Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Time Abroad

I remember my first travel experience like it was yesterday – I was a wide-eyed, optimistic yet terrified girl of 19 heading out to conquer it all. I knew what I was going to see and do and that’s what excited me, until the unexpected popped up (as it always does) and threw my carefully laid plans for a loop. If only I had known to just relax a bit and not plan everything out, maybe things would’ve went better.

Except they did go great – I’m not turned off travel and I had a lot of fun on that trip, but I still wish I had known a few things before I left so that my first time wouldn’t have been as awkward (looking back on it) as it was… which I guess can be said about a lot of things in life;)

Here are a few things I wish I knew before taking off travelling my first time… or even 5^th or 6^th time – I’m a slow learner! Benefit from my wisdom and add a few of your own!

Aisle Seats Trump Window Seats

I’ve had many arguments with people about this but unless you can actually get comfortable against the window to have a sleep, the aisle is the superior place to sit on a long flight. I always get a bad kink in my neck when I try to sleep like that, so I don’t even bother. The aisle has the legroom, which I find much more important on those long haul flights across the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans and even though I have itty-bitty colts legs, I still enjoy stretching out. Except when you have to get up for Mr. Tiny Bladder who is by the window… then I hate the aisle.

Strangers are Nice

Okay yeah, there are a lot of sketchy creepers out there and I have talked to my fair share of them, but if I didn’t talk to strangers like the nice policeman told me in kindergarten, I would’ve never met all the awesome people I have! Most people are just like you and if you need help or just want to chat, they are pretty good about it, especially when you’re new in their town or country.

Street Food Won’t Kill You

Just like with the strangers thing, I can’t guarantee you won’t eat something raunchy or pick up a parasite, but mostly the food they sell on the street is pretty darn good. I was too scared to try anything until a few trips after my first one because I could just imagine something going wrong. When I think of all the good stuff I turned down, it makes me sad!

You Can’t See Everything

I tried to cram everything into a short period of time and it really burned me out – made me want to get home as soon as possible and made me feel frustrated afterwards. I’ve learned to take it slow and see what is important and let the chips fall where they may because really, you can’t see it all. There’s no way.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to try:)