Thread by @WrongsToWrite

21 life lessons travelling will teach you that textbooks never will.

For those of you thinking about buying that plane ticket.

(A thread)👇

We tell ourselves today that we'll live tomorrow.

One day we run out of tomorrows.

When I was 19 I was working 84 hour weeks in a career I hated.

It was good money for my age but unfulfilling.

I said fuck it and booked a plane ticket.

People who have never travelled love to tell you how dangerous it is.

They're trying to make themselves feel better for living a boring life.

Don't listen to them.

Do your own research and talk to travellers.

The biggest risk in life is not living.

To understand yourself you have to leave everything comfortable.

• We identify with our items.
• We identify with our status.
• We identify with our friends.

Travel with a backpack and you're only left with yourself.

If you go to resorts then you haven't travelled.

You just found a different place to drink.

If you wan't to travel, get lost in the culture.

Say yes to more stuff.

You can't become the hero of your story if you don't journey.

While in Asia, I:

• Got lost
• Kissed strangers
• Ate questionable food
• Shot a rocket launcher
• Learned to drive a scooter
• Did a lot of other stuff I can't fit in here

You will get taken advantage of if you're too nice.

99% of vendors in Asia hike up price for foreigners.

People lack confidence to ask for what they want.

So they pay premiums.

I negotiated everything and saved up to 50% without ever offending.

It's all part of the game.

One night bartering with Vietnamese locals in Hanoi

Will teach you more about sales than any college course

Know when to put the camera down and live through your eyes.

There are moments that can't be captured.

Only experienced.

You can build bonds for life with strangers you just met.

Shared moments of humanity bring us together.

Not amount of time spent together.

Take cooking classes in the country you're visiting.

You will learn a country's history and culture in an intimate way.

We go to school for careers we don't want.

To get jobs we don't care about.

So we can buy things we don't need.

To impress people we don't like.

Asian, Canadian, or European, it doesn't matter.

We're all humans.

There were times where we didn't speak a word of each other's language.

All we could do was speak with smiles and charades.

That was enough to bring us together.

We're definitely related to monkeys.

Don't just associate with travellers.

Talk to locals and listen to their stories.

They will teach you the most about life.

You are a guest in their country.

Show respect and learn basic words like "please" and "thank you" in their language.

Locals appreciate the effort even though you sound like an idiot.

Despite what the news will have you believe, humanity is good.

Don't let other people colour the rest of the world for you.

People that have the least experience the most.

Good friends, good food, and a purpose are responsible for 80% of your happiness.

Snakes will hide behind smiles.

I met many scammers in Thailand.

At first it wasn't always obvious but as I got to know many of them, red flags began to go off.

Trust your gut in the moment and leave.

Make sense of it after.

Too many plans take away the fun.

The best adventures are the detours.

Travel alone in foreign lands at least once in your life.

Learn to be self-reliant.

Experience discomfort.

Feel what it's like to be in your company.

You'll learn more about yourself than most therapy sessions.

After all your travels, you will come back home and understand it for the first time.

Buy that plane ticket.

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