While I’ve garnered some wisdom in my travels about how you should NOT travel (part one and part two), I’ve also managed to learn a few things that make traveling so much better. I bring you…how you SHOULD travel!
1. I’ve said this before, but you should bring peanut butter. It’s a magic food, that will make you new friends and bring you a taste of home when you’re surrounded by fish sauce in say, Thailand. Not that there’s anything wrong with fish sauce, but sometimes a girl (or guy!) just needs some peanut butter when everything else is unfamiliar.
2. Stop worrying about your hair. There will always be a place somewhere in the world that makes your hair go wild. Unless you’re one of those people with perfectly straight, perfectly shiny hair that takes no effort…then you shouldn’t worry about your hair. Ever. Do you exist?
3. Take a blanket, scarf, pair of socks, warm sweater, something on the plane. Trust me.
4. Do jumping jacks in the tiny plane bathroom. Your non-swollen feet will thank you. It’s worth the strange look the flight attendants will give you.
5. Perfect selfies are boring. You should take fun ones because they are guaranteed to make someone smile whenever they’re pulled out. Either you, or your travel buddy, your kids, your grandkids, or the myriad of other family members or friends you make sit through your travel slideshow.
^^no, it’s not a cute selfie. but it reminds me of my absolute exhilaration at meeting an elephant which is way better than looking cute! because, elephants.
6. You should try a weird food wherever you go. You may find something you never thought you would have loved! And if not…that’s what the peanut butter is for!
^^this was a birthday cake we had in China. and yes, there are tomatoes and olives on it!!
^^Sichuan hotpot. I’ve never tasted anything as spicy (or nearly as delicious!) as that killer Sichuan oil. (that’s why it’s orange!)
7. You should pinch your pennies. But you should also know when not to pinch your pennies. You will probably be getting ripped off for a nicer toilet, but sometimes in the middle of the night on a bus and pee sloshes onto your foot as you try to relieve yourself…well let’s just say I wish I’d paid those extra two dollars.
8. You should learn a few words or phrases in the local language. There will likely be locals who immediately hate you for being a tourist, but there are also the jolly locals that will immediately be your best friend, recommend the best hole-in-the-wall food spots, and take a video of you trying to speak Thai. If nothing else, you feel totally awesome when you can order one thing in that language and IT WORKS.
9. You should take a lot of extra underwear. Because you never know.
10. You should make copies of everything.
11. You should write some things down. Even if it’s just a few sentences, a list of things you don’t want to forget, pretty things you saw, weird things you saw. You will love it later and be mad when the memories fade. Be warned, though, that you will end up with some sentences that won’t trigger a memory and will not make sense. But that’s okay, because the rest of them will!
12. Most of all? Just go! Travel across the seven seas, travel to an unknown spot in your backyard, travel to a town an hour away. You will never regret exploring a little more.
^^trust me, young grasshoppers.
Linking up with Treasure Tromp!
Katrina Elisabet says
This made me laugh out loud. Especially your karate kid reference at the end. 😉
AmyMacWorld says
haha I’m glad someone else got it! my mom read the post and was like “why are you calling your readers grasshoppers?” LOL.
Camila says
Love this! It was funny and all so very true! Although at number 6 you should add ‘but do try to avoid durian’ haha
AmyMacWorld says
Haha true! While I love trying new food, there are some I have NOT loved…and durian is one of them! What is with that stuff? It’s just too gross.
Marielle says
Cute! Loved your cake in #6. I was always so surprised to see people in China/Korea eating cherry tomatoes like. . .cherries. One restaurant had a bowl of those bad boys in the waiting area, and people were grabbing them by the handful.
AmyMacWorld says
So weird! I guess they ARE technically fruit but I never associate them with that. I usually just like them in salads…not cake lol. It was a cute cake, anyway 😉
Margo says
Haha, jumping jacks in the bathroom – I love that!
AmyMacWorld says
It helps!!! Although it’s not easy to move around in that tiny room haha.
Natalie Joseph says
Great post for travelers 🙂
AmyMacWorld says
Thank you! It was fun to write 🙂
teresa says
tomatoes in the cake huh? haha i thought they were cherries, like huge cherries. are they good on cake? tomatoes and olives?? but i enjoyed your post. 🙂
AmyMacWorld says
I did not like the tomatoes on the cake! I thought they were cherries at first until I ate one! I didn’t like the olives, either…I like my cakes to be pure sugar haha. Thank you so much for reading!!
Kaelene Spence says
Tomatoes and olives on a cake, how interesting!
AmyMacWorld says
Definitely interesting! And weird! Not my favorite cake ever but not so awful 🙂
Yalanda Ludtke says
I love this! Last August, to prepare for our move to South Korea (this August) I decided I needed to stop chemically straightening my hair. I knew I wouldn’t be able to have it done while abroad and realized, rather than worry about it when I get there, start the transition now. It’s so true, every climate will make your hair behave differently. You just have to roll with it!
AmyMacWorld says
It’s so hard to keep up with our regular hairstyles when we travel! I just have to let it go, literally 🙂 I bet your hair will look great in Korea–I can’t wait to read about your travels!!
Carly @ Let Us Wanderlust says
Amazing!!! Love these tips and I agree so much with so many of them! Can’t wait for Part 2!