My Travel Confessions

After 50+ countries, 2+ years of travel blogging, and about a decade of travel, I’m so not the ‘perfect traveller.’  Far from perfect, I’ve got some travel confessions I want to share with you. So here we go, ten of my travel confessions in no particular order:

1. I Haven’t Been To The First Place I Ever Wanted To Visit:

I’m not sure of where I first heard of the 1987 book ‘Flutes in Zanzibar.’ I don’t even think I ever read the book, but I heard of the title before I was ten years old, and so I wanted to visit this place called Zanzibar. I’ve been to 50+ countries, but I have not (yet) made it to Tanzania (and Zanzibar).

2. I’d Rather Be Behind The Camera Than Be in Front Of It

I enjoy taking photos and have done so for a while. I have owned a camera since I was 17, even if it was one of those disposable ones. So I’m the person taking lots and lots of pictures at events, family gatherings etc. It is important to me to capture these moments. I’ve had thousands of photos and photo boxes before Instagram existed. I get it from my dad.

I think photographs are powerful, a look a picture can conjure up memories of people, moments, a time, a place, smells, tastes, conversations, laughter, and so much more. However, I have a total of 3 poses (one has me putting up the peace sign and the second has my mouth hanging open, I know!). I still get self-conscious when I travel and take pictures of myself with a tripod, but I talk myself out of it. I talk to myself a lot, btw!

3. I Still Don’t Enjoy Flying

I still don’t enjoy flying: If you’ve read my blog for a while you know this by now, but for the avoidance of doubt let me say it again. I’m that person that can’t sleep through the slightest turbulence but I enjoy how I’m able to think/problem solve while I’m in the air. Ps. I wrote a blog post on how to deal with anxiety while flying. Read it here!

4. I Don’t Want To See Everything When I Travel

When I get to a destination, I have my must-dos, I have the nice to-do, and then there’s time to go with the flow. When I first started travelling, I packed my schedule full and I still may do that now and then on very short trips. However, I’ve had amazing encounters during my go-with-the-flow moments, like the time I hung out with new friends from my street food tour in Vietnam until 1am, and the other time I ended up having lunch with hostage negotiators in Copenhagen.

5. I Have A Procrastination Problem

I’m not proud of this confession, but we’re being honest aren’t we? I’m working at it, but on a trip where I was on the road for ~35 nights, I left home with only 7 nights of accommodation booked. The downside of that is sometimes you miss out on great deals, and I ended up spending some time making bookings while I was travelling. On the plus side, it allows for spontaneity, like that one time an English couple convinced me to spend at least one night in a different village/island in Vanuatu. It was worth it but it was only possible because I hadn’t made other concrete plans.

6. I’m Always On The Run

I’m always on the run to catch buses, trains, and flights. I don’t like standing or waiting for a long time at airports, bus stops, or train stations. My personal preference is to arrive at the absolute latest that I can (without missing the trip). I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been fortunate to be the very last person to get on a flight breathing heavily as though I’d just run a marathon. My friends (and team members I’ve travelled with) know this now and stress out less.

7. I Don’t Think Travelling Is The Only Way To Live A Full Life

This is probably not something you’d expect to read from a travel blogger. Travel is enriching, and it can be life changing (it certainly has been for me). But don’t let anyone guilt trip you into feeling that you’re any ‘less than’ because you haven’t travelled as much as they have. While I’ll always be an advocate of seeing the world beyond what is familiar, I know that it is possible to live full, rich, engaged, and open lives without collecting an insane amount of passport stamps. If it isn’t your thing, that’s okay but at least I hope you’ll give it a try…once!

8. I Love Food Tours But I’m Not a Foodie

I can’t even say I’m a foodie but I really do love food tours. It’s just a stress free and fun way to get to know a city and its locals. The food tours I’ve been on have had great participants and leaders. I’ve done food tours in Hanoi (Vietnam), Bangkok (Thailand), Saigon (Vietnam), New Delhi (India), Budapest (Hungary), Nice (France), and Nashville (USA) amongst others.

9. I’m (not so low-key) Committed to Making sure my Nieces are Curious About the World

So yes, I’m the aunt that has taken her niece on flights and asks the pilot for a photo opp. I’m also the aunt that does story telling, and follows up on geography class. I’m the aunt that will send postcards from all over the world and end it with ‘Oh the places you’ll go’ or something corny like that. So yes, I hope to God that I’m lighting a fire in this regard!

10. I’d Love To Make A Coffee Table Book From My Travels

I really believe that I get the most from travelling AFTER my trips. I get the most from the trip as I unpack memories, moments, and lessons when I take the time to look back on photos. So, some day down the line, I’d love to share some of these memories, images, and stories with the world in the form of a book for your coffee table.

3 Bonus Confessions (For Fun): I wake up early even on vacation, I really didn’t like Athens, and I don’t want to travel full time.

My favourite thing about these confessions is that they highlight that there’s no perfect way to travel. So, now that you know a bit more about my quirks, what are your travel confessions? Which confessions do we have in common? Please share in the comments section below, or in a blog post of your own, or even on Instagram. If you share on Instagram, please tag me so I can check it out! Let’s get to confessing!

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Till Next Week,

Ms. Heels!