Some people think that traveling can teach them skills they will later put on their resume to impress potential employer.
And it is somehow true that you could learn some useful stuff on the road – independence, budgeting, negotiations or crisis management. But I never seen traveling as a way to improve my CV. I travel to be free and see the world.
There are however a few things I’ve learnt to understand. Things I probably always knew, but they were hidden somewhere at the bottom of my brain. Being on the road freed my mind and showed me new perspective. Here are five most important things I learnt to understand:
I understood there is no point in getting emotional about things I don’t have control over
Living in a world composed of rules and people who tend to follow them made me used to things happening rather fast and in an orderly way. But then I went traveling and discovered that not the whole world lives by the same rules. I spent what felt like eternity on overcrowded public transport. I spent hours in massive queues trying to buy train tickets. I joined numerous long lines in front of the only working ATM in town. My bus broke down in the middle of nowhere. And so on.
Normally these kinds of situations would drive me nuts. And they did at first. But after a while I discovered that no matter how angry or frustrated I was the situation wouldn’t change. The queue would not get shorter, the crowd would not disappear, the bus would not fix itself. So I started to worry less. I became patient. And somehow life became much easier.
I understood we all care about the same things
No matter where you go people care about the same things. We might have different skin colors, speak different languages, believe in different gods and go about our lives in different way but at the end of the day we want the same from life. All kids want to have fun. All mothers want the best for their children. All fathers want to provide for their families. Everyone wants a happy life. And while happiness is defined differently across the globe at the end of the day we all want it.
I understood that almost everything comes in a cheaper version
When you travel over a long period of time with a limited budget, you need to use your money wisely. So I mastered budgeting and price negotiations. But most importantly I learnt that most things come in a cheaper version. You can get a nice double room in Vietnam for $30 but you can also find one for $10. You can have a delicious green curry in a tourist restaurant in Bangkok for $5 or eat it on the street (where it is cooked in the same way) for $1.5. You can take a $46-one-way train trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu or you can catch a public transport and get there for under $10. And when you get back home and apply those lessons you suddenly discover that 50c pasta tastes equally good as the one for $2 and that by just shopping around you can buy the same book for $18 instead of $25. Suddenly the same money can take you much further.
I understood that having less things makes life easier
Traveling with one backpack for 20 months was a very interesting experience. I quickly discovered that having only a few t-shirts and shorts and two pairs of shoes was not really making any difference to my level of comfort or happiness. But it’s not just the clothes. I didn’t have my apartment, my car, my books, my electronic gadgets and other stuff. And I didn’t miss what I didn’t have. I understood that happiness doesn’t come from having things, but from who I am, what I do and who I have around me.
I understood world is much safer than we are made to believe
I remember the first time I was going to South East Asia. It was about eight years ago. I told my friends and family I was about to visit Cambodia. “But it’s dangerous!” they all told me. Of course none of them have ever been to Cambodia. Most couldn’t even name its capital or place the country on the map, but they still knew better. I guess it’s because we tend to fear what we don’t know. We fear everything that’s different. And media do a pretty good job of showing the world as a dangerous places. They are masters of putting stereotypes in our heads. But you know what? You don’t have to go another country to get robbed. This can happen on the way to work in your hometown.
And what about you? Have you learnt any interesting lessons on the road?
“I understood there is no point in getting emotional about things I don’t have control over” I learned this very quickly in my travels. I use to be more of a nervous person before I started traveling but raveling has calmed me down and made me look at things differently.
Thank you Michael for sharing and being the first commentator on my new blog :)
Very well written! I haven’t started traveling that much yet, but I have similar feelings, especially that if u go once somewhere and u like it, it’s almost immpossible to stop and also it calm you down, you get know what is really important and learn how to ignore things that were annoying before. I could write more and more :-)
anyway, thanks for starting new blog, more sruff to read :-)
Very insightful things to know. I am so glad I am able to read post like this that will let me understand now before I go on the road a lot of things to expect on the road (did that make sense?).
I know I am going to need to learn #1 real fast because I am a control freak and well I am gonna have to get used to a lot of things are going to be out of my control. I also can agree with #4 I have already gotten rid of a lot of things and seriously life does get easier with less clutter/stuff in it.
Pingback: Tweets that mention 5 things I have understood thanks to traveling | Destination World -- Topsy.com
I agree most with your first point. Getting upset over things you can’t change, control, or affect in any way is pointless. It hurts you, and no one else. It’s a tough lesson to learn, but one that had better be learned quickly if you want to enjoy your travels.
I agree with the last statement. Many people in developed nations have this stigma that developing countries are “all” dangerous. But it’s all about being smart, knowing the local culture, and navigating the “unknown terrain”. Like u said, any place in the world can b dangerous, even in backyard.
And the worst stigma there is on developing countries…everytime…its the Malaria vaccine. I bet you heard that a lot on doctors and in travel forums.
If I don’t have a time limit, expections, etc I pretty much roll with the flow. If I have to be somewhere specific, I try not to make a fuss; there really isn’t a point in making a fuss when ATC decides to spread traffic further apart due to bad weather and they come in nearly 2 hours late because everyone else who is behind me is going to be late anyway.
Actually I rarely make a fuss, only in my head I do I am very passive-assertive. But you make valid points, what is there to fuss about?
Nothing makes me happier than traveling with a little bag and a very limited amount of clothing!
My personal fav: “I understood that having less things makes life easier”
True. Doesn’t having a lot of ‘things’ feel awfully heavy?
How many people NEVER travel in their entire lifetime because of the things they own: the car, the house, the possessions? “Oh, I can’t travel, what would I do with my STUFF?”
Measure those possessions up against lost life experiences and see if it’s really worth hanging on to.
Torre, I couldn’t agree more :)
Loved this post. I still have a very hard time with no.1, but I’m on my way to get there.
But the owning less, living better thing I have embraced and I must say it’s extremely liberating!
I think that being patient is really hard for people coming from so called western countries. It’s just a very specific world we live in, and it does take time to get used to different pace, customs and way of going about life in Asia or South America.
This is such a great piece! I really enjoyed it.