For a travel blogger, I have an embarrassing confession to make…
I’m not very good at travelling.
The truth is, travelling is bloody difficult! I can’t remember the last time I didn’t make a mistake when booking a trip or exploring an unknown city. There’s always something I could have done that would have been a better use of my money or more importantly, a better use of my time.
Before I became location independent, this was another reason why I started blogging; I wanted to keep a record of the things I learnt on-the-road so I could make less mistakes the next time around.
For example; checking price comparison websites, using the best bank cards, downloading Google Maps offline, being flexible, booking individual flight tickets. The list goes on.
While travelling recently to 6 countries in just 6 weeks, I discovered my biggest weakness. I can get really stressed out when I don’t understand how to get somewhere or if what I planned, doesn’t go to plan. I am a problem-Google Maps user! For some reason I forget there’s other, helpful and often interesting people in the world.
Nevertheless, there’s a lot to be said about targeted planning. It’s useful to have an idea of how much things should cost so you can budget accordingly, haggle, and most importantly, not get ripped off!
But to truly get the most out of travel, it’s best to hide the maps and get lost! Don’t plan too much or your adventure will always be competing with your preconception of how much fun you thought you were going to have or how efficient your journey was going to be. Enjoy the ride, hide your smartphone, talk to people and make the most of life’s unsought surprises along the way!
Travelling is difficult, I hope what I have included on my blog can help you to avoid the same mistakes I have made and continue making. But don’t be too down on yourself if things don’t go to plan. Sometimes this is what travelling is all about; learning from your mistakes and enjoying the journey, not the destination.
“The joy of travel is not nearly so much in getting where one wants to go as in the unsought surprises which occur on the journey.”
