7 Unexpected Lessons from a Lifetime of Travel Posted on July 28, 2020November 16, 2025 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... What Travel Has Taught Me About Life I have always been a student of history and other people. I find travel inspiration in books, films, and my vivid imagination. But I’ve learned the most through real human connection—walking in someone else’s footsteps, tasting their food, drinking their wine, and hearing their music. Travel teaches us that we are more alike than different. It also teaches us about ourselves. I can’t help but believe that travel has shaped who I am today. 1. Travel is a self-fulfilling prophecy The more you travel, the more you want to go. And the more you realize your bucket list gets longer, not shorter. Travel teaches us that knowledge about the world increases our awareness of just how small the part of the world we inhabit is. It’s an insatiable quest that can never be fully achieved. But damn, if I’m not going to try. 2. When to take photos and when to just live in the moment Sometimes you need to put your camera down and take it all in without the perspective of an artificial lens. The benefits of traveling in real-time are more valuable than any photo you’ll take or IG post you create. 3. A guidebook is just a good place to start I love a useful travel guide, but it shouldn’t be the end of your research. There isn’t a guidebook in existence that can tell you everything you need or want to know. They are an excellent resource for the beaten path, but sometimes you need to leave the road well-trodden and forge a new one of your own. The most valuable lessons learned from traveling may require you to expand your comfort zone. 4. You learn a lot about a place from the food and the people What herbs and spices do they use? Where is the origin of their art and music? Why are the steps to the cathedrals so narrow? Why do they cover their mouths when they smile? The answers may surprise you and tell you more about the place than an afternoon of visiting fallen temples or the number of degrees you hold. Don’t tell me how educated you are. Tell me how much you’ve traveled. ~Prophet Mohammed 5. Free WiFi Finding a good, fast WiFi connection can make your day so much better. Need I say more? Travel teaches us that you don’t have to leave home to figure this one out. When you are far from home, lost or stuck in airport hell, having access to the Internet can bring home closer, a sigh of relief, or a prescription from boredom. 6. Travel is unpredictable Travel teaches us that even the best-laid plans can be disrupted by a missed turn, a missed plane, or a missed opportunity. Some of my favorite journeys were accidents or sheer dumb luck. Do plan, but don’t fall apart if you have to make new ones. Sometimes the devil is in the details, and you need to be flexible to avoid him. 7. There’s no place like home I love exploring the world, but the feeling I get when I walk through my front door is euphoric. Travel teaches us that growth has to occur where we live too. And sometimes you have to travel far to appreciate what you have at home. Like it. Pin it. I love sharing stories, lessons from abroad, and tips for curious travelers. If my work has inspired you or made you smile, please buy me a coffee. Your support helps me keep the blog running—at no cost to you. My articles are available as mobile apps for offline reading and GPS-assisted directions. Download my articles on GPSMyCity. This post contains sponsored and/or affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission. CULTURE, EVENTS & EXPERIENCES
These are true thoughts about traveling. Especially when you have your cameras (or phones) on your hands. You just really need to live in the moment, coz you’ll miss the experience when you’re in it. And like what you said at the end, travel is unpredictable…you’ll never know what’s gonna happen in that moment, in that place, and you’ll never know when you can come back to grab that experience again. Great post! 😀 Reply
Your blog is so inspiring for me. My dream is to travel freely from near and afar one day. To experience life in other places. The scenery, the culture, the EVERYTHING! I love it Reply
Bwwwwhaahaha i laughed so hard to the Free Wifi one hahaha! that’s such a true story! wifi makes everything better. Travel is so unpredictable and amazing fun. love this post Reply
These are all so true! I really believe that some moments don’t need to be captured by the camera and can be better enjoyed just in the moment! Reply
Yes, even as a blogger, I’ve opted to not take a photo sometimes because the moment is that special. Reply
I love the quote “Traveling; it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller”. I have definitely found the more we travel, the more we need to travel. I need about 4 days rest, and then I am ready for another adventure. Reply
