Before you begin reading my list of travel tips, keep the following in mind:
This list is not about how to get a window seat on the airplane, how to save money, or how to stay safe and healthy. Nor is it about how to keep the family happy, what items you should pack, or how to travel in an environmentally-friendly way (you should be doing that anyway!) - and it certainly isn't about how to accommodate your pet, what books to take, or how to make your travels more comfortable and worry-free.
No, no. Rather, my travel tips are about getting out of your comfort-zone and learning as much as possible about this vast, incredible world we live in.
Without further ado, let's get started.
1) Get a Passport.
I know this sounds obvious, but I know plenty of people who don't have one, either because they never got one to begin with or they let it expire. So don't hesitate - go ASAP. Forget about how much it costs and stop thinking about whether or not you'll actually use it. Just get it.
That way, if and when the urge hits to go somewhere, you can just grab it and go. You won't have to go through the application process, which will certainly delay your trip and maybe even cause you to cancel it altogether.
Oh, and get the one with double pages, in case your first trip turns into an addiction - like it did for me. Then click here to see how "powerful" your passport is.
2) Go to places off the beaten path.
Don't go where everyone else goes, like Paris, Rome, or London. Yeah, they're beautiful, historic, and amazing cities to visit, but they're too easy. You don't learn very much by choosing the easy path.
Go to more "difficult" places where you are unfamiliar with the language, where the locals aren't guaranteed to know your language, and where someone might say to you, "why would you go there???" Go somewhere like Saudi Arabia, Mozambique, or Estonia. Oh, and forget about the tropical and subtropical beach resorts as well.
3) Hoof it like (and with) the locals.
This travel tip goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. Once you get to the more "difficult" place, don't make getting around too easy on yourself either. Rather than going with a tour group to the Great Wall, go into Beijing and find one of buses that can take you there. Rather than taking a cab from point A to point B, take a cab in combination with the metro, a bus, walking, etc.
A good rule of thumb: If the locals aren't doing it, you don't do it. When in Rome...
4) Do at least some homework before you go.
You don't want to go in completely blind. You should be somewhat familiar with the local culture and any risks to help with your overall decision-making while there.
But don't do too much homework. You don't want to set expectations for what it will be like based on what other people have written. We all have different experiences when we go abroad. So when it doesn't turn out the way you expected it to, you'll inevitably get pissed off or disappointed. So see if you can strike a balance with your homework so that you can be efficient and happy on your trip. And remember, always keep an open mind.
5) Get lost.
No, really. Get lost. Ditch the tour group. Have a cab driver drop you off somewhere more remote. Go for a walk without a map. Then find your way back. Learn some words in the local tongue and use them to ask people where you need to go. Not only will you have a potentially awesome story to tell your friends and family when you get back, but you'll also learn some new skills and build confidence in your problem-solving abilities.
Plus, the next time you're lost in a foreign country it won't be as nerve-racking, and you'll be able to keep calm anyone who is with you and might be freaking out.
And don't worry, you'll make it back - unless you become an anomaly.
Well, those are my travel tips for learning the most about this awesome and crazy world we live in.
Good luck out there!