I’ve been to 62 countries but it’s really only in the past seventeen months since leaving my career, a six month trip through Asia and three months in the USA that I’ve really done a lot of self-reflecting. Being a solo traveller too gives you pahhh-lenty of time with your thoughts. (sometimes too many, ya know!) I found myself not only thinking about my literal journey but also my inner journey. So began some serious personal growth. Who am I now and who am I becoming? Who do I want in my life? What do I want in, and for my life? Travel is a great teacher and healer in many ways. Here are some lessons learnt on the road

 What have I learnt so far

Travel Lessons

Things are going to go wrong, it’s how you react and respond that’s important

Flexibility in long term travel is a requirement. As you meet people and get their advice, it’s easier to change to new plans, towns and adventures.

Drop all expectations about a town or country before you arrive and have an open mind and open heart to all experiences

Catching local transport is cheap AF and such an adventure. Local transport all the way for me!

Flights will be cancelled, trains will be delayed, buses won’t show up. Don’t make too many plans on your travel days in case something does happen, and try not to stress.

There is no wrong or right way to travel. Do what you enjoy within the budget you have.

Whether you travel with a backpack or 2 suitcases, travel long term internationally or travel locally on weekends, stay in luxury penthouses or dorm rooms in hostels. You are still a traveller. No one is a better or worse traveller for how they can or how they choose to travel

You quickly realise truly what’s important regarding the welfare of the planet and its animals

Take ALL of the photos. Don’t be embarrassed to set up your tripod and pose, pose, pose! You are never going to see those people again and you are going to have so many awesome fun photos by stepping outside your comfort zone

Try ALL of the food

Having an open mind, asking a million questions and being curious will lead to great conversations and learning on a deeper level

Trust your gut instinct

Be as sustainable as you can when travelling, carry your own bamboo/metal straws and reusable bags, spend money at locally-owned shops so the money goes back to the community not big corporations

Self Care Lessons

Long term solo travel is hard on you mentally and physically. Eat and sleep right and drink plenty of water.

It’s okay to take a day off from constant travel. Stop with the FOMO (fear of missing out)

Some days I didn’t want to not leave my accommodation and that is completely okay. Self Care is important

Having the right luggage and packing light is SO important. Not only for your body having to lug bags around but also for your stress levels

Learning to travel with someone else takes patience and kindness. Everyone doesn’t have the same travel pace and that’s okay. Try speeding up or slowing down to suit your travel buddy. It’s okay to also ask for some alone time to protect your mental well being and the friendship

Lessons Learnt in Kindness

Being kind and receiving kindness is the best gift and leaves you with the best feeling

Be kind to your body. Sleep well, drink water, exercise, get massages and facials, stretch often, do yoga, take days off to relax and do nothing

Be kind to one another, Be kind to animals

Nurture Nature

Give that person in need, your water, your muesli bar, your sandwich. They need it more than you

Giving someone a smile takes no effort and when you receive one in return it’s everything

Everyone is battling something in their lives. Be kind even when you feel like being the opposite

Learning About People

There are truly wonderful people in this world that want you to be successful and want to help you along your journey

People are inherently GOOD! Don’t believe the media and that bad things are going to happen to you when you travel. People want to meet you and help you

Making new, strong connections with people you meet personally as well as over social media is so much fun.

Whilst 90% of the population are good people, there are definitely still ass-holes that populate the planet. They’re unavoidable. Not every person or situation warrants your response or reaction. Practice your mindfulness

Peoples behaviour is a reflection of them and their relationship with themselves (or lack thereof) or past trauma’s. Don’t react. Be Better than that.

If someone is meant to be in your life, they would be in your life. Learn to let go and move on. It’s bloody hard but so necessary for your inner well being

Embrace the people and culture. Respect the history and the laws

Getting to know the locals is an absolute must. Spend time with them, have dinner with them, ask questions, say yes to invitations, get to know the real people and the real country

Health Lessons Learnt

Burnout is real and should not be taken lightly. I’m still learning how to slow my travel down.

Meditation is a newfound joy of mine

Listen to your body, if it’s tired rest if it’s sore get a massage, if something really doesn’t look or feel right, see a doctor

Travel insurance is a must. You can’t afford to travel without it

Lessons Learnt in Saying Yes

Being a perfectionist whilst travelling is impossible, I’m learning to loosen up and be spontaneous and say yes without overthinking things

Saying YES has always led me to have amazing adventures meeting some of the best people

Test yourself in ways you haven’t before. Say yes to jumping off waterfalls, catching a local bus, enjoying a Chai tea with a new friend you met whilst taking photos, travelling with someone you met the day before

I met this beautiful family (above) after I was taking photos around the streets of Jodhpur. The older group of men insisted I take their group photo. Then one with me in it. I was then invited to Rajindra’s house for some Chai Tea. I met his wife, Vimlesh and son, Tej, and learnt a bit about all of them, about Jodhpur and we all went onto the roof to look at the beautiful blue town, watch the sunset and take some photos….what an amazing afternoon! All because I kept saying YES. Check out Tej’s Instagram. He is an amazing photographer!

Your comfort zone is a cage for self-growth, awareness, meeting new people and adventures

Personal Lessons Learnt

Whilst people have an impact on you and your journey, you have just as much of an impact on them and theirs. Don’t forget that!

Your dreams are worth chasing

Invest resources, time, money and energy into what makes you happy

You can’t please everyone, and not everyone is going to like you and that’s okay.

You have complete power over your emotions. How your day is going to be and what your interactions are going to be like, comes down to you

A positive mindset results in positive outcomes

The effort given is effort gained

Communication and compromise, or lack of, can make or break your day, your trip, your experience. Think and speak carefully

Learn to express your feelings by being bold, direct but respectful. Don’t say something hurtful just to get your point across. People may not like the response but they will respect the honesty

I’m doing the best I can in this world, just like everyone else. It’s time to stop being so damn hard on ourselves

Some people just don’t give a shit about you or what you’re doing. The ones that you thought would have your back and be supporting you suddenly stop caring.
And that’s a bitter, hard pill to swallow

Friends I’d lost contact with for various reasons started reaching out and I found our connections were still strong, no matter the time we’d spent apart

I’m stronger, more capable or much more resilient than I ever thought. So are YOU!

What are some lessons you’ve learnt whilst travelling? I’d love to hear about them in the comments

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