You sound like me. I try to relax when I travel, but its impossible I get so excited and want to see, touch, smell and taste everything new. Reply
The wifi comment is really like true! And for the photography one, totally agree. The ‘real’ life may just be a bit more exciting than life through the lense 🙂 Reply
IKR, some people will never know because they are always angling for the IG shot that will go viral. Reply
It is very true that learning a lot from the country you visited was a fulfilling journey. But apart from the places you capture with your camera you should enjoy the environment and embrace the feeling of being there. The culture, the people, and the foods. Reply
Exactly. It is a one in a lifetime experience no matter how many times you visit because you never know what you’ll encounter if you open your eyes and stay in the moment. Reply
Great list! 4& 5 definitely stood out for me lol. Wi-Fi is always a must when traveling abroad for me so I always keep a hotspot on hand. Love indulging with locals over food and drinks. Reply
I cannot tell you how many fun experiences we’ve had with locals in restaurants and bars, especially when you leave the tourist track and go where they eat and drink. Reply
As a student I don’t have much time to travel, considering that I work trough whole summer and juggle classes and work during the school year. But I’m planning to change my no-travel-life once I finish college because no matter the job I feel like I’ll be able to take time for myself here and there. Also not to mention I have no budget to travel now. Reply
Unsaid was that travel is no good if you are prepared for it financially then it becomes a burden. And nothing is worth adding more burden to your life. Study hard Annie. Reply
Yes, I remember my whale watching trip in the arctic. While everyone was busy taking videos and pictures, I put down my cam and just enjoyed watching the whales. Reply
One of the things that I learned about traveling is that no matter how much you plan for it, there are simply things that you cannot control or predict. I’ve learned all of these as well from experience. Reply
Travel is unpredictable for sure. Its why we love it so much. Its also why we should incorporate it into our home lives too. Reply
I absolute agreed with you. I learned everything myself. Travel is beautiful and life changing 🙂 Thank you for your post my friend. Reply
I love this because they are some of the most simple things that people forget about travel. People have become so obsessed with the idea of getting photo that they forget that it could be the opportunity for a perfect memory. Reply
Omg so much yes!!!! Some of my favorite travel memories are in local restaurants soaking in all the local culture! Reply
Travel is totally unpredictable. However sometimes the most crazy experiences are the ones you look back on most fondly. Reply
I cannot agree with you more. But I also think that’s what scares some people off of travel because they are not used to being outside their comfort zone. Reply
I wish to visit Seoul, South Korea someday. My hubs and I love travelling but now with my health we travel less. Agree that there’s so much to learn when travelling especially the culture and tradition of those places. Reply
Yes I agree and I hope your health improves for the sake of your well-being. But I also hope you get to travel to Seoul one day. It’s a very interesting city, but there are so many beautiful cities in South Korea. Take a look at https://duffelbagspouse.com/2017/02/south-korea-much-more-than-seoul/#gs.NGhwxto. Reply
Thank you for these tips, it was a great read! I couldn’t agree anymore with being in the moment more than trying to take photos as well as enjoying the people,sights, and food. http://prettyfitfoodie.com/2017/02/21/oyster-bar-skc/ Reply
You miss so much if you dont every now and then. I like to see, hear, smell, touch and feel “travel”. Reply
I am not much of a traveller and don’t seem like the adventurous type, but your tips are encouraging me to explore. I really need to create my own path. Thanks for the tips. Reply
I’ve read your blog and we’ve used a lot of the tips you talk about so we can afford to travel. You can’t take ut with you. Lol Reply
Travelling has element of surprise. That is the beauty of it,. These unexpected moments are the most memorable ones. They make the whole journey worthful. Reply
I love travelling! I agree with you especially on living the moment and taking the camera off! We are often involved more in sharing others what We are doing than in enjoying it! Reply
This post is so relatable. The best part about traveling is your experiences and what you learn! xo, lovekimber.com Reply
Yes, and most of it can be done at home too. You don’t have to always travel to experience the sensations associated with travel. Reply
I really enjoyed reading this as traveling is something that I have such a desire to do. I don’t know if I will ever be able to do it but I will remember these things if I ever do! Reply
