“I could never drop everything to travel!”
It’s a matter of deciding what is important to you.
I don’t have a car, a house, a family, or stable income. Before I left for Nepal, I was sleeping on friends’ couches. Skipping off to another country sounds dreamy, but it’s not always the fantasy you might think.
I lived out of a small bag for months and slept in my sleeping bag for weeks on end. Angry dogs charged at me and children hid in fear because I was the first white person (with red hair!) they had seen. Not to go back to the toilet, but there were certainly some…mishaps. Nepal is known in some doctors’ communities at the Diarrhea Capital of the world. I won’t go into details, but you can imagine.
If stability and predictability are important to you, then no, maybe this kind of travel isn’t for you. But if you’re willing to set aside comforts and luxuries and your own expectations, then yes, I think you can discover a foreign land and build incredible friendships while learning a bit about yourself in the process.
I thought I’d share some things I learned to get you on your way.
Take a close look at what you WANT vs. what you NEED.
Before leaving the United States, I went through a complete overhaul of my “stuff.” I donated bags of clothes and put the rest in boxes. I asked myself for everything I own: Do I LOVE this? Will I use it again? Is it necessary to keep? I reduced my possessions to a few packed boxes and one bag.
I only brought items along that I a.) LOVE and b.) NEED. If it wasn’t comfortable, it sure as hell wasn’t going to take up precious bag space. If I couldn’t wear it multiple times in one week or with something else I brought, it had no place on my journey.
Bonus! Track Hack: Pack your bags a few days before your trip. Let them sit for awhile and go back to them right before you leave. If you’ve been questioning whether something belongs, take it out. If you’ve forgotten something was in there, take that out, too. Travel with less than what you think.
Know what makes you feel at home, wherever you are.
It’s great to have routines that make you feel comfortable, but they can’t be so fixed that they impede your experience.
No, I did not take daily showers. The showers I did take were not always warm. A regular American gym-goer, I certainly didn’t visit the local gym hall. But I walked everywhere and climbed stairs to the monastery daily.
Everyone has their own boundaries, so I can’t tell you what yours are. While I could sleep on a floor in the middle of a family, I couldn’t fully embrace the bucket-wash-wipe toilet routine.
- Baby wipes — When you’re craving a shower and can’t take one, these puppies will become your savior.
- Kleenex — Easier to transport than rolls of toilet paper, kleenex packages can be discretely concealed (and have many uses).
- Eyeliner/mascara — As gritty and low-maintenance as I can be, it was nice to “spruce things up” every so often.
- Headlamp — I brought two. The MVP on this list.
- Watch with alarm — It’s easy to lose track of time. And there are mornings you’ll need to set an early wake-up.
- Quick dry hand towel — So many functions, small and easy to transport; PackTowl became my close friend.
- Vaseline — Multifaceted powerhouse product. Many, many uses.
- Q-tips — Multifaceted powerhouse tool. Many, many uses.
- Floss — My personal quirk. I can’t go a day without it.
- Flip flops — Easy to slip on and off; for places you dare not walk barefoot.
If you forget something, you can always “splurge” and find what you need. I dropped $4 USD on knock-off Converse shoes because I got sick of wearing hiking boots everywhere, and let’s face it, Nepalis have style.
One thing, and I realize folks have differing views on this, you are representing your country when you travel. People will ask where you are from and will draw all sorts of assumptions about you and your identified place of origin. It’s not meant to be mean or judgmental; they’re just curious. (Everyone is. That’s why you’re traveling, right?)
That being said, I wish I would have brought something slightly nicer to wear. You don’t want to be ostentatious, by any means, but it’s nice to look presentable.
In my case, I made due with two button-down shirts, one plaid, one jean. Plaid is awesome because you can’t tell when it is wrinkled, and something with a collar looks at least a bit more “fancy” than a regular ol’ t-shirt.
Pretend you’re on Angelina Jolie’s team of ambassadors and make a good impression when you’re visiting another country.
For more traveling tips, check out If you want to travel the world, pick up a broom [2/2].
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