Travel Revelation We All Experience

Travelling teaches us more about the world, life and ourselves than any education ever could. But the subtle realisations or moments of epiphany that we all experience when abroad are what can have the most powerful effect upon us.

A SMILE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

After a few false starts (nope, loudly speaking in English doesn’t help either), the moment of epiphany is when you crack out that first slightly apologetic and idiotic grin. At the market; on the bus; asking for directions; all interactions suddenly become magically less traumatic thanks to your smile, and everyone’s friendliness and usefulness increases by roughly 200%.

TRAVEL FRIENDSHIPS ARE INSTANTANEOUS AND ENDURING

One of the greatest takeaways of travelling the globe is the huge increase in Facebook friends that you experience. Some of these are a result of momentary, alcohol-fuelled friendships following a mere day spent together. Others you know are friendships for life, even if you don’t see one another for years.

Whatever happens, you’ll always have the shared experience of being side-by-side in your hammocks as your riverboat glided through the Amazon or holding each other’s hair back as you succumbed to street food-induced vomiting. Travelling makes you value friendships differently; an epiphany that leaves you grateful for the people you meet even if your time together is limited.

MOST OF OUR WORLDLY BELONGINGS ARE UNNECESSARY

When you started travelling, chances have you filled your 70-litre rucksack with enough clothes and strange survival contraptions to cope with being stranded on a desert island and even looking good while you were there. But a short while in and half your belongings will have been gifted away and your backpack – and most importantly, your back itself – is a lot happier.

The longer you travel, the more you realise how little you need. Clothes are a waste of precious space; the whole point of travelling is to see how long you can go without washing your clothes before people start complaining. No, backpacking isn’t about looking like those beautified photos on Instagram. If you’re warm, dry and surrounded by interesting people – none of whom are complaining about your stench – then you’re sorted.

IT’S ADDICTIVE

The final and most life-altering travel epiphany is discovering that maybe you don’t ever want to stop. You realise you’ve been beset by something akin to a drug addiction, but one that’s slightly more socially-acceptable and (probably) a lot more expensive.

If you’re anything like me, life BT (Before Travel) is no longer a viable place to return.I’m not alone in trying to turn this addiction to seeing the world into a career. If you similarly feel that this is the only way to deal with your addiction, then good luck. Just find a nice way to break it to your mum that you probably won’t be coming home anytime soon – perhaps the most obvious revelation of them all is that mums don’t take that information well.