Jumping around at Hierve el Agua in the mountains near Oaxaca, Mexico
5 Life-Changing Travel Tips – I’ve learnt from 10 years of travel
I have actually been travelling for a lot longer than 10 years; all starting from when I was dragged around Central Australia in a camper van when I was knee-high to a grasshopper. But it has been since I finished high school that I started jetting off around the world without my ‘ma and getting into travel seriously. A little while ago I came across an article quoting a bunch of bloggers on useful tips that could change the way you travel. It got me thinking about what I’ve learnt from my years of travel and I’ve decided to put together my own list of awesome travelling tips.
1. You will enjoy travelling alone
18 year old Crystal was absolutely threatened by the thought of travelling alone, thinking there was no way I could have fun by myself. So I would drag my friends along with me wherever I went (if they would come). 28 year old Crystal realises that you will so easily make friends there and nowadays I usually prefer to travel alone. It takes you out of your comfort zone and teaches you things about yourself. In the end you’ll be proud of the person you’ve enabled yourself to become. Exploring caves after getting lost on a motorbike near Luang Prabang, Laos
2.Try travelling for longer and staying in the one place
The two week holiday is how most people travel, and that’s cool. But it’s just not enough time to get to know a place, to really immerse yourself in the culture, to get to know a country. You’ve worked so hard for your money, make sure you fully and wholly enjoy that money by giving yourself the time you deserve. By staying on the one place for extended periods you can begin to make it feel like home. You’ll have local friends to interact with on a daily basis, you’ll get to know every inch of your surrounds and you’ll have more time to do each and every thing that you want to. It’s possible to travel reaaaally cheap in places like Thailand, as long as you do it slow…
3. Driving a scooter gives you a great sense of freedom
It’s really not that hard to learn how to ride a scooter or motorbike and it will totally change your travel for the better once you learn. Don’t just hire a car, because there’s an enormous difference between the two. On a scooter you’re out in the elements instead of behind a window, you get to feel the wind in your hair and immerse yourself in the surroundings. You’ll feel like a local, you’ll begin to own your life. It’s just exhilarating. However, make sure your travel insurance covers motorbike riding and always act safely when zooming about. Owning the road and being free! A group of us hired bikes for the day, riding around the national parks and waterfalls near Chiang Mai, Thailand
4. Get to know local people
You won’t even begin to fathom how much this will change your travels. Locals know the best spots; they can take you inside their lives and show you a completely different experience. Pretty much all of my favourite travel memories come from making friends with people who live at the destination. I know, I know, making local friends isn’t that easy. To help, two great websites aimed at connecting locals with tourists are Couchsurfing and Meetup. There are loads of happy, willing locals on these sites who speak English and who will be thrilled to introduce you to their town. Our Bodhgayan friend who introduced us to my absolute favourite tree in the world; a sacred fig tree.
5. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to enjoy your travel
Everyone needs to pamper themselves sometimes. But you don’t need to spend lots of money to do that. Imagine sitting on a beach in Mexico sipping a cold beer. Well you can stay in a hostel a bit back from the beach for much cheaper than the resorts, buy the beer from a supermarket at a fraction of the cost of the beach bars and take it to the beach with you wrapped in a sarong to keep it cool. Instead of hundreds you can easily spend only a few dollars doing the pretty much the same thing. Your money is precious, spend it wisely. Enjoying a store bought $1 beer in the tropical, relaxation paradise Santa María, Cuba These tips were gathered through my extensive travel, learning all the way and working within tough constraints (namely; lack of money and being forced to travel alone). Travel is one of the most rewarding things you could spend your money on. Now go and enjoy it!
I love you, thanks for all you do.
You are fun and interesting and I am sure Sarah is giggling with you.
Thank you Merri, I’m sure she is too 😀
Thanks for the tips! I hope you enjoy your stay in Palawan! take care and enjoy!
Oh thank you 🙂 Hopefully we will cross paths!
My aunt sold her house and bought an RV and now travels the country alone. She’s very happy and said she’d rather travel alone than with a companion as well.
Stephanie recently posted…25 Lovely Mother’s Day Craft Ideas for Kids
You’re Aunt sounds awesome! When I retire I’ll be buying an RV and doing the parts of Australia I’ve missed out on 😀
Hi Krystal,
#2 is the truth! We spent 4 months in Savusavu, Fiji last year so it became like home to us. Meanwhile, we’d see folks cattle prodded through from the cruise ship, in and out in hours, and they miss the experience. Hey, different strokes for different folks, but if you want travel to really change your life do the long term bit. We’re doing it now, with a 6 month trip to Bali already 3 months in.
Thanks Crystal, fab tips!
Tweeting and Pinning from Bali.
