17 Things We Learned After A Year Of Full-Time Travel
Long-term travel is one of the most transformative experiences a person can have. There is no doubt it changes you, but after spending the last year on the road, I’ve realised there’s a lot of lessons most people don’t talk about.
So, in hope that it helps you, or just gives you a laugh at our many mistakes, here’s a few of the things we learnt after more than a year on the road.
Lessons From A Year Of Travel
Popular Places Often Don’t Live Up To The Hype
This one surprised me. It goes against everything you’re led to believe, everything that social media shows you. But honestly? Popular places, ‘Insta-famous’ places, often aren’t all they’re made out to be.
And I think that comes down to the fact that they are famous. As soon as a place goes viral, tourism increases to such an extent that it’s hard to enjoy the experience. There’s always people pushing you out the way for photos, loud tour groups, and souvenir stands on every corner.
That’s not to say popular places are inherently bad, but they’re generally not everything they’re made out to be.
When we visited Batu Caves, one of the most instagrammable places in Malaysia, we were surrounded by hundreds of other tourists, all taking the same photo of some colourful stairs. It was famous on social media, and yet honestly didn’t really live up to the hype. We didn’t really enjoy our time there. Not to say it wasn’t nice, but we found better places in Kuala Lumpur that weren’t famous on Instagram.
Travelling Is The Worst Part About Travelling
We love travelling, even after a year. But the absolute worst part? It has to be the travel days. The days where a 3 hour journey seems to soak up all your energy and somehow take an entire day. When a 30 minute flight takes 5 hours out of your day. Or your 8-hour bus takes 11.5 hours with only one stop because the bus driver was pulled over by the police for some reason you’re unaware of… True story.
So yeah, seeing lots of places is the most incredible thing, but getting between them can be pretty atrocious at times.
We’re Closer To Our Families Now Than Before We Left To Travel
This is a tough one to admit, but since being away from home, we’re actually far closer to our families. I think there’s a common misconception that because you’re thousands of miles from home, you can’t be close to your loved ones, but we’ve personally found the opposite.
When we were in the UK, life was normal. We often found ourselves going weeks without talking to our parents, and we never really had anything exciting to share.
Since being away, we’ve scheduled facetime calls with both our parents every single week which has been amazing. We talk to them more honestly and openly now than ever before, and have a really good relationship. This was one of the most surprising parts of long-term travel.
Overplanning Doesn’t Ruin A Trip, But Underplanning Can
Everyone tells you not to overplan, but honestly I’d much rather overplan than underplan. Over the past year of full-time travel, we quickly learnt that underplanning is going to eat your time. You’ll spend more time bored because you don’t know where’s worth going than you will spend actually visiting places.
Overplanning? Yeah, also not great, but at least you can drop things and change your plans if you still allow yourself some flexibility.
Beautiful Places Stop Feeling Special If You Move Too Fast
We didn’t expect this to be so true. But if you travel too fast, things stop feeling so special. You get caught in a trap of comparing places to others you’ve been, or honestly, just too exhausted and burnt out to actually enjoy where you are.
We suffered from this in the Philippines. After visiting a few beautiful beaches, we found ourselves thinking, “This is nice, but the last one was better”, rather than living in the moment and appreciating everything. This is such a common thing.
You hear all the time of people getting “templed out” in Thailand, for example, for the exact same reason. Not because the temples aren’t stunning, but because they’ve seen too many in a short window. Slowing down your trip, spacing things out, will make everything feel a little more exciting again.
Cheap Travel Can Become Expensive Mentally
Travelling on a budget is great, and it’s exactly how we’ve managed to stretch a pretty small budget over the last year. But it’s also exhausting. Constantly tracking every penny you spend, turning down certain attractions because they’re just a bit too expensive, questioning whether your money is going to run out in 3 months or 6 months. It’s exhausting.
You often end up choosing the cheapest method of transport, even if it’s not the best. The cheapest restaurant which may not be the best. The cheapest accommodation, even if it’s in a nightlife district and you’re promised 0 hours of sleep from the noise.
All of that adds up and can take a toll mentally.
Over the past year, we’ve learnt that even if you’re travelling on a budget, you can afford little luxuries. A nice restaurant every now and then, a quiet place to stay. Even little things like this can make a huge difference and help prevent burn out.