Julie, take what you can and see how you can get the same experiences right there in your hometown. I’m sure they have ethnic restaurants, some tourist attractions you’ve never seen or festivals that come and go. Reply
I waffle back and forth on the taking pictures one. I love to be in the moment, but being the completionist that I am, I like to capture all the moments to relive later on. I go back and forth on this all the time as I do both! Thanks for your insight! Reply
I feel ya. I generally take a couple and then put it down. Sometimes I get a great shot, sometimes its just ok. But I witnessed a fight during the sunrise at Angkor Wat… a fight, are you kidding? It was over position, it was 5 something the morning, we all traveled to Cambodia to witness the spectacle and they fought over who was in front of who. I took a couple pictures and moved to the gras and took a seat. Reply
I don’t use it much for social media, but we do love to know where we are or where we are going. We have something in the military called OPSEC where we have to minimize our risk while we travel, so I don’t write about my locations until after I’ve left. Reply
“The more you travel, the more you want to travel” SOOOOOO true! I love travelling. I still travel with my kids, but not like ai did before i had them. I have big plans to travel when they grow up 🙂 Reply
What happens is you are somewhere cool and you talk to a fellow traveler who tells you about somewhere really cool that you never heard of. Its an endless journey. You can travel to every country, but they’ll always be new ones and you can’t go to every city, town or village so theres always something new out there. Reply
i have already share my views on this but one thing i would like to mention is scenery. different places have beautiful scenes of environment. Reply
Yes, we love tech. But for real. Put down your phone/tablet/what have you. Sure a picture will capture the scene, but the experience is something you feel on a deeper, emotive level. You traveled all the way here. Why miss out on the moment? Reply
This is very well said. There’s really nothing like traveling and I agree, you learn so much from the food and the people around you. I love traveling and I don’t think I’ll stop any time soon. Reply
I absolutely love your perspective on things. From travel to problems to mishaps, you always try to pull something positive from it! Reply
Thank Brandi, likewise. I find you can present the good and bad of things in a way that’s constructive. That was… is my goal for this blog. I wish everything turned out perfectly, I was happy all day, every day, etc… theres something to learn in it all. Reply
So true! I went, “Oh yeah!” when I read the WiFi one. I don’t travel often, but when I do, I’m always thrilled when I find WiFi. Reply
It will literally make you smile!! Especially when you are trampling around Asia not knowing where the heck you are. Reply
I agree sometimes it is about having fun and living in the moment. Then again it is fun to take photos and capture memories too! Reply
I love how unpredictable travel can be. It’s what makes it so worthwhile. Every day is an adventure. Reply
I think thats why you can’t take life’s adventures for granted and make sure you build in a little unpredictability into your life at home too. Reply
Those are really nice pictures, seems like you had a great time on this trip, thank you for sharing your experience with us! Reply
I hope to spend a little more time traveling in the next few years. I have visited most of the states but have only been to one other country: Canada. When I do go place, I love to find the non-tourist places and sample local foods. Reply
Thats the best way to go. I love Canada it has some beautiful natural wonders and awesome festivals in the major cities. I almost moved to Toronto when I was younger, I love that place. Reply
These are great ideas and tips. I used to keep my camera rolling all the time but have since learned when to take photos and when to turn it off and live in the moment. Reply
i like traveling to different places. we can see different cultures on the internet but to be there in person is simply amazing. the most i like traveling is because of the food. i love different types of food. Reply
I agree. The food from other cultures is a huge reason I love to travel as well. I tell everyone to seek out different foods in the city they live to get a similar feeling of traveling. Reply
I love traveling and seeing other cultures, hearing other languages and eating different food! Thanks for your post! Reply
I have experienced all the above specially the one about camera…sometimes i enjoy the place so much that I forget taking pix lolzz Reply
I’ve done that before too. I think thats a good thing because you have something only you experienced. There is plenty of time to take pictures. Reply