getting upset. It’s their home. They can do whatever they want. Patience. You’re learn it in the scorching heat, torrential rain, freezing cold, with your luggage. Patience. You’ll learn it. She’ll make sure you learn it. And you will forever be grateful for the patience and begin to truly enjoy your travels, every and all situations that arise.
30) Share your lessons
We don’t realize how much we’ve grown and learned until we share. Share your voice. Contrary to what your little ego says, what you know IS valuable. It IS important. YOU. ARE. IMPORTANT. People need it. We need you. To share what you know. To share your lessons.
We’re all heading in the same direction. We’re all holding hands as we get there. Sometimes you reach for a hand. But sometimes, you reach out a hand. Reach out and share.
Sipping that sweet king coconut in the middle of nowhere, Sri Lanka, October 2017.
