“He said: one day you will leave this world behind, so live a life you will be remember.” That’s Avicii’s advice in his song The Nights, and who are we to go against anything Avicii says?! Since travelling is the food of the soul, we can use this excellent strategy to follow Avicii’s advice.
But sometimes while traveling things can go wrong, making you go back home dissatisfied with the whole experience. Who could be a better guide for us in the traveling department than Julia Roberts after her unforgettable adventure in “Eat, Pray & Love”?
1- Break Out Of Your Comfort Zone
You will probably never witness any major change in your life if you remain trapped inside your own comfort zone. Use this opportunity to challenge yourself to try out things that normally worry you. Not a skydiver? Go on more skydiving. Do you shy away from talking to strangers? Talk to everyone. Scared of trying weird food? Eat the weirdest things you can find. The reason this works so well while traveling is because the setup is already so different from our typical routine.
2- Keep An Open Mind
Get over the culture shock; don’t judge the lifestyles of others if different from your own. Don’t block yourself from your surroundings or befriending some of the locals because they are not similar to you. Ask questions. You don’t have to agree, but you may be surprised by what you’ll learn. The greatest value in travel is allowing new places to change us, to give us a new perspective, to refresh our tired soul and to inspire our thirsty minds.
3- Ever Country Has Its Own Manual
Paris is not Delhi; Istanbul is not Las Vegas. There are unique secrets in every corner of every city in the world; so will be your itenary in each country. If you’re in India, you can’t go shopping all day and miss the elephant ride or attending a Bollywood show. Save the shopping for Berlin and Istanbul. You cannot sleep early in Vegas and miss out on its glorious nightlife.
4- Splurge a Bit
Of course, you must have your travel budget well figured out before you leave. It’s really crucial and keeps you from spending and wasting money on unnecessary things; that’s quite rational. But that doesn’t mean it’s not nice to occasionally go over your budget. I know it’s not financially smart, but I do believe you have the “right” to splurge a little on entertainment. You deserve that. Book a few days at a nice hotel, eat out at a fancy restaurant, or spend on a wild night in town.
5- Slow Down
The places that can impact us are the ones where we spend at least a week or more. It gives us the chance to get a feel of the different neighborhoods, talk to locals and other travelers, discover favorite restaurants or just generally develop our own unique relationships with those places. Don’t cram 3 countries in a week of vacation; take your time to explore.