You Start Valuing Ordinary Moments More Than Bucket List Attractions
I think this is a lesson most long-term travellers realise at some point. It’s like waking up with an epiphany. You suddenly realise that your favourite moments are going to get a coffee in a local café with a nice vibe, or buying fresh fruit from the local street sellers.
I’m not saying that you stop enjoying the bucket list attractions, but the local interactions start to mean more to you. Travel becomes ordinary. It just becomes your life; it becomes who you are. And when you reach that point (which is such an amazing point to be at), the normal things just become comforting.
Experiencing A Country Is Different From Visiting It
This one might get some hate, but we’re going to say it anyway. Experiencing a country is so totally different from visiting it. If you fly through at the speed of light, spending a day here and there before moving on to the next country, you’re missing out.
That is country ticking.
And there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you want to actually experience a country, you need to slow down. You need to get into routines. Go to the local markets to actually buy your fresh fruit and veg. Stop being a tourist everywhere and live amongst the locals for a while. Get off the beaten path rather than just going to the tourist attractions.
This is the best part about long-term travel and one that most people overlook in favour of country ticking and tourist attractions.
Falling In Love With A New Dish Is Heartbreaking (And It Will Happen)
This is the most devastating thing. We were in Bali, and I adore Balinese food. It’s so good for vegetarians, and the tempeh manis is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. It honestly might be my favourite cuisine in the world.
But can I get it in the UK? Absolutely not. At least not good authentic Balinese food. Can I make it myself? Probably not. I’m a good cook, but I’m pretty sure we don’t have half the necessary ingredients in the UK. And that breaks my little heart.
And it’s not just Balinese cuisine. We had some absolutely incredible curries in Malaysia. And yes, we can get curry in the UK, but it’s just not the same. And don’t even get me started on the Sarawak Laksa!
Travel is incredible for introducing you to new dishes, but it’s also devastating when you realise you will never eat a curry as good at home, or may never taste the delicious flavours of tempeh manis again.
You Will Change In Ways You Can’t Even Currently Imagine
Long-term travel changes you. After a year away, we’ll be going home totally different people. I mean, I like bananas now?! I genuinely never imagined I would be the sort of person that likes bananas! And Nat’s gone from tolerating barely a smidgen of spice, to actually adding extra chillis to his dinner?! What’s happened to us?!
All jokes aside, travel is one of the most transformative experiences. You learn to adapt to new cultures, languages, and difficult situations easily. You become more laidback, and my anxiety has virtually disappeared. Travel, if you let it, will force you to leave your comfort zone and get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Your Mind Always Makes Things Seem Scarier Than They Are
I remember arriving in new cities in our first month travelling on high alert. I was anxious, I was afraid. And I have no idea why. It didn’t make sense then, it doesn’t make sense now. Your mind has a habit of noticing all the little things and twisting them to make them seem scary. A dark corner, a person sat on the street, locals watching you as you walk past.
When we first arrived in Southeast Asia, it took us ages to cross the road, waiting for a gap in the traffic flow and then darting across as quickly as we could, scared we would be hit.
Now, I’m writing this from Ho Chi Minh City, where we step out into a chaotic flow of scooters driving directly at us, with barely a whisker’s room between. Have we ever been hit? No. Does our heart even race anymore? Not really.
Especially when you first arrive, things might seem scary. That’s kinda normal. But you have to relax, remember how much good there is in the world, and trust that everything will be okay.
In the last year, we haven’t once found ourselves in any dangerous situations, and only partially feared for our life once, on a crazy minibus journey through the mountains in Vietnam. Our driver didn’t seem to realise you can actually take your foot off the accelerator, and brakes are very useful for taking corners!
Of course, you have to be sensible, and follow normal precautions and travel advisories, but things are generally not as scary as they seem.
You Can Trust People More Than You Can Imagine
Western media, and the state of the Western world, makes you apprehensive about trusting people, especially in new unfamiliar places. But the quicker you learn that you can trust the vast majority of people, the far better experience you will have.
Stepping off the plane in Muscat, Oman, on the first day of our trip, we headed straight to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. They told us we couldn’t bring our bag in. “No problem, where can we leave it?”, we asked.
“Oh, just on the wall over there”, they said, pointing to a random stretch of open wall, where anyone could walk up and take it.
