It doesn’t take a lot to become a traveler. All you will need is a bag, a camera, and a joyful heart ready to experience new things in life. As a longtime traveler, I have several tips to share with my readers which have helped me enrich my experiences and gain more love than I could have ever managed doing a 9 to 5. Here are some of my most practical travel tips.
Be brave
Travelling demands a person to be brave. You have to be brave enough to talk to the locals, brave enough to try new cuisines and brave enough to understand that the world is entirely different from the US. Living in the US made me take a few things for granted. It is only travelling that allowed me to understand that there could be hundreds of people pacing rapidly around you, sharing the same views, and still not blocking your own.
Understand daily life
There is a marked difference between a traveler and a tourist. A tourist is there only for sightseeing, eating at familiar restaurants and clicking pictures. A traveler, on the other hand, is looking for experiences. Live like the locals for some time. Wear what they wear, eat what they eat and do what they do. If nothing else, sit on a park bench or by the roadside and watch daily life in this region. You will be surprised with these new insights on life.
People don’t always smile, but they can
People don’t always smile at you, like many new travelers believe. They have this false notion that people will go around smiling and welcoming them to their exotic lands. This doesn’t really happen as frequently. You are foreign to them just like they are foreign to you. Most people will smile back if you smile at them first. As a new person in town, this is something you could do. People are very friendly, and they usually help you.
Be open minded
When you are traveling somewhere, you need to keep an open mind about their customs, rituals, and lifestyle. This is especially true when you are traveling to a foreign land. People live in much different ways and have unique and different ideologies that may not match with your own. Therefore, it is much better to focus on the positives of a place instead of fault-finding or judging people.
Slow down
You are traveling to some place to experience new things. This cannot be done while you have a very busy itinerary. Leave some space for wandering, getting lost and conversing with people you have just met. You won’t realize how much you have missed by following a schedule that fits corporate norms more than travel ideas.
I have always thought that the world is a good place to be in. The media portrays the world as a dangerous, harmful place. By my experience, all I can say is that the world is a nice place. You will find good and bad people everywhere but most of the times, there is more good than there is bad.
Be Prepared
Any seasoned traveller will tell you it’s important to have everything you’ll need for any eventuality. You can but most of what you need as you go but some things aren’t so easily available. You’d hate to miss out on opportunities because you didn’t have all of the things you required. Always take gym wear when you go away, it’s versatile and means you can be active and explore for longer. Get some great advice on which sports bras to pack at www.getbraadvice.com.
My name is Sadio and welcome to Bare-foot my personal travel blog