A Few Obvious Pieces of Travel Advice

Traveling is a great way to relax and unwind, or to explore and learn more about other cultures and places, or meet new people. I'm not sure if you can do all three at the same time, because most of my travel experiences require me to just have one or the other, never all at the same time.

Perhaps a more lengthy duration of the trip with some expert budgeting can help you plan out when to relax, when to explore, and when to let the wind take you where it blows, but since most of my trips are generally shorter or have a very tight budget, it's easy to see why I can never achieve those traveling goals in one trip.

In any case, here's a list of some obvious travel advice with which you may already be familiar, but some of which didn't seem obvious to me, up until I read them. Here are some of the advice which I found quite interesting and resonant:

Although I never willingly put myself in a position in which I would get soaked, I never would have imagined that simply wearing my wet clothes would be the best way for them to dry. At the very least, my thought process is that I don't want to get sick so I better get changed.

There was only one time when I got absolutely soaked while traveling, and that's when my father, my cousin, and I went on a ride at an amusement park which as it turns out had a big splash in the end, and so we ended up having to buy a new shirt from the store nearby. Despite feeling uncomfortable, I wore my pants until they dried, so I guess that's the spirit of the advice.

When I was younger and traveling with family, we often would economize and maximize our trips so that we can do so much with so little. Now, that we're older, I have learned that it doesn't matter how much you're able to save on a trip, because in the end, it won't be as enjoyable, especially when you travel with much older people.

These days, we prioritize comfort and/or convenience over economy, and so spending a little bit more on accommodation, transportation, and other aspects of traveling that could be a hassle, definitely helped a lot in our recent travels. And so, I understand where this tip is coming from, and I totally agree with it.

I found that whenever I travel and get out of the hustle and bustle of my regular, daily life, my mind is able to break away from invisible shackles that seem to keep it bound to something, which I believe is obligation or in other cases, responsibility. Being able to relax and look at new and unfamiliar scenery gives us time to unwind and slow down.

Of course, if you're traveling with a schedule, then it might not be as slowed down as it could be. But, letting go of a very strict schedule, and just enjoying every moment and experience you encounter in your travels, can have this effect of time slowing down with everything around you seemingly so fresh and brand new.

And finally, the previous tip connects with this one. Simply being present in the moment and letting the different sensations and sensory experiences wash over you will heighten your positive memories of the trip. I mean, the reason why we even went on a trip in the first place was so that we can throw all our cares away, and forget about our usual worries, even for just a moment.

So, it's no surprise why people who are able to just live in the moment have the best travel experiences. They're able to take in everything that's happening without resistance, and just go with the flow. In doing that, we will then be able to open ourselves to opportunities or encounters that present themselves, and get the most out of them.

Nothing really novel, game-changing, or enigmatic about these pieces of travel advice, just some obvious observations which can perhaps get us to reflect on our next trip and what to do. Personally, the most life-changing travel advice that I have taken to heart is traveling light. It eases all my troubles and gives me freedom to go where the wind takes me. - via Kottke

(Image credit: JESHOOTS/Unsplash)