Embarking on a long-term travel adventure is a dream for many, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Our article delves deep into the unspoken challenges and hidden gems of extended travel, unveiling 7 essential insights that often go unnoticed.
Join us as we uncover the realities, emotions, and profound experiences that shape the journey of a lifetime. Get ready to reframe your perspective on long-term travel and embark on a meaningful exploration like never before.
Long-term travel is not just about ticking off destinations on a map; it’s about immersing yourself in diverse cultures, forging meaningful connections with people from all walks of life, and stepping outside your comfort zone to embrace the unfamiliar. It’s about shedding the layers of societal expectations and rediscovering your authentic self-amidst the tapestry of human experiences that lies beyond your doorstep.
Long-term travel dream or reality!
Long-term travel is sometimes believed to be a lot of things that it is not. It’s true that travelers have a lot of crazy stories to tell when they’re back from that trip across Asia or around the world, but the not-so-glamorous side of travel is a reality that hardly gets spoken about and very few people understand.
1. Travel does not let you shirk away responsibility.
Travel needs meticulous planning, and this requires assumption of full responsibility. On the road you’re responsible for arranging and organizing everything and your own safety. Living out of a suitcase or backpack requires taking some tough decisions and a whole lot of creativity. But the truth is that they are still responsible for a lot of things on a daily basis, such as finding ways to fund their travels, keeping costs to a minimum, making decisions about where to stay, what to do, where to travel next, how to travel and how to make it all work.
2. It’s as demanding as it comes.
When you’re staying in hostels and have a limited amount of money to last you the entire trip, there’s no way you can afford to party with your new friends every night. Forget about the wild stories you hear about travelers drinking and dancing every night away. While this is true for a certain age group in some countries, the percentage of travelers who can afford to travel for a long time while continuing to do this is very small.
3. You won’t always have people around you in long-term travel
Long-term travelers often face a real problem of loneliness, especially if they travel across a country without spending much time in one place or setting up a base. Unless you’re someone who’s comfortable with being on your own, dining by yourself and not always having someone to share the joy of new discoveries and experiences with, solo travel is not a good idea.
Of course, you do meet a lot of people from all over the world when you travel and forming meaningful friendships is common, but the possibility of this happening depends on where you’re traveling, if other people are around and how open and social you are as a person.You may not always have company; there could be extended periods when you are by yourself.
4. There’s a lot going on behind those Instagram pictures.
You look like a mess, and you are one a lot of the time! Everything does not go perfectly as planned. You miss flights, buses and trains and rush to get to others in time. You get stuck in bad weather at some points. Unexpected things go wrong all the time when you’re travelling and if you can see the humor and enjoy it all, then you’ll get the most out of your experience. The disasters are all part of the adventure.
5. Falling sick on the road can cause a real pain (no pun intended).
It’s comforting to have your loved ones and local doctor around when things go wrong with your health. In spite of globalization, the quality of healthcare, services, medicines and the availability of different medicines varies widely among countries. Many travelers prefer not to take the risk of going to a doctor or getting any kind of treatment until they return home.
6. The food always isn’t drool worthy.
Images in travel media can create high food expectations, however not every cuisine suits your taste or budget. In culturally diverse regions, finding suitable food can be challenging, leading to disappointments. Sometimes there’s not even the good old McDonald’s to rescue you.
7. You will have a different outlook towards home.
If you travel for a few weeks or more, especially if it’s off the beaten path, you’ll probably come back and look at a lot of things differently. You’ll notice things and have realizations you’ve never had before. If you’ve trekked in the wilderness and fallen in love with nature, you’ll likely appreciate your local park that you used to just walk past.You value familiar comforts but find certain things annoying, even though you’ve witnessed them throughout your life.
Exploration ends on long-term travel.
The Takeaways from this blog, it’s probably that long term travels aren’t always for everyone. If you’re ready to push your comfort zone and embrace discomfort, you can gain transformative experiences. Consequently, it’s time to start saving up and embark on this journey for personal growth and enriching encounters
If you’re struggling to plan your trip, explore our Tangible Travel Tool at Mandeha. We help create itineraries and offer a template to reflect on your trip learnings. (It really simplifies things, doesn’t it?)
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