Travel & Hotspots
10 REASONS WHY AROUND-THE-WORLD TRIP IS ACTUALLY A BAD IDEA
A few years ago, I went on a round-the-world trip with my friend. Or rather, round-the-world trip, to be honest, we traveled for ten weeks through Southeast Asia. So not exactly a world trip where we would hysterically check off all the continents, but it was far and tropical, and we stayed away for more than three weeks, and that was that. Anyway, I was really looking forward to that trip. Like crazy. Moreover, it was a welcome break because I was a bit stuck in my life. Just a tiny bit, you know. There were just a few things I wasn't exactly sure if I was still happy with. I mention: my job, my house, my friends, my clothes, my hairstyle, my bike, my shoe collection – okay, I knew absolutely NOTHING anymore. But I wasn't really worried because I had read that a round-the-world trip was not only very sunny and good for your appearance but also really super life-changing and enlightening. Wow, I would gain so many amazing insights from it, it was just unbelievable. And so we booked those tickets, arranged with a lot of praying and begging to be free from work, and rolled into the plane.
“Rest assured, there will be no lengthy epic about dusty dirt roads and poor little children”
Rest assured, there will be no lengthy epic about dusty dirt roads and poor little children, but I thought: let me honestly tell everyone who wonders if they ‘should‘ go on a round-the-world trip what I learned from my trip. You can decide for yourself at the end if you're still interested. Here it comes:
Lesson 1.
You always take yourself with you. Strangely enough, I had overlooked this. But all jokes aside; what I realized is that your problems, worries, doubts, or fears do not suddenly disappear when you are chilling in a super cool Thai beach hut in your hammock. Of course, there are less pleasant places to worry, and of course, you feel pretty good and carefree after six Chang beers, but believe me: you don't just stop worrying because you're sitting in a beach hut.
Lesson 2.
Don't be misled by all the cool stories from free-spirited folks who never went home. I was disgustingly jealous of every beach hut dweller. But know this: it looks terribly romantic and sunny, such a dive school or beach bar, but they also have their worries. Don't think they understand life and you don't.
Lesson 3.
You really have to be able to handle bumps and slaps if you don't want to suddenly fervently hope for an accident during a long bus ride.
“And I just want to say: they get very, very happy from a fresh bare leg”
Lesson 4.
An undiscovered beach may indeed score big on Instagram, but because no one ever goes to such a beach, the sand fleas have free rein here. And I just want to say: they get very, very happy from a fresh bare leg.
Lesson 5.
They don't know wine there. Or they don't like it. Or they hid the bottles to annoy me. Anyway, sometimes there is really no sign of a bottle of wine anywhere. I was once on a Thai island in two resorts that really shouldn't have used the word ‘resort’ when I suddenly had a hysterical craving for wine. They didn't have any, of course. I even called the other resort on the island with my own phone (it wasn't within walking distance) to ask if they had wine for God's sake, but then they suddenly thought I wanted to order a speedboat?????
Lesson 6.
You really lose a lot of weight if you don't drink wine for ten weeks. And that's really a nice bonus.
Lesson 7.
If you follow the Lonely Planet, you are a bit less ‘lonely’ everywhere than you might hope.
Lesson 8.
No matter how much you intend to never let yourself be swept away by the hysterical, Western madness of the day: that's no easy task. I remember that the first two weeks after I returned, I cried a little every day because I felt how I was being ‘sucked back’ into our way of life.
“On a trip, you do gain some insights, but that's only half the work”
If you're sitting with thirty people on a pretty rickety wooden speedboat that dashes over the waves without any restraint, you might wonder why you're not just on the boat to f-ing Schier.
Lesson 9.
Everything is still the same when you come back. People have really missed you and all, but it's just an evening of chatting and talking about your experiences, and that's really it.
Lesson 10.
It's hard to change your life when you're traveling. You really have to go back home for that. Because that's where it happens. That's where your life is. On a trip, you do gain some insights, but that's only half the work. The rest of the job has to be done at home. In that still quite beautiful, nice Netherlands.
Still eyeing that trip? I totally agree with you. I secretly would NEVER want to miss it. Check out the tips for the most beautiful trip of your life here quickly.
And here you can also read how to take cool photos.
What was your wise lesson during your round-the-world trip? Share it on Facebook!
