Things I have learnt from Travelling
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
I have travelled across most of the world, I though the things I have learnt over the years
Things I have learnt from Travelling
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
1. It's okay that you have certain expectations
When I'm on a trip I have certain expectations of what to expect, it makes me quite nervous and anxious, once I'm there it seems to go well or better than expected.
2. Being travel sick is okay, if you have the right measures in place
I have suffered from travel sickness on planes and boats since childhood, I don't know where it’s because of the inner ear balance or my ASD. I'm almost granted to be sick on a plane on a long haul trip (the one time I did not was on a holiday in the USA with school, probably not to embarrass myself in front of my class mates). I have tried a lot of measures over the years, pressure bands, sickness tablets and just winging it. It also makes me nervous being Diabetic as well, so if I am I treat like a sick day, and take care of myself with sleep and plenty of fluid to get my blood sugars to go back to normal, so I can enjoy my trip.
3. Don't let Tour Guides, decide how you exchange money
This happened to me on the Trip with Girl Guiding, the tour operator that went with, he came with us through the trip, told us when we arrived in Laos that it would be better to exchange US Dollars instead of the Thai Bhat to get the local currency. I got told by my parents back in the UK to exchange the Thai Bhat as I had more of it then US Dollars, this left me with having to withdraw money once we got to Nong Khiaw to pay for dinner, when there was only one ATM. At the end of the trip I had lots of Thai Bhat left over that I had to give back to my Dad to covert back to Sterling. Lesson learnt let your parents, give you advice, they have more experience of travelling no matter what the guide says, it's your money at the end of the day
4. Have a plan
Plan each day, on when you are going to do things, most groups trips have an itinerary, but if you are not going with a organised group. Have some idea of what you are going to do and were you are going to eat for the night. Guide books, TripAdvisor and other blogs are great for ideas.
5. Have a packing list
Most organised trips and holiday companies don't supply you with a packing list or a very basic one, when I helped in guiding we had a very good one. The once I use for holiday is this one from Intrepid , it also has links for what to take in different countries as well (I like the one based on Iceland), which does help when the company you goes with provides a basic one for the country you are visiting
6. Let People Help You
As someone that has Autism, I don't like people to help me all the time, sometimes I happy just to continue the way I'm going without thinking about others. I have had to remember to stop and think about the others on the trip, and if you are having issues and feeling overwhelmed then let your fellow travellers help you, this has happened when it came to packing up in Thailand at the end of the holiday and when I ran out of money in Cambodia on the last day there and had to find a ATM.
7. Be careful
As a solo female traveller we have to be especially careful when going from place to place. I have learnt that in some countries that it's mostly okay to be a solo traveller, but sometimes it's not be a solo traveller lost and confused in a strange country. This stems from trying to find dinner on my own with no idea and the place I was saying the restaurants were at the end of the road, great thanks what a great help, so nervously I went over the road and bought something to eat an instant regret. Thankfully, the next night I was not on my own, the same for the rest of my trip, it has but me of solo travelling though.
8. It’s okay to buy tacky souvenirs
I love a souvenirs from my trips and holidays, where it’s a postcard, guide book, fridge magnet or a cuddly toy elephant. Its okay to spend your money on these, they are memories of your trip/holiday, if someone else says it’s not okay to buy them then they have little understanding of memories that these bring to you. Memories of better times does help with our mental health, that we can get through rough patches. My tip don’t buy anything illegal like ivory or bone, you might end up in trouble with the police!
9. Try the countries food
This comes from my experience in south east Asia, when in Rome they say! As all bloggers mostly say eat the local food, that is available to you don't go ordering a Italian pizza when in the middle of nowhere, it costs more to make than a fried rice dish that costs a lot cheaper to make as the ingredients are probably local as well. I had many occasions where people I was with had pizza, breaded chicken, Burger King meals, whist I had fried rice! Be adventurous with your food when travelling.
10. Eat and Drink
I have noticed a lot of the time on trips esp. when I was at school, with no clue on how to buy food for lunch and where to go, I ended up not eating, or drinking at all. This nearly let to me collapsing in the USA, as I had not eaten since breakfast and the food at the Getty Museum costed a lot. This also happened to me in New Zealand when my travelling companion did not want to go for lunch and all they wanted to eat was a muffin taken from the hotel breakfast buffet, then pay for lunch at the cafe over the road from the museum we were visiting. We spilt the muffin in half, I was extremely hungry by the time we got back to the hotel. I had another experience in Laos on my first night in the country which I have written about in tip 7. My lesson here is eat and drink, be pushy when it comes to it, as a diabetic I have learnt that eating is so important as my blood sugars tend to go a lot lower on an empty stomach, then on a full stomach.
11. It does not matter if you don't have packing cubes or a backpack
Photo by Marissa Grootes on Unsplash
Recently there has been a trend for packing cubes to put all the bits in when on holiday or a trip, I don't use these firstly they are quite expensive to have are more suited to be used in backpacks then suitcases, as found out, it just easier to use the old technique of folding nicely, the placing them in, I find that squashing everything into a small cube when you are larger size of clothing is tough, it leaves clothes crumbled as esp. my parents had spent ages ironing them! Most travellers have backpacks when travelling, these can become heavier the more you need medication, so it’s okay to take a wheeled duffle bag instead, even though it takes you ages to get to your hotel from the train station (this happened to me in Thailand)
12. Do as many experiences as you can
I found this out when I would say no to doing things like going on a jet boat, or going on a go cart down a hill. Do them! You will never get that opportunity again, so fit as much as you can, think yes I have done that.
13.Appreciate the culture and language
Learning to apricate the culture and language of a place, is something I have certainly learnt even if its learning how to say hello in the local language or meet people from that community, this will help you appreciate the country.
14. Its sometimes okay to take a taxi instead of public transport
This happened to me on many occasions when tour guides think its okay to use public transport when taking a group from the airport to the hotel, it meant I faced the wrong way on a packed train and was travel sick on the train, not great. The reason why this was the tour guide did not want to get a bus, because it cost more and the traffic in the city we were in Bangkok. Whereas when I was in Singapore I took a taxi to my hotel from the airport less chance of getting sick and more chance of recovery, which was great, I was still ill once I got to the hotel, but I had more chance to relax, it meant also I did not have carry my luggage on a train and get the wheels caught on curb stones which tipped my bag over.
15.You feel more connected.
I have definitely felt more connected to the world when travelling, we feel so small in the UK, but travelling introduces us to different people and cultures, as well as making friends more life.
16. Its okay to travel if you have health problems and are neurodiverse
I have found this recently, that is fine to travel like me you have health problems and are neurodiverse, you see the world from a different perspective than other people, which can be a refreshing change for your fellow travellers if they understand, it might take time, but it’s worth it. Most countries are expecting to people with health conditions, and will make it expectations for you.
Photo by GeoJango Maps on Unsplash17. Research your destination
Its always a good idea to research your destination before you go, like I said with planning. Blogs, books and websites will help you with your research.
18. Get your vaccinations
Always get your travel vaccinations, most GP’s have forms to fill in with your planned trip, how long you are going for, the countries you are going to, they will let you know what you need and cost.
19. Get Travel insurance
Most people forget to get travel insurance, when you have health issues its always useful to get some encase your things get taken, or medication get spoiled, there are specialist companies that do insurance for this
20. Enjoy your trip and have fun
That is the whole point of a holiday is to enjoy it and have fun, so enjoy it and don’t let stress get you upset or what other people do in the group that you might be with, if you don’t enjoy your holiday because someone else was doing what you wanted then change it, but if you can’t then you have to make a note to change it when you get home, but enjoy your trips as you don’t know when you will be able to go away again, as the COVID pandemic has shown us
Do you have any lessons from your travels?
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