What Travel Has Taught Me!

Ahh travelling, it’s got this funny way of teaching you things you didn’t even know, you didn’t know. Like how to survive for months on 7/11 toasties and optimism alone! Ok, throw in a Choco pie or two! 

Between tossing and turning on hostel beds, climbing active volcanoes, making friends for life on Romanian road trips, and taking my chance with just about any street food I can get my chops around… 

I’ve had a few experiences across the 70+ countries I’ve been lucky enough to visit. 

Each and every one of them has taught me something, particularly the ones that weren’t so enjoyable at the time! I mean, who knew visiting Ukraine with a Russian visa in your passport would result in someone pointing an AK47 at you?! 

So with that in mind, I’ve compiled my top 8 lessons learned from travelling. 

Rather than straight-up practical tips, like, don’t wear your Kosovo t-shirt whilst having an evening stroll around Belgrade, I’ve taken a much more philosophical approach. Because hey, I’m feeling a bit kooky this arvo!

8 Lessons from Travelling I Learned

Ahh, so the lessons I learned while travelling. Here I am as a seasoned traveller with the chiropractor bills to prove it. But, that wasn’t always the case. When I set off backpacking I had a lot of preconceptions and worries that almost put me off. 

What I will preface with is that many times lessons come in different forms. 

They can slap you in the face for an instant hit of education like the time I learnt not to pick niche items off dodgy hotel restaurant menus. *shudders!* 

Or, they’re a slow burner that builds over time with each new experience and it’s only when you sit down to think about it, that you realise how much the road has changed you. 

Either way, what travel teaches you is a series of invaluable life lessons. So, let’s look at what can we learn from exploring new places and things.

1. The World Is Not That Scary

One of the main things I always get asked about travelling is along the lines of “Wasn’t X place scary or dangerous?” 

I would honestly say I’ve had “scarier” experiences at home in the UK!

That’s not to say I have never been wary of any situation and you certainly need to have your wits about you as you travel. 

But bar a few exceptions like travelling to actual warzones or mega sketchy neighbourhoods, the vast majority of places aren’t scary at all and people the world over are friendlier and more helpful than you might imagine. 

You realise that actually, people aren’t intrinsically out to get you, they’re living their lives in the places you visit. Most are usually happy to help or at the very least, they’re pretty indifferent to you! 

Plus, this really helps give you the courage to travel alone and is where travelling the world solo teaches you trust. 

2. Through Our Differences, Humans Have The Same Core Values.

One of the biggest things I’ve learnt on the road is that for all our differences as people, our cultures, physical appearances, customs and way of life, when boiled down to basics, we’re all very similar too. 

All humans have the same basic needs and in my experience, hopes. We all want to have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and be happy…. However that might manifest. For me, this is the route of the idea that travel teaches tolerance. 

Whilst there might be so many things that divide and separate us culturally (and those are things you travel for) there are also so many areas that we have in common and it’s there you can always find that deeper connection. 

This was something we really learnt in much finer detail when we did a trekking tour in Myanmar with local tribespeople.

We humans are kinda like crisps (chips to those speaking simplified English!). Some are spicy, some are plain, others are funny shapes and they’re all different sizes and shades. But deep down we’re all just potatoes! 

So, what does travelling teach you? We’re all just spuds!

3. Travel Makes You Realise How Little You Know & How Little You’ve Seen

The real mind fuck about travelling is that the more places you go and the more you see, the more you realise how little you’ve actually seen!

It’s an irony that’s not lost on me and I do wonder if travel becomes akin to “chasing the dragon” in its infinite nature (I mean, even if you do visit EVERY country, you’ve still not been everywhere!) 

Travel teaches you ALOT about the world, and here I’m talking beyond these more philosophical lessons… things like how I learnt: to ride a motorbike in Vietnam, spot a scammer from a mile off in China and all about the intricacies of Bosnia football rivalries at 1:30 am from a hostel receptionist in Sarajevo… 

With each bit of knowledge, experience and hard-earned life lessons, comes the realisation that you’ve only just scratched the surface. It’s humbling and overwhelming all at the same time and one of those great travel lessons.

4. Travelling Forces You Out Of Your Comfort Zone But Gifts You Confidence (You’ll Figure Things Out!)

Before I set off travelling I had a million and one questions. How to book accommodation, how to organise transport, etc etc. Once I got out there I realised that these questions, the not knowing and doing it anyway, that’s what it’s all about.

Because you know what, when you’re forced to, you figure it out! That is what travel has taught me. 

Running out of petrol in the middle of nowhere in Vietnam, running out of cash in a village halfway down the Mekong (this theme suggests another lesson should be learnt here too!)… We figured it out because you just do!

