HIGHS
Experiencing different cultures
Traveling is the perfect way to expand your knowledge about the world and about the human race in general. We get so used to thepeople around us at home that we don’t notice the little things anymore. When you travel you notice the little things people do or the way they act and talk and play with one another, the way they communicate or interact and work, this is the most interesting partof traveling. Throughout all the countries I’ve been and all the different cultures I have experienced, I fall in love with my culture all over again and start to realize the beauty in the diversity of this world.
Everyday is an adventure
When traveling you never know what could happen that day. there is always something that happens that was not planned and somehow everyday brings its own adventure and that keeps you so excited to see what could happen the next day because the possibilities are endless.
Whether it’s good or bad it’s always an adventure
Always trying new things
At home we are so used to our routines and we hardly ever do anything that is out of the ordinary, but when you are in a different country, you are constantly trying new food and drinks and also new activities that you have never done before, like shark cage diving,or skiing, or surfing etc.
Friends from all over the world
You make new friends from all over the world, which is amazing because you get to experience everything with them and also have the possibility of visiting them someday in their countries.
It teaches you a lot about yourself
Traveling alone gives you almost new opportunities everyday where you have to learn to be independent, strong, organized and be able to find your way through a foreign country with no one being able to understand you. You spend a lot of time in different situations,sometimes good and sometimes bad, and you “get to know” yourself in a deeper way than you would have back home.
LOWS
Waiting around
You get to learn really quickly that patience is a virtue when it comes to traveling, whether you are waiting at the airports, train stations,bus stations or even at your accommodation to get a room. No matter where you go, you are always going to be waiting around. This isfor sure my worst thing about traveling because I love to get things done quickly.
The exchange rate
Coming from South Africa forex is a real, real problem because everything is so, so expensive and that could make you not enjoy your entire trip if you think about the fact that one bottle of Coca-Cola costs the same as an entire meal back home. So, if you do go on a trip,always be aware that it is going to be really expensive and make sure you have prepared for that to avoid having a bad attitude when you are there.
Traveling alone
It’s okay in the beginning but if you have been traveling alone for 10 years, it gets really lonely and every time you experience something you just wish that your family and friends could have been with you to have experienced it and enjoyed it with you. So doing it alone is not ideal at all.
Packing
Packing might get easier after a while but it still does not make it enjoyable. If I could pay someone to pack for me I would. There’s just something about it that’s not pleasant at all. So much thinking goes into planning exactly what will be needed, what is necessary to take and what you can afford to leave behind to ensure that the luggage is not overweight. It’s for sure a part of the traveling process that I would skip if I could.
You start to miss your comfortable lifestyle back home
For example, your bed and sleeping pillow, the food that you like to eat and driving your own car. You start to miss all the things that you got used to growing up with and now in a foreign country, it’s totally different and unique and special in its own way, but after you have experienced it, you always want to go back to what feels like “home”.