50 Lessons I learned from Traveling to 50 countries.

Earlier this year I hit country #50 (wooohooo!) These are some lessons I picked up along the way.

1. Seeing the world is important. It’s also NOT for everyone and that’s fine — but what you can do is challenge yourself to meet people form different countries and cultures where you live today. Put yourself in situations with people that that look/act/think differently from you.
2. There are only so many churches in Europe one can see without thinking “great, another church.”
3. Same goes for temples in Asia. Into it… but yea… temple fatique is real.
4. You should always eat the street food. Yes, you might get sick. Eat it anyways. Pick the ones where locals are eating, not the lone rangers.
5. You are more capable than you think you are.
6. It’s okay to make mistakes. You will. You will be fine.
7. You can be lonely even when surrounded by thousands of people
8. You can do hard things
9. If something feels off, listen to it. Trust your gut.
10. ALWAYS carry a plastic/paper bag with you (or several) for the times you are going to puke on boats/planes/vans/cars (….oh just me!? You go to the atlas mountains in morocco and tell me how you get on!)
11. You might hate me for this one…but…People that say passports stamps don’t matter and it’s just about the experience haven’t been to that many countries. (come on! there is SUCH a thrill in ticking off a country and getting a new stamp in the book!!! The experiences DO matter of course and it’s not about the #, but IT IS so much fun to get a new stamp!! let me keep my thrill!)The worst is when you don’t get a stamp. I’m looking at you Vietnam and Australia).
12. Maybe don’t pet all the stray dogs. They might bite you. REALLY — stop trying to make friends with all the stray animals.
13. Sometimes it’s worth spending the extra $10 to stay in the nicer hostel so you don’t get bed bugs.
14. Talking to strangers isn’t scary. YES it can be uncomfortable. We all want connection — don’t forget that.
15. Wear comfortable shoes. The only people that care about your shoes are you and assholes. Be comfortable. If heels make you comfortable. Wear them! Just know that you do not *HAVE* to because you think you should/are supposed to.
16. Eat what tastes good.
17. Eat what makes you feel good. That might be 3 gelato stops in one day. It might be 3 salads. Who knows? Trust yourself.
18. Walking is the best way to explore
19. Get lost.
20. Don’t Always make a plan.
21. Don’t stare at the map while walking. LOOK UP and around you.
22. WIFI is a luxury. When I first started traveling it was all about the internet cafes — now everywhere has wifi. Don’t take it for granted, but also don’t rely on it. See #14.
23. Sometimes staying in a fancy hotel really is worth every penny, but only sometimes.
24. But if you are going to be doing a lot of sightseeing, you don’t need to stay somewhere nice. How long are you really spending IN the room?
25. If travelling for more than a week, make sure you take rest days. A GO GO GO attitude/plan is exhausting.
26. That applies for travel and LIFE. Sometimes you need to slow it down. Burn out is real.
27. Wear comfortable clothing. If you feel uncomfortable, you will be uncomfortable.
28. Pack tampons/diva cup/whatever you use — some places just have pads.
29. When you look exhausted, all you need is eyeliner and/or sunglasses. Life lesson.
30. Travel laundry packets are the best
31. It’s okay to say NO if you don’t want to do something. (hanging out with the weirdo in the hostel) Or hanging out with an asshole coworker in life. Say no. No is a complete sentence.
32. Say YES when something scares you or you are excited about it.
33. GO ALONE. You don’t need someone to always come with you. Yes, travel with friends and loved ones is awesome, but there is something special about traveling on your own. If you have any interest — DO IT.
34. You are really fucking smart.
35. Make sure it’s safe to drink the water.
36. Maybe don’t go to countries when they are observing important holidays and everything will be shut down. (opps!)
37. Pay attention to your surroundings. Especially the volume of voices and how people act. Don’t be THAT person speaking 10x louder.
38. Making friends is easy. Just say hello. Be kind. Ask questions.
39. Finding good friends is hard.
40. Keeping them is even harder. Put time and attention into relationships that matter.
41. Carry tissue/toilet paper/ + probably some hand sanitizer is a good idea too.
42. Speak up and out if you see/feel something is wrong. Your voice matters and is important.
43. You don’t have to go to important sites/restaurants/do anything you don’t want to do. (Yes, even if you best friend says it’s the most amazing place ever).
44. Always carry an extra pair of underwear (“pants” for any brits reading) there is little that a fresh pair of underwear can’t fix.
45. Challenge yourself and don’t settle.
46. If you have an idea/whim/spark — follow it. It might lead to something great.
47. Not everyday is amazing, some are exhausting, frustrating and make you question everything — keep going.
48. Always know the rules. I’ve heard too many stories of people not realizing that their passport is going to expire too soon or they didn’t know they needed a visa. Really?! Sort yourself out. You aren’t entitled to anything.
49. You can stay in one place as long as you want to. You can also leave when you need to.
50. Keep traveling. Keep seeing. Keep experiencing. Keep showing up.

Have something you want to add? I would love to know one thing you have learned while traveling (big or small).

You can learn more about me at KimberlyWeiss.com. I work with women that no longer want people dictating what their do with their body and their life and want to stop feeling bad for eating a cookie. I work with women that want to stop passing on beauty/body expectations onto future generations. Being perfect leaves little time for you to enjoy your life and you don’t need to run 5 miles today because you ate pizza last night. Free workbook at Kimberlyweiss.com/join