8 lessons I've learned while traveling

Travel teaches you so much about the world, life, people and yourself. Here are just a few of the many lessons I’ve picked up along the road…

1. You really don’t need a lot of money to travel. Many people put off travel because they think it’s expensive.  I believe that if anything is important enough to you, there is always a way. It’s a big world. If airfare is of concern, focus on destinations within your country or continent. If accommodations are the issue, there’s a huge inventory of options available through Airbnb, not to speak of hostels, guesthouses, bed & breakfasts, RVs, campgrounds... The possibilities are endless.

2. No matter where you live or where you’re from, we all seek the same thing in this life. Love. I've been to countries rich and poor, large and small, and at the end of the day despite visible differences we are all human with the same emotions.

3. Adaptability is key to survival in travel and in life. There is nothing like travel to push your comfort zone be it physically or emotionally. Without adapting you’ll simply be miserable.

4. Travel teaches you things education cannot. There is no book or classroom that teaches what to do when your passport, ID and (all) your funds are stolen. It’ll be your good sense that saves the day. Trust me, I know.

5. Travel is the true test of a friendship or relationship. Over the years I’ve travelled with a number of different loved ones. If you can disagree, laugh at yourselves, and are still friends when it’s all said and done, your bond is lasting.

6. Your assumptions will be challenged. Stereotypes are prevalent in life as a quick and easy way to make sense of the world. Traveling teaches you that little falls into those stereotypes we seem to find comfort in, and that life is more about the shades of grey. 

7. Judgments are subjective. For example, in some countries eating insects is as normal as eating chips, yet in North America we find this custom gruesome. Gruesome not because it really is according to the world gruesome scale, but because we are not accustomed to it.

8. Don’t defer to tomorrow what you can make happen today. Time is relentless and I guarantee you will regret what you don’t do.  We have one life. Make it interesting.