What They Don’t Tell You About Traveling The World
Laying in a hammock on a quiet beach in the Philippines. Everything is perfect in the world; except that I haven’t been to the bathroom in five days.
The main points I make in this article
- The real thing does not look like the Instagram pictures
- You will either be constapated or have diarrhea 24/7
- Having a “boring” routine is great
I love traveling to foreign countries and experiencing different cultures as much as the next person. But some aspects of foreign travel are not so desireable. This is an article about those aspects.
- The real thing does not look like the Instagram pictures
One of the things that inspired me the most to backpack in Southeast Asia was travel pictures on Instagram. You know what kinds of pictures I mean; a girl reaching her hand towards the camera, with a waterfall in the background. I wanted to do my own versions of those photos; and since I knew a bit of Photoshop and Lightroom, I decided to try. You can see me reaching for the spiraling trees and light rays at the top of the jungle, in the picture below.
The light rays are edited in and the trees look like that because of distortion in the camera lens.
This is not an attempt to discourage you from traveling, nor am I saying that photographers and influencers trying to deceive you. Many (myself included) feel inspired by such pictures. What you’re seeing is an edited, distorted version of what the forest really looked like. It’s at least good to know this, so that you aren’t fooled by the images you see online. To me, the best things about traveling is the people you meet and the things to learn, not the attractions. Some of you will disagree, which is totally fine!
2. You will either be constapated or have diarrhea 24/7
One of the best reasons to travel to Southeast Asia is the food. Thailand and Vietnam (where I went) are touted as some of the best food nations on the planet. An array of curries, spicy stir frys, soups and noodle dishes are just some of the delicasies you can experience. Asia is where you learn that great food doesn’t have to be expensive. You can buy the best meal of your life for a couple of dollars.
The trouble comes after eating the food. The downside of traveling to a different continent than you own, is that it has different bacterias. These bacteries will upset your stomach. Delhi belly is a common phrase amongst travelers for a reason. Having diarrhea isn’t very fun, so you will invariably take some imodium to make it stop. Then you get the relief of not having to deal with it for a couple of days. After that, one of two things will happen: either it lasts uncomfortably long, which isn’t great, or the effect wears off and you have to make the descision between constapation and diarrhea again. This is often an endless circle for many travelers.
3. Having a “boring” routine is great
One of the main things I started missing after having been abroad for a few months, was the monotony of the “everday routine”. This might sound strange, but bare with me. When you’re traveling, you seek out new experiences, new destinations and new friends — constantly. As an introvert, this gets exhausting. What I realized is that while doing all those things are great, it’s not something you want to do for an extended period of time. I always thought “traveling indefinitively” was the dream — not for me. Strangely, I learned to appreciate my “normal” life more, by traveling. I enjoy doing the same thing every day; Waking up at around the same time, in the same place, working towards the same goals and hanging out with the same friends. Don’t underestimate it!
I hope this article has been informative. As I mentioned in the beginning, I didn’t write this to discourage anyone from traveling. Instead, my aim is to inform you about some of the things I learned whilst traveling abroad. If you have any feedback, please comment! I would really appreciate it.
