How to Get the Most Out of Travelling the World

I love travelling. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to just leave everything and go explore the world. But until recently, I’ve been tied down with studies and saving up enough funds to leave.

Luckily, I have been privileged enough to go on some family trips, to both English and non-English speaking countries, which has given me a bit of a taster into the real world. Here are some of the things I personally learnt while overseas at 15. Please be aware while I was travelling I was always with my family so some of these may or may not apply to young solo travellers.

1. Get to know the language/history/culture of the country/countries you are travelling to.

This helps so much, and I guarantee you will get so much more out of the trip. You never know the people you may meet, and it just helps that little bit more to show you are making an effort to take in their culture. For example before I traveled to Vietnam in 2018 with my family, I hadn’t heard of the Vietnam War. After visiting a few museums and memorials I learnt so much, and wish I had known more before I’d traveled there. Prior knowledge deepens your sense of appreciation upon travelling through.

Language also opens up so many more doors. Even just as a sign that you’re making an effort to learn the ways of the country can introduce you into so many new people, and take you to some pretty awesome places. You never know what skills, experiences and people you’ll get to meet by making an effort to immerse yourself in the culture.

2. Explore! Take the road less traveled, you never know what you will come across

Sometimes a detour, or a stopover in the wrong place can be annoying and stressful, but it can also lead to great things! Perhaps the road you accidentally take leads to a hidden lake or waterfall, or a small village with friendly people offering you the biggest ice-cream you’ve ever seen for barely any money. Wouldn’t want to miss out on that. So don’t always look on the negative side, and remember to slow down and make the most of everything you’re faced with. I can almost guarantee you will be laughing about it a month later.

3. Try new things

Who knows if you’re ever going to get the chance to try it again, you may not ever come back to that country or place, so make the most of every opportunity! I would 100% recommend having the mindset of knowing you tried something new, rather than looking back an regretting not just putting yourself out there.

Since arriving in America, I’ve had the opportunity to learn snowboarding, ride FIGLs, try Peruvian-style beef heart and a Japanese/Peruvian sushi fusion. I can tell you now that trying to wrap my little brain around eating heart took some convincing, but it was absolutely worth it.

4. Take lots of photos

Photos last for a long time. They can always be put into photo books, albums and videos. They can also help you to remember small details about a trip, for example that amazing theme park ride you went on four times, the forest where you found that massive pine-cone, or perhaps that family you became friends with for a night or two.

They’re the thing that inspired me to follow after my parents, and helped me to realise that yes, my parents did indeed have a life before me. You never know just how important those photographs might be in the future. Focus on people too, not just landscapes! I learnt this one the hard way. You might remember Jeff, but might be hard to remember his face in a few years.

5. Live in the moment

Number 4 and 5 go hand in hand really. There’s a fine balance between taking photos to remember, and having photos being the sole purpose of your trip.

Are you taking the trip for the reaction you’re gonna get from people after you’ve been? Or are you taking it to really live in the moment and enjoy your surroundings?

It can also be especially hard to appreciate where you are at times, and you can often find yourself wishing you were somewhere else familiar. So take a second to step back, really think about where you are and be sure to take a deep breath. I find a call back home always helps with this, and you’ll be back with your head up ready to keep travelling in no time at all.

6. Write a journal/blog

I cannot stress enough how much of a benefit keeping a travel journal is. There are so many little things that you forget about travelling, it all eventually blurs into place names and blurry memories, no matter well you think you’re going to remember it.

I’ve been in the habit of journalling my travels since my family first went to America in 2016, and I know now these are such precious things to me. You can read some of my posts about my year in America here.

7. Get souvenirs

Whether it’s a line of collectible FIFA World Cup Coca Cola cans, or maybe a rock from that valley deep in the wild that you stayed at, or even just a hat you bought from that small store in the heart of the city, souvenirs will always be an awesome way to bring back memories and give you an almost physical memory of the places you’ve been. Always be careful about picking things up though, I know in some countries it is illegal to take environmental substances into them, and it’s even illegal to pick them up and take them in the first place. To be on the safe side, if you’re unsure, look for things you can buy or find things you are sure won’t get you stopped for an unplanned detour in airport security. Trust me, been there, done that.

Another habit I’ve picked up since travelling Canada & America has been the collection of pins. These things are EVERYWHERE, and make the cutest little record of where I’ve been on my camera bag. They’re small, light and easy to travel with!

8. Don’t stress too much

Things go wrong. All the time. You’re late for that bus you needed to take to that particular spot, or you forgot that the time zones change as you cross states and you turn up to your chosen activity an hour late *cough cough that didn’t happen to us at all.*

You spend a beautiful day travelling through Canadian canyons excited to go rafting only to realise Google has sent you two hours away from where you’re meant to be – yeah, that one hurt.

Take it in your stride and don’t panic, there’s always a silver lining to the rain clouds, and you never know who you might meet, or the things you’re enabled to do because you are a day or two out of planned schedule. In our case, four hours spent in a western store trying on boots and jeans. I live in those now.

9. Talk to people

Seems like a bit of a no-brainer, but you’ll be surprised how easy it is to just continue on walking, or put your headphones in sitting on the bus next to a stranger.

I remember talking to some people in Vietnam while they were on their way out of this floating hotel that we stayed at, and they quickly told us to look at the water once it got dark, we wouldn’t regret it. To our delight, that night the water glowed with phosphorescence, something we might have otherwise missed. While we were leaning over the boat, a lovely teenage Vietnamese girl who had landed for dinner came up to us and asked us what we had lost over the edge, and whether we needed help trying to get it. Laughing, in the best way we could despite the language barrier we managed to show her the glowing in the water, showing her the little sparkles that encompassed our hands and feet.

A great way of doing this is by staying at a hostel, or a homestay in the area that you’re passing through. I used Homestay.com to book an awesome week in Vancouver with a lovely lady who had a home next to the river, 5 minutes walk from the bus and train station, and even had two cute little dogs to hang out with! It saved us about $600, and we got to make friends out of it!

So, if you’re ever out there in the big wide world, whether that’s halfway around the world from your home country or just across the border to another, always remember to never take anything for granted. This world is amazing and never forget how special it is that you simply get to explore it.

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