Ryan
Ryan Biddulph recently posted…10 Time Saving Tips for Busy Bloggers (New Amazon eBook)
Thatnks for the awesome comment! Totally agree with you
These are some really great tips. I will have to keep these in mind for the next time I travel.
Mistee Dawn recently posted…5 tips to get ready for summer! Plus a Skoother Giveaway!
Great tips ! Definitely agree with solo travel and riding moto’s! I pretty much rent one every place I go and just drive for hours. : )
Dave | Jones Around The World recently posted…25 Music Festivals In America To Experience Before You Die
Yep, I’m totally converted 😀
I so agree with this!! I love to travel and we love to find ways to lower our costs when we travel.
Tammilee Tips recently posted…Afternoon Tea at the St. Regis Bangkok
These are awesome tips. I am 29 now with a family so the traveling alone is not as appealing anymore. I would love to go places and do these things with my wife though. Maybe we will cross paths one day!!!
after traveling more… and checking off things on my bucket lists at full speed… i do enjoy staying in one place longer rather than trying to get to it all. it’s just so much nicer and relaxing.. and you don’t need to come home feeling exhausted needing another vacation haha
Esther of Local Adventurer recently posted…By: esther julee
Words to live by! I traveled quite extensively throughout Europe for almost 10 years. The ONE thing I did not do was travel alone however, not by choice. I just always ended up having a travel buddy!
lisa @bitesforbabies recently posted…Start Spring Fresh With These Healthy Eating Tips (Guest Post)
Sounds like great tips for no matter where you travel. I would love to take a month and visit somewhere.
Kim recently posted…DIY Upcycled Spice Jar Air Freshener
Good tips! I like number 4 the best. We’ve had some amazing trips on not a lot of money.
Penny Struebig recently posted…Five on Friday – April 24, 2015
Great are some great tips, I actually travelled along for the first time last year. I travelled to Zambia from UK all by my lonesome self and I enjoyed it, now going to Korea next week alone which I am so excited about. I wish I had longer holidays throughout the year but my job demands more from me.
Myrabev recently posted…{GBU} The Happening ~ WEEK FIVE
I agree that traveling does not have to be expensive. It’s also great to go Do-It-Yourself and try to go at the lowest cost.
Great tips! I have to agree with #2, staying in one place for awhile makes it feel more like home, and makes me not want to leave. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Whoever edits and pubshlies these articles really knows what they’re doing.
A $1 beer is always good. I would love to travel to these places.
Zulema recently posted…Ultraglide Easy Cord Iron Giveaway
These are great tips for traveling indeed. I would love to be free to travel like this some day. It looks like so much fun and I do agree you don’t need a lot of money during your travels. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Crystal,
I definitely agree with you here. I absolutely love solo travel…although it can have its intimidating moments, you always come out with a good story, a good life lesson or both.
I’ve been in Galway for the last almost month, and love the feeling of really getting to know the people and culture of an area. I felt such a part of the community, from gardening projects to social currency planning meetings!
Looking forward to reading more from you
Tara
Tara- Hippie Hits The Road recently posted…From Pints To Planting Potatoes- My First 24 Hours In Galway
Hi Tara, you sound cool. Thanks for the awesome comment. I’m going to check out your blog 😀
I have to agree with all of your tips! Except I have to emphasize your warning for scooter/motorbikers and driving in other countries in general, to be careful!! Accidents were the most common reasons travels ended up in hospitals when I was in Thailand.
Rikka recently posted…5 highlights from New Zealand’s Great Alpine Highway drive
Yep you definitely need to be careful on the bikes. I have seen a few horror stories involving bikes in my travels from people taking stupid risks.
Another way to save money/stay in one place for long periods is to sign up for house sitting!
You can end up staying in some pretty glamorous places around the world only for the price of the initial membership fee (under $100). Pays for itself real quick.
Rikka recently posted…Housesitting & Couchsurfing: The benefits of staying for free across the world
Great Tip, thank you 😀
I love to travel and think those are some really great tips! I can’t wait until our next trip! Thanks for sharing.
Keep on working, reat job!
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Ha we were literally just at Hierve el Agua. Very brave jumping so close to that sheer drop! Good article, thanks for the tips.
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This post is awesome! Thanks for sharing such useful info. I’ve been itching to visit London again, but with changing prices, it’s sometimes hard to know how much I should budget for the trip. This post will be super helpful to me in planning my next adventure there. 🙂
For a short trip, you may not need all the liquid that can fit in a 3.4-ounce travel-sized container. If you can manage with less, try filling contact lens cases with the products you need and save the room.
Looks like quite the comprehensive list for the first time traveler
Great post!
Keep writing 🙂
Everyone wish to explore the world..but it is very expensive to fulfill this wish..very sad…
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