Travel is about getting out of your comfort zone, whether that’s mental, physical or culturally. The quote “Growth starts at the end of your comfort zone.” isn’t just some motivational bullshit, but ya know what, it’s actually true! 

Getting out there, being uncomfortable and not just dealing with it, but thriving, is where real confidence is made. Because plans change, things don’t go right, but what you learn while travelling is to be flexible and embrace it. 

5. It’s As Much About The Freedom As It Is About The “Travel”

When I first wanted to travel it was because of the… hmm, well, the travel! The incredible experiences I would have, the people I would meet and the places I would visit. 

But what I really didn’t expect was the freedom. It was something I had never felt before, and honestly, I think the vast majority of people haven’t either unless they’ve gone off on a long-term trip with no fixed end date. 

In many ways, that is the bit that hooks you in, that level of freedom is almost intoxicating. What travel does for you is to provide you with that space to escape the confines of the routines and culture back home. 

I remember waking up to another rainy morning in Hanoi after 7 bum blistering weeks on our motorbikes and deciding we needed to change things up. So we just booked flights to Singapore for the day after and spent a few weeks exploring Malaysia before coming back to Vietnam in the Spring. 

Now that’s what the life of a traveller is all about! You don’t just have to stick to the top backpacking destinations either, you can just about go anywhere you damn well want!

6. Real Travel is About The Challenges

A lot of people like to talk about “travel vs tourism” and honestly, for so many reasons I haven’t got the word count to go into, I think it’s bullshit! 

Real travel isn’t about whether you visited the Eiffel Tower or if you went on a group tour to learn about The Khmer Rouge. It’s about whether or not it challenged you, both inside and out, practically, mentally and morally. And that is different for everyone. 

Just because you got on a night bus down to Patayya doesn’t mean sitting on the beach for 3 months drinking buckets is real travel! 

Travel is about the good AND the bad, how it all weaves together to create an experience that moves you. 

Seeing street children living rough in Manila sure isn’t most people’s idea of a vacation, and it definitely wasn’t pleasant, but it did challenge me and teach me valuable lessons in gratitude. What you learn from traveling abroad is often found in those moments of shock and awe.

7. Travel Opens Your Eyes, Your Heart, And Your Perspective.

Some of the most important lessons I learned from travelling were really about switching up my perspective and in all honestly, checking my ignorance. If you want to travel to learn, you’ve got to be ready to be humbled. 

I remember distinctly the moment when I realised that getting annoyed with the queuing etiquette of China was a me problem! It suddenly dawned on me that the principles of what is rude I had ingrained in me were in fact culturally routed to home, and here, it was totally different!

When I learnt to embrace these cultural differences, it became a liberating experience and rather than tutting and sighing, I joined the scrummage to see who got to the front of the line first! 

And that really set the tone for traveling life ever since. 

I learned never to presume anything, whether that is similarities or differences both minor and major. Instead, just go with it because celebrating different cultures is so much fun when you do and you experience the world in a much more authentic way.

8. Travel Teaches Minimalism & Experiences Over Things

Being on the road with only your bag on your back and with very little room to pick up new items along the way really does teach you the value of each and every item as well as training you well in minimalism. 

Travelling light is a skill that takes time to develop and a true blessing once you do. I feel like it intrinsically ties into the idea that travel teaches you that experiences are worth so much more than “things”. 

Being out there with a minimal set-up, living life to the fullest every day and having that freedom to go wherever you want. You really do leave behind the consumerism of being stuck in your mundane life back home. 

What travel does for you is to do a real switcheroo on your idea of value. Whether you’re packing for a trip to Thailand or you’re changing your outlook on life as a whole, it has a whole heap of benefits.

Bonus – Travel Insurance

So, now for something a bit more practical. I know, no one likes to have to pay for things like travel insurance, it’s a drag! But you know what’s worse, getting injured (or worse) when you’re travelling.

Now that’s something you don’t want to have to put on your poor mother… she’s got enough to deal with already!

So be sure to get yourself a top-quality cover you can rely on for your next trip. We always use SafetyWing and the unique features of their Nomad coverage mean you can pay monthly and even hit pause if you’re returning home for a little while.

Plus, you can easily add on extra activities at the flick of a switch if you fancy a bit of snowboarding on the odd occasion.

Why Is Travelling Important For Learning?

For many people, we spend our formative years in a relative bubble. Learning about ourselves, our own culture and selected elements of things like Geography that our schools deem important.

We learn things like Maths and English, but for the most part, it can be quite insular (I’m looking at you America!) even if you take an annual family trip. 

What travel does is take us out of the comfort zone of that bubble. It confronts us with new challenges and experiences we’ve likely never had before. It teaches us to use our wits, our skills, and common sense and how to rely on ourselves but trust in other people too.

Plus, it’s just a good freaking time!

So, what can you learn from travelling that you can’t at home?

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