This bag had a lot of camera equipment in, spare lenses, even Nat’s laptop. And we didn’t feel the most comfortable leaving it there, unattended, unguarded. But we really wanted to go in the mosque. So we had no choice.
We spent almost 3 hours in the mosque. And sure enough, when we came out, our bag was still there and hadn’t been touched. It was exactly this moment that we realised the world is a safer place than the media portrays, and most people are kind, friendly, and want to help. Trust them, and you’ll have a far better time.
It’s Not Always Going To Work Out (And That’s A Good Thing)
This is a tough pill to swallow sometimes, but your plans are not always going to work out! You kind of just have to go with it and get over it. You might make mistakes like booking a flight for the wrong month that cannot be changed, or accidentally withdraw money from an ATM that has an £8 withdrawal fee, or drop and lose your underwater camera at the bottom of a lake (not that any of those have happened to us of course…).
And honestly? These are the moments that you can either rise up and be the bigger person, or break down. They are make or break moments. The best thing to do is just to say ‘oh well’, chalk it up to experience and move on. Why worry about something you can’t change?
Over the past year, we’ve got very good at doing this!
You Don’t Know Your Favourite Place Exists Yet
I can’t say this enough. Get. Off. The. Beaten. Path.
There are so many stunning places out there that aren’t on the travel blogs or your Insta feed. You don’t even know they exist yet. But with a bit of research and digging, and a whole lot of ‘go with the flow and hope it works out’, you can uncover some of the best hidden gems, away from the typical tourist crowds.
I can almost guarantee that these will be your favourite places, not the places on the ‘top 10’ lists on Instagram.
Before leaving on this trip, we would have had no idea one of our favourite places would be Brunei, but it is. And I’m sure 80% of the world’s population cannot point to it on a map.
Not Every Good Place Looks “Nice”
After a while of travelling, we found ourselves bored eating at the same tourist restaurants where you’re unlikely to see a local other than those serving you. It felt like there was a barrier between us and the locals, and it didn’t take much reflection to realise that we had built that barrier ourselves.
So we sought out new places to eat. We went where the locals went. We sat on tiny little plastic stools with tables at the height of our knees, slurping delicious noodle soup for 90p. And it was fantastic. It was the sort of place we would normally just walk straight on past. It didn’t look ‘nice’. It was simple, basic. But it was filled with locals. And for good reason. The food was fantastic. It was proper local home-cooked food using fresh ingredients, for local prices.
Stop going where the tourists go, go where the locals go. Put your prejudices aside and jump right in and give it a go. You’ll probably be surprised.
Long-Term Travel Is Dangerous
No one talks about how dangerous long-term travel really is. You turn into an addict. It changes your personality, your beliefs, your values. One time will never be enough. You’ll always want more, you’ll always want to go again. As soon as you get home, the withdrawal symptoms hit hard, and the only respite is another hit. Another trip. It’s always on your mind. And that is dangerous. But the thrill and high you get from it is on another level entirely. You’ll never feel a high quite like it.
The Hardest Day Is The Last
Nothing will prepare you for that last long, lonely plane journey home where you can only sit and reminisce. Your thoughts keep darting back to all the incredible times you had, and the future honestly feels just a little bleak. Because after everything you’ve been through, how are you meant to just go back to reality? To ‘normal’ life?
After a few days, people stop asking about your trip, and it feels like something left in the past. Like ‘something cool I once did’, when it’s actually become who you are. You’ve changed. Home has changed, yet you’re expected to slot right back in where you left off.
The world suddenly feels heavy, and no one truly understands, apart from other long-term travellers. How can you expect your friends and family to have any idea what you’re going through when a year of long-term travel is totally different to a few weeks holiday?
Truly, there’s only one remedy for this. You need to book another trip.
Wrap Up
Travelling for over a year has been the best thing we have ever done. We’ve changed in ways I don’t think we can fully comprehend just yet. We’ve had some incredible experiences. We have enough memories to last a lifetime, and enough stories to never have to bore people with the same one twice.
And yet it’s also heartbreaking. Heartbreaking going home, giving up this lifestyle and trying to reintegrate back into ‘normal life’. Heartbreaking giving up our favourite foods for bland British cuisine. Heartbreaking that one day it’s all just going to be ‘a cool thing we once did’.
Despite that, we’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
