19 Lessons I Learned Traveling in My 20’s

Last weekend was the end of an era for me: my 20’s. Wrapping up a decade of my life has me reflecting on the many, many lessons I learned traveling in my 20’s. I spent about 1,000 days traveling in my 20’s and in my journeys close to home + far away, in urban areas + hiking the outdoors and traveling solo + with loved ones or new friends I learned so much about myself, about home and about traveling in general. Here are some of the most valuable lessons I learned traveling in my 20’s.

DON’T OVER-PLAN FOR A TRIP

In the past, I was a notorious over-planner. Every trip had an itinerary down to the T when I first started traveling. I think a lot of this came from wanting to squeeze as much into a trip as possible. While I still love soaking up as much as I can in my travels, I’ve learned that it’s important to leave space in your itinerary so you can learn things to do from locals and fellow-travelers. I still make out a list of must-sees for a destination, but I check off the list as it fits and add in the other things I learn about while on the road.

JUST BE YOU, DO YOU + LOVE YOU

One of the best lessons I learned traveling in my 20’s is one of self-acceptance. I’ve grown so much in my 20’s – thankfully! At 20 I felt so grown up, but Lordy, I wasn’t. I had so much growing up to do and I know that there’s even more to come. But through my 20’s I’ve become so much more comfortable in my own skin.
I used to be self-conscious about so many things: my appearance, my major, my obsession with travel and so many other things. I felt like I was odd for wanting to travel as much as possible. I was constantly trying to make myself happy by buying things – like, a lot of things. I wore so much make-up taking time + money I now spend on other things each day. While none of these things are wrong or bad, they were not things that fulfilled me.

2014, I made some pretty serious life changes. I stopped caring so much about what other people thought of me. I embraced the fact that I was different and wanted a different lifestyle, making travel my #1 priority for the next few years. I moved to Asheville, NC, where I met the love of my life, Matt. I started doing yoga + meditating. I started prioritizing the way I spend my time + my money. I found so much love for myself within myself by embracing all the things I love and focusing on all the good in my life.

YOU CAN’T TRAVEL WITH EVERYONE, BUT A GREAT TRAVEL PARTNER IS PRICELESS

I learned in my 20’s that not everyone makes a good travel partner. Some personalities just don’t mesh when put your relationship under the microscope that travel brings. These can even be people you love dearly in your normal, everyday life, but I’ve traveled with some people that I absolutely could not travel long-term with – even short term can be taxing.
That said, that I’m unbelievably lucky to have a handful of people in my life that I genuinely love to travel with. The people in my life that stand out most are Matt, Stacey + my parents.

Matt, how can I express just how much I love to travel with this man? He is the ultimate travel companion. He pushes me in all the best ways and holds me back in the ways that keep me safe. He has made my bucketlist his to-do list and does everything he can to support my passion for adventure. He’s my hiking buddy, he has patiently gone to dozens of Buddhist temples with me and driven on 90% of our adventures so I can soak up views + be more relaxed. He’s the best person in my life + adventuring with him are the best days of my life.

Stacey is my BFF and ultimate adventure gal pal. From our hiking trips to Italian getaways to 101-day trips to Asia together, we’ve done so much together and traveled so much during such crucial years that it’s almost like I feel like I’ve grown up with her. I’m endlessly proud of her and the path travel has given her and she’s my favorite person to talk travel with!
My parents… how can I even put how much they’ve done for me into a paragraph? My parents are the parents that every human should have. They never discouraged me from any of my trips, even when some were crazy or made them nervous. They answered the phone when I called at 2 am just to show tell them something I was really excited about. The thing I really love is that in addition to a family trip now + then, I’ve also been so lucky to travel with them individually.

My dad and I took a father/daughter hiking trip every single year in my 20’s. We’ve hiked in 13 different states + Canada. We’ve visited 20+ National Parklands (Parks, Forests, Riverways) and 10+ State Parks and random trails. 10 hiking trips in, I hope we get to keep this tradition alive through my 30’s. Our love for the outdoors is just one of the many things we share, but it’s one of my favorite common-bonds because we get to spend time together just talking and growing our relationship. Plus, we always road trip where we go which means we’ve shared all the laughs singing in the car.

