10 Lessons Travel Hasn’t Taught Me

 

We all know we can learn lots from travel, but what doesn’t it teach us?

Here’s 10 things I found I haven’t learnt from wandering the globe…

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• 7 Luxuries I Miss Most as a Budget Traveller
• 4 Reasons Why Travel Isn’t About Finding Yourself
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#1 To Hoard Possessions

Travel hasn’t taught me to hoard possessions, to hang on to them, to worry about them, to collect them or to store them.

Instead, travel has taught me to let go of stuff, it has forced me to live simply, frugally and to get over the stress of things being lost or damaged.

Sure there are some luxuries I miss as a budget traveller, but it’s a great feeling to know there isn’t much I can’t live without.

The less stuff I hoard, the less there is to worry about and I certainly have travel to thank for that!

 

 

#2 That the World is Full of Bad People

Travel hasn’t taught me that the world is full of bad people, that negativity is a given outcome or that most individuals have malicious intentions.

Instead, time and time again, travel has actually taught me that the world is full of beautiful, helpful and generous people, willing to share their home, journey or meal with me.

Living as a budget traveller, hitching and couchsurfing frequently, this point has repeatedly been brought home to me and almost always my experiences as a traveller have led to an affirmation that most people in this world are indeed good people.

 

#3 To Be Ungrateful

Travel hasn’t taught me to take for granted what I have – be that physical capabilities, personal talents, material possessions or the blessing of good fortune.

Instead, travel has always taught me to be incredibly thankful for what I do have and to use these gifts, be they material or ethereal, to the best of my ability.

As I one of the main reasons why I’m glad I prioritised travel over career in my 20’s, I know of no better way to show my gratitude for my good fortune than by making use of it.

In this way, travel has taught me how to be grateful and how to show it!

 

#4 To Stay in the Comfort Zone

Travel hasn’t taught me to stay in the comfort zone, to shy away from risk or to take the easy option.

Instead, more often than not, travel has taught me to put myself out there, to take a chance on an opportunity, to test out my fears or resistance to stuff.

And almost always, doing this, has led to some benefit, joy or new discovery; almost as if the universe rewards those who try, who take risks and who trust.

Travel has pushed me to do this and taught me the benefits of moving beyond the safe zone.

 

#5 That Normal Exists

Travel hasn’t taught me that there is such a thing as “normal”, nor that there is one mould we should all conform to.

Opening my mind, forcing me to encounter and experience different realities and ways of living, travel has instead taught me that there isn’t any set way to view the world or be in the world – there isn’t a fixed trajectory or rhythm we can all dance along to.

Letting go of that the idea and being happy that I don’t fit a “normal” in many ways, is one of the most liberating feelings in the world.

 

#6 That Friendships Take Time

Travel hasn’t taught me that friendships take time, and that relationships can only be established over a period of months or years.

Instead, travel has repeatedly showed me that friendships can actually be formed in minutes, that chance encounters on buses, in hostels or at markets can lead to lifelong friendships.

I’ve only known some of the most wonderful people I’ve met on my travels for a few weeks and yet, years later, I am still in contact with them.

When you find someone you connect with, that you share an understanding of the world with, time and distance are no obstacles. Also, facebook helps!

 

#7 That Money = Fun

As a strict budget traveller, travel certainly hasn’t taught me that you need money in order to have a good time.

Instead, many of the most beautiful places I’ve been to and many of the most fantastic things I’ve seen, have been those that cost very little or nothing at all.

This is one of the very reasons why I love budget travel so much – very often having to make do with little or nothing can prompt some great opportunities for invention, creation and discovery.

The fact that it’s been cheap in the process then helps make the wonderful results even sweeter!

 

#8 To Ignore Intuition

Travel hasn’t taught me to ignore my intuition, to not pay attention to that gut feeling, to disregard what the voice in the back of my mind is muttering.

Intuition can show itself in all sorts of ways – be it a feeling in your heart, a sense of “just knowing”, or a feeling that, despite all the odds, something is right – but whatever it is, travel has taught me to trust it.

When you don’t know anything or anyone where you are, when you are in strange and foreign lands, intuition is often the only thing us travellers have to go on, and listening to it has proved one of the greatest assets in all my years on the road.

In fact, listening to your intuition is one of my top travel tips for hitchhiking!

 

#9 That it Matters Where You’re From

Travel hasn’t taught me that it matters where you’re from, or where you’ve been, or what you’ve been through.

What travel has taught me is that it matters most where you are going.

 

#10 That Love is an Impossible Find

Travel hasn’t taught me that it’s impossible to find love.

You will be taken on the journey in the direction you need, so allow travel to teach you this.

Travel has taught me that love exists, it is real and it is beautiful.

 

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So those are 10 lessons travel hasn’t taught me!

What hasn’t travel taught you?

And what is the greatest thing you’ve learnt in the process?!