Traveling With Lola

The travel gods endowed me with an exquisite year of travel experiences. Seven countries, dozens of friends, and thousands of dollars later, I reflect on the biggest lessons that travel taught me this year:

#1: Any money spent on travel is well worth it 

In 2023, I acted as a budget backpacker, staying in hostels and taking public transportation when I could. Throughout my longer periods of travel I found a certain relief in not scrutinizing every purchase I made while abroad. There was a point that I decided that if I wanted to do something, I would let myself spend the money on it, knowing it would bring me joy. If I wanted ice cream, I would treat myself. If I had friends who wanted to visit the pubs, I was down for a night on the town. 

When I gave myself the permission to spend money for joy and experiences on my travels, I found that I had no regrets about the money I spent. Instead of guilt about normally “frivolous” items, I shifted my mindset to see travel as an investment. 

And when it comes down to it, what better to spend money on than travel? Travel teaches us things, brings us memories, joy, and inspiration. To “save” money while traveling, trying to penny pinch, is silly. Would you rather spend money trying ice cream in a foreign country or at home? Is money better invested doing a cooking class, museum, or sightseeing visit in another country or spent on ANOTHER pair of shoes at home. I’ll choose travel experiences every time. 

“Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer”

Anonymous

#2: Travel ≠ Vacation

Travel is adventure, experience, pushing your comfort zones, and putting yourself out there. Travel is a mindset. Vacation is relaxation, ease, and an escape. Both are good at times, but both are different.

#3: Try new things and be bold 

The beauty of solo travel is that one is responsible for everything, from which train to take, the day’s schedule, where to eat, and who to talk to. Being a solo traveler pushed me out of my comfort zone, leaving it up to me who to make friends with, who to ask for help when I was lost, where to walk on the street, and how to eat by myself. It gave me the confidence to handle any problems and make decisions for myself. 

This is also the beauty of travel: instead of escaping everyday life, travel forced me to be alive, and be bold, because my travel experience was entirely up to me. Travel taught me to ask questions, make the first move, and ask for help when I need it. I learned a lot about myself through solo traveling. Travel taught me confidence and I learned that I can, in fact, do anything I put my mind to.

#4: Don’t do too much research (or too little). 

The beauty of travel is that no matter how much planning and research you do for a trip, something is bound to happen differently than planned. Travel forces us to be flexible and adaptable, often against our human need to control and manage everything. 

Planning too much can overexpose you to your upcoming activities and build an unrealistic expectation of places you’re visiting. Planning too little means you may miss noteworthy sites and be too late to book tickets or reservations at spots. I’ve done both this year.

I found that the sweet spot for travel planning is just in between the two extremes. It’s great to have a plan and a general idea of what you’d like to see, do, and eat. And it’s often the spontaneous decisions and unexpected recommendations that impact us the most. (And that’s what kicking the bucket list is all about 😉)

#5: Always be safe and trust your instinct. 

The spontaneity of travel, coupled with the unfamiliarity of being in a new culture can leave travelers with a certain level of vulnerability. I’ve made my share of dumb decisions while traveling and I’ve been lucky that no silly choices have resulted in irreversable damage to me. When going to new places, I have always trusted my instinct to stay safe. If something doesn’t feel right, then it’s not right. Trust. Your. Gut. (always!)

#6: Get travel insurance 

Ask me if I always insure my travel after I spent $2000 on an emergency flight home this summer. I often use squaremouth.com to compare travel insurance options and find affordable coverage. All the travel experts say that it’s always a good idea to have medical evacuation insurance in emergencies. Trust me and get insurance. it’s always better to be safe than sorry. 

#7: Travel shouldn’t be an escape 

I think what makes travel so allusive for some people is that they only think of travel as a vacation and a way to escape their everyday life. I think some people, including me at times, put so much pressure on their travels to be a relaxing escape that they inadvertently cancel out their relaxation in dreading the return home. 

While traveling and adventuring, it’s best to see your home and your “normal” life as a sanctuary. Travel is meant to be a learning experience, to get us out of our comfort zone. Authentic travel doesn’t have to be something extravagant and rare. When we start treating travel as an opportunity to add onto our everyday lives, travel can give us an appreciation for our everyday life. 

#8: Lose the guilt

Stop. Feeling. Guilty. This is an affirmation I try to repeat often and to be honest, I still struggle with this a lot as a frequent traveler. At the beginning of every trip as I hop in my car or get dropped at the airport, I experience a mix of excitement for the trip ahead along with a pang of guilt for leaving my family and my dog behind. 

Sometimes while traveling, it’s tough to miss friend gatherings, events, birthdays, work meetings, or just everyday life. I’m actively trying to teach myself to enjoy the opportunities I have to travel, guilt free, because I’m not using travel as an escape, and I always intend to return with some insight and experiences I can share with others. 

#9: Sometimes it’s the people who make the difference 

I was not in love with every destination I visited this year but I found that what often impacted my experience of these destinations was the people I spent time with. I think in solo and group travel, the people you travel with impact your experience. I’m grateful for spending time with old friends and meeting plenty of new ones in the places I visited this year. 

#10. Life is short. Too short. 

Life is too short to not enjoy. I am in love with my life and I wish that for everyone. Life is too freaking short to wait until retirement to travel. Life is too short to not love. Life is too short to keep putting off that thing you’ve wanted to try. Life is too short for “one day…”. Do what you love. Try new things. Love yourself and choose to be in love with life!

If you’re reading this, thank you for reading along with my journey. I am filled with gratitude at the response I have received on my travel blog and other content this year. I am also grateful beyond belief to live this life full of travel. I hope that some of my writing has inspired you to try new things. In case no one told you today, I love you and you deserve to live the life of your dreams! See you in 2024! 💙