- Travelling alone is fun
- Travelling with your best friend is better
- You can never take too many photos
- You’ll always wish you had a better camera until you’ve completely maxed out your budget on a fancy camera
- You quickly stop caring what you look like when you travel for a long time
- You feel like an idiot taking selfies….
- ….but you’re always glad you persevered when you manage to get a good selfie
- Travellers, backpackers and tourists are all the same thing. Call yourself whatever you like but don’t judge someone by their travel style.
- Always be wary when strangers approach you in the street…
- …but don’t let it stop you from chatting to people.
- You’ll get the shits at some point
- Travelling as light as possible is always a good idea
- You’ll never regret getting up early
- You’ll never regret going somewhere special to watch the sun set
- You’ll never wear the skyscraper heels you packed
- You’ll always be shocked when you see a monk with a smartphone or DSLR
- Paying to use gross and dirty toilets is really annoying
- Everyone hates enormous tour groups
- Don’t be afraid of getting lost. That’s usually when you find the best places
- But Google Maps is still one of the best inventions ever
- You can never find a public toilet when you’re so desperate you might actually pee yourself
- If you’re travelling on a budget (hostels and local transport) you will have something stolen eventually
- Insurance that covers medical expenses is vital
- Insurance that covers your belongings is a very good idea…
- …but a lot of insurance is bollocks because you have to pay so much excess to get anything replaced anyway
- Always call your mum and dad, no matter where you are in the world and even if it’s only for two minutes to tell them you’re safe
- Don’t over-brag on Facebook. Your friends will quickly get bored
- Smartphones make travelling so much easier..
- …but remember to put your phone down and enjoy the moment
- Most museums are boring…
- …but good museums are flipping awesome (Natural History Museum in London, I’m taking to you)
- No matter how switched on you are, you will be scammed at some point
- Airports were designed for no other reason than to fleece you of all your money. Everything from parking to a bottle of water is a rip-off
- Always get out of the way for other people’s photos at tourist hotspots. There’s such a thing as Photo Karma
- You’ll start wearing clothes you wouldn’t have even worn to bed at home
- Always try the local food. You can eat McDonalds at home
- Asking a local for directions will just confuse you, especially if you’re not speaking the same language
- Travelling on a budget is often more fun than luxury travel
- When eating street food, choose the stall with the longest queue to guarantee freshness
- You know you’ve been travelling a long time when toilet roll becomes a luxury
- Airport security is infuriating….
- …but not as infuriating as the guy with the hand luggage filled with liquids, sharp objects, aerosols and electronics
- Always learn a few phrases in the local language
- Always have a safety supply of cash tucked away for emergencies
- Don’t forget to take breaks. Tiredness and dehydration can ruin travel
- The best way to see a city is by bike
- Open-top bus tours sound like a better idea than they ever are
- Everywhere is nicer when the sun shines
- ‘Handmade local crafts’ look beautiful when you’re on holiday but look like cheap crap when you get them home (especially because they’re nearly always made in China no matter where in world you are)
- You’ll always talk about the food you miss when you meet someone from your home country
- Pushy touts are the most annoying people in the world. Surely they’d sell more if they left people alone?
- Everyone feels homesick sometimes
- Don’t buy cheap luggage, it’s not worth it
- Don’t over-plan your travels. Leave room for the unexpected…
- …but do some basic research to make sure you get the most out of your destination
- You can never take good photos through the window of a moving vehicle. Sit back and enjoy the view and don’t waste your time
- Whether or not you like a place will be determined by your mood, the people you’re with and the weather as much as the destination itself
- Your bucket list will never get shorter
- Everyone should keep some kind of journal or blog to help remember their travels
- There is such a thing as seeing too many temples/museums/churches/monuments/historical buildings. Are a while they all blend into one and you forget which is which.
- If you can’t carry your own bag it’s too heavy
- There’s no need to wear ‘explorer clothes’ when you travel. Unless you really want to look like Crocodile Dundee or you have a fetish for pants that zip off at the knee, you’ll be fine in whatever you normally wear at home
- No other country makes tea or coffee the way you have it at home
- There’s nothing better than a familiar face meeting you at a train station or airport
- You can never, ever get rid of sand in a backpack
- When you get home, very few people will actually care about your travels…
- …but you know you’ll be friends for life with the people who do
- You’ll only wear about 30% of the clothes you packed
- You’ll meet so many people and become Facebook friends but you’ll completely forget who they are or where you met one year later. If they get married and change their name you’ve got no chance
- Material possessions like big houses, flash cars, giant TVs and the latest gadgets seem pointless when you realise you could travel for a year for the price of a car
- No matter how much you travel, you still have that ‘Oh my God, I’ve lost my passport’ moment at least 5 times on the way to the airport
- Men who are travelling are so happy beards are cool again
- If a natural disaster or some kind of protest or attack happens in a place you’re visiting, you’ll suddenly realise how many people care about you by all the ‘Are you OK?’ messages you’ll receive.
- Travelling with a cheap tablet is a really good idea
- Shopping in different cities is always more fun than shopping at home
- Getting a hair cut in a foreign country is unnecessarily terrifying
- You’ll never look at a map of the world in the same way again without being overwhelmed by memories
- Plane journeys are much more tolerable when everyone respects the Arm Rest Rule and stays in their own space
- When boarding a plane, everyone has their fingers crossed they’re not sat next to the fat guy
- You’ll become friends with people who speak the same language as you, even if you have nothing in common
- You’ll get so fed up with shit wifi. Why doesn’t it just work!?
- When travelling in Asia, you get really good at using chopsticks…
- …and any traveller who can’t use chopsticks is considered a failure
- Anklets with bells on should be banned. You’re not a cat, take it off
- You will develop a love/hate relationship with TripAdvisor
- It is possible to have a full conversation with someone when neither of you speak a single word of the same language
- You’ll avoid having ice in your drinks for about a week and then realise you’d rather have Delhi Belly than warm drinks
- Irish people are everywhere. There’s a crazy amount of them for such a small country
- When you get home, your travels will feel like a weird and wonderful dream far too quickly
- Everyone is scared about travelling before they go
- You can’t help but feel really smug when travel with hand luggage only and stroll past all your fellow passengers waiting by the baggage carousel
- It’s never acceptable to clap when the plane lands. This makes all the other passengers wonder if there was an emergency we knew nothing about
- Travel can often be a better education than an uni degree
- Everyone panics when they’re one of the last at the luggage carousel
- You will always, always go over budget
- You will undoubtedly have the best time of your life
- You’ll wonder why you didn’t go sooner
- You’ll try to encourage all of your friends to do the same
- You’ll begin way to many sentences with, ‘This one time while I was travelling…’
- As soon as you get home you’ll start saving for your next adventure
- You will never be the same again
World First Wander | USA Insurance Buzz
Sunday 2nd of November 2014
[…] Stott, a full time blogger who writes as The Travel Hack. She has compiled a brilliant list of 101 truths about travel. As travel insurance specialists we have to agree with her wholeheartedly about points 23 and 24! […]
World First Wander | Posts
Thursday 30th of October 2014
[…] Stott, a full time blogger who writes as The Travel Hack. She has compiled an excellent record of 101 truths about travel. As journey insurance coverage specialists we’ve got to agree together with her […]
World First Travel Insurance Blog » Blog Archive World First Wander | Travel insurance | World First Travel Insurance Blog
Friday 24th of October 2014
[…] Stott, a full time blogger who writes as The Travel Hack. She has compiled a brilliant list of 101 truths about travel. As travel insurance specialists we have to agree with her wholeheartedly about points 23 and 24! […]
Anja
Wednesday 22nd of October 2014
Great list. Lots of recognition and several funny observations. Made me smile. Thanks!
Nikki Vargas
Tuesday 21st of October 2014
Love #101..very true! Great list! www.thepinthemapproject.com