I was excited with pure joy and expectation of what was to come. I remembered the scenes of Quito, in the warm tropical air, staring into the deep green jungles on the outskirts of the city. I remembered walking through the dried river beds of Valencia with the sand beneath my shoes. Then I woke up one morning to the sounds of traffic in New York City, in a small home in Queens. By the next night I was standing in London, walking cobblestone roads alongside the Thames. Another three days later, I was listening to the foreign tongue of Dutch as I entered the main square of Amsterdam. Another few days and I was staring out a window to view the fury of a snowstorm in Moscow while sipping on a glass of pure vodka. Through these eye-opening experiences, I have learned a few things for the simple traveler. Here are six things I would tell someone traveling abroad:
- Give yourself all the time in the world and expect to get lost; and embrace losing yourself wherever you may be. Slow down, enjoy a drink knowing you’re right where you’re meant to be.
- There are going to be the major attractions, but you’ll always remember the backstreet stores and coffee shops when you step off the well-worn path.
- Go ahead, order the plate you can’t pronounce, even if you don’t think you will enjoy it. It’s about the experience you can’t get anywhere else.
- Talk to strangers on the plane, be welcoming; learn about a new language or country; learn what you can, while you can.
- Pack light and for comfort, the last thing you need is to look like an over-zealous tourist on a mission to fill their instagram.
- That being said, still try to take as many pictures as you can. Keep the beautiful ones that will remind you of not only what you saw, but what you felt.