10 Things I've Learned from Travel in the Last Decade

First off let me just say this has been a very formative decade.  I have grown SO much. 

And it may be the last decade to see such momentous change. 

When you’re a kid, you obviously change so quickly (physically, mentally, emotionally) over a short amount of time, and I think you also see a spike in the years just after college. (I’m guessing you stabilize out a bit once you’re in your 30s/40s/50s, but correct me if I’m wrong!)

I loved travel earlier than the 2010s but this was the decade that really cemented it for me as a lifelong passion.  And I could fully comprehend the benefits and the positive change it brought to my life.

I talk a lot about how I think travel is one of the most educational things you can do for yourself and so I wanted to share 10 things I have learned from travel in the last decade that have helped shape who I am today.

1.    Don’t stress about the future, live in the moment.  

When I was in high school, I would study, study, study.  I truly believe that my whole future depended on one high school science test.  And let me tell you – that is a shitload of pressure. I wish I could go back in time and try to help teenage Lauren to be less stressed and enjoy herself a little more.

And thru travel, I learned to just live in the moment.  When you’re traveling, you don’t have to worry about what happened yesterday or what’s scary around the corner….you just embrace the present. It’s incredibly freeing (especially when you’re a perfectionist like I am).  And might be a part of why I love travel so much!  

After years of traveling, and embracing that mindset – I’ve been able to carry this home with me as well to become the happier, more relaxed person I am today.

2.    There’s always a story.  

When someone is acting rude or turning in a report late, it’s easy to want to write it off as a character flaw—‘they’re a jerk’ or ‘they’re lazy’.  

But travel has taught me that there’s often so much more to a person than often meets the eye.  

Sometimes people in desperate situations, do desperate things.  It’s not that they are bad people, just that they are in a difficult position and acting out to survive in the only way they know how.  

When you travel, you experience a greater variety of people, places, and ways of life.  Some of them may not have the things you have at home, and it’s humbling to spend a day in their shoes.  It has made me strive to be a more compassionate, empathetic person—seeing all sides of a story in my everyday life.

3.    Chose experiences over things.  

When I was younger, I used to shop a lot and hated wearing the same outfit in front of people. 

I always wanted the newest iphone when it came out and hated having an older model car once the next one was released. 

But as I grew older and was able to go on incredible trips and experience things outside my wildest dreams….I realized that I would so much rather hold off on a new pair of shoes and put that money towards an elephant excursion in Thailand.  

At the end of the day, the memories we create are so much more impactful than any material items you can buy.  I’m not going to be on my death bed reflecting on a pair of shoes I owned, but I may feel grateful for the experiences that shaped who I am and shared with loved ones.

4.    Our planet is precious, take care of it!  

Thru my travels, I’ve come to care more about the planet and realize that the future is in our hands.  

We have an obligation today to our future generations to do everything we can to protect and preserve.  

When you’re traveling and you see a beautiful beach polluted with trash or a former nature reserve’s animal population severely diminished due to human activity, it’s very eye-opening.  

It’s easy to think that you don’t have any power, but there are little things you can do daily to help protect the planet.  When more people incorporate more sustainable ways of living into their daily routine, together we can make a difference.

5.    Success is a state of mind. 

I used to think that earning a lot of money was the only meaning of being successful. 

But the older I get, the more people I’ve seen making great livings—but they are stressed out, grumpy and too busy to ever enjoy themselves.  

And on the opposite spectrum, while traveling I have seen so many people who I would consider “poor” – living happy, stress-free lives.  

It’s easy to look at someone living in a small town in Sapa, Vietnam and gawk at them and their simple way of life.  But who decided simple necessarily meant lesser?  There’s a sense of peace in some of these places that I have never felt living in LA.  And at the end of the day, I think the better definition of success is feeling happy & fulfilled.

6.    You have friends everywhere, you just haven’t met them yet!  

I used to be really shy when I was younger.  

In kindergarten, I was too embarrassed to even ask my teacher to go to the bathroom and my social anxiety continued throughout school.

It’s likely this background that made solo travel such an significant experience for me.  

It taught me to go up to someone and ask them how their day was, strike up a conversation with a bartender, invite a stranger to go sightseeing together.  None of this came easily. But thru putting myself out there, I learned that most people are kind and often also looking for a friend. 

Everyone likes to talk about themselves, so just ask them a few questions about them and away you go!   Just because you leave the country alone, doesn’t mean you’re alone for the trip.  

7.    Throw the rule book out the window.  

Suffering from lifelong perfectionism, this one has always been very hard for me.  

I have always liked things the way I like them and can be rigid at times.  

But travel has taught me that things often don’t run according to schedule, and sometimes the best moments from your trips can be the unexpected ones.  I can’t tell you the number of times, I’ve re-arranged my itinerary to go off with someone I just met or had to make changes due to inclement weather.  Being flexible and adaptable to change is a wonderful quality and something that continues to help me in my personal and professional life.  Sometimes taking the road less travelled can lead to wonderful things!

8.    Recognize that not all relationships last forever.  

When I first started traveling, I met people who I felt I would know forever.  

And some of them really are still in my life, and others not so much.  

At first, it made me sad when a person I grew so close with while traveling disappeared from my life.  But as I travelled more, I learned to accept and appreciate that not all relationships are meant to last forever.  

Sometimes you’re brought together to share a period of time or simply an impactful, fleeting moment.  This is something I’ve held with me as I see friends come and go in my everyday life. I’ve learned not to hold onto bitterness, or obsess over what happened – and instead to just appreciate the times we shared together.  This state of mind has allowed me to lead a much more peaceful existence.

9.    Comfort zones are over-rated.  

I’m a big fan of doing things that make you uncomfortable.  

But I wasn’t always like this.  

I think I mentioned before that I used to have really bad social anxiety (I still sometimes do).  But travel has taught me that I’d rather risk being scared, than miss out on doing things at all.  

After years of waiting for others to be available to travel with me, I finally got fed up waiting and booked a ticket to Europe by myself.  It was the best decision I ever made.  

I was forced to figure out everything on my own—flights, hotels, things to do—walk up to strangers if I wanted to have friends.  I ended that trip feeling so much more empowered than I ever had in my life.  This experience taught me so much about myself and that most of the good things in life take a little effort.  It’s ok to be scared—in fact, embrace being scared—that means you are pushing yourself forward and forging a new path and identity for yourself.

10.  It’s ok to make mistakes, get lost, and lose your shit.  

I absolutely hate making mistakes—I punish myself for a lifetime for silly little errors. 

Not even kidding about this—I still have nightmares of making a mistake in a 3rdgrade basketball game.

But thru travel, I learned that it’s ok when things don’t go right—there is always a solution, you just have to look.  

When I arrived in Europe on my first solo trip, had never taken public transportation on my own (and only on a few occasions even with others).  It took a bit of getting used to—not only was I new at this, but it was also all in a different language.  I was nervous each time I got on the subway that I was going in the wrong direction (and I often was).  But I realized that going the wrong direction wasn’t really all that bad. You just get off, and course-correct.  You may be a bit late, but it’s out of your hands and you’d make it eventually.  

Getting lost while traveling is a given.  But when you learn to embrace being lost –instead of fearing it….you can often stumble upon something cool that you didn’t even know about.

Like the time I was lost in Thailand during Songkran (when the whole city turns into a giant water fight) and this big group of people (locals and tourists) invited me to play with them (soaking people with squirt guns who walked by).  It was such a fun night and I ended up hanging out with many of those people throughout my trip.  

And things don’t always go right when you travel - I lost my phone our first night in Ecuador.  It seemed like a catastrophe at first but ended up being a blessing in disguise.  I was able to check out of work and life back home in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.  

In life (as in travel), things don't always go right either ….but you can always course-correct and if you have an open-mind and heart you often see possibilities materialize before your eyes.

11.  Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.  

Something that has become so so apparent to me the more I travel is the power of belief. 

Not only does belief effect the things we do on a daily basis, it also dictates how we solve problems.  

A positive belief tips the scale in your favor, while a negative believe may prevent you from trying at all.  

I have never like doing things I’m bad at (again, the perfectionist thing comes into play here) and that has prevented me from trying to do a lot of things in life.  

When I first announced I was travelling alone, I had a lot of people shocked and asking if it was safe to travel alone as a young female…their negative beliefs made me question if what I was doing was crazy.  But I decided to quell their voices in my head and trust in myself.  I really wanted this and so I decided to reach out and choose travel.  

Throughout my life, there have been a lot of moments where I’ve questioned my abilities or if I was up for a new challenge – but I think back to powerful Lauren doing the things that people didn’t expect her to and that gives me strength.  

I believe that things will work out and so they do.  Don’t let the fear come between you and success, life is too short. Great things come to those who take chances!

Ok…Ok… I know I said 10 Things but I actually wrote 11.  I would delete one but I think they are all pretty relevant and important bits of wisdom I have learned.
I hope these were enlightening and maybe help you understand the deeper benefits of travel a bit more!  

Xoxo

Lauren