My mom is my person and we have taken girls trips everywhere from Iceland to Denver to the Pioneer Woman Restaurant to Scotland. All together, in my 20’s we visited seven countries together and all kinds of states. While my mom does love the outdoors, she also shares many of my other interests with me: history, art, archaeology + food! We’ve done some hikes together, but we’re also super into museum-hopping together. We love eating all the amazing local things we can find. We’re both avid readers which means literature + history have spurred many of our adventures like standing stones in Scotland or Delphi in Greece. We always have so much fun and, although many probably think it’s impossible, we come back even closer.

ETHICAL TRAVEL IS IMPORTANT

To be honest, I thought ethical travel was something you didn’t really have to think about. It wasn’t until I went to Asia the first time that I really started to think about the repercussions of the travel choices I had made. Everything we do while traveling has a chain of impacts. I learned a lot about the ethics of animal tourism while volunteering at a zoo in Thailand and learned that I had unknowingly made all kinds of mistakes that harmed animals. I also started looking into the tours, classes and accommodation I started booking. Were locals being exploited for experiences? Were animals being exploited? Was the money I was spending going back into the local economy? These are all very important things I learned to think of while traveling and I continue learning (before and during travel mistakes) all the time.

TRAVEL ISN’T ALL SUNSHINE + RAINBOWS

While on the subject of the not-so-lovely things about travel, did you know it isn’t always easy? And the longer you stay on the road, the harder you fall when the clouds block the sunshine. You start to get really exhausted from all the little things that are different: you crave the tastes of home, you’re tired of bartering, you hate having to work so hard to communicate or you’re just tired of moving! It could be anything or everything that makes you break. It can be a long time coming or it can sneak up on you out of nowhere. The beauty, though, is that you can take some time to re-focus and rest up and be ready for adventure again in no time.

DON’T COMPARE YOUR JOURNEY TO OTHERS

This is a lesson that’s an on-going battle, but it’s one that I get better at all the time. No two people are taking the same journey, even when traveling together. Don’t worry about if your travel photo is better, if your experience was deeper, if you saw more or even got to go at all. Be grateful for the experiences you get and make the most of them in that moment.

STAY CURIOUS

This is one of the most important lessons because this is what keeps you growing. I have learned so much in my travels (and life) by simply asking why. This isn’t always a literal “Why?!” to every person I meet or thing I see, but just digging into a deeper understanding of culture, people, nature and so much more. I hate the phrase curiosity killed the cat because for me, curiosity continues to show me the world.

FRESH AIR + THE OUTDOORS CURES OH-SO-MANY THINGS

I love getting outside. Not only do I just adore being outside because it’s so beautiful + I genuinely enjoy it, but it’s actually therapeutic. When I am frustrated, sad or upset a quick two-mile hike or so will be sure to put me in a better mood. It helps me feel reinvigorated and inspired. The outdoors have their own lessons to teach and it’s the place that I feel most spiritual, centered and calm. I know this isn’t how everyone feels in the outdoors, but if you’ve never given it a real shot, get outside and hit the trails.

YOU MIGHT NOT LOVE EVERY DESTINATION…

… and it just might break your heart. It did mine. I was so excited to visit Morocco. I was so sure that it was going to be such a dream that I jumped all in on this trip with just under a month in Morocco. Turns out, it wasn’t for me. I had a hard time with this and felt honestly a little heartbroken by it. Then, after talking to a fellow-traveler, she told me it’s okay to not fall in love with every destination you visit. For some reason, I needed that validation that I wasn’t being overly judgemental.

MOVE, MOVE, MOVE

I don’t just mean traveling when I say move, I mean physically move! Walk through towns, take a hike – or all the hikes, rappel down waterfalls, go zip-lining, take a yoga class or whatever! Getting your blood flowing will ultimately give you more energy while you’re on the road. Plus, you can see things from a different perspective than from a car or tram. You’ll get a deeper understanding of a city tackling it on-foot. Even in nature, you’ll get to experience something different if you get your adrenaline pumping by doing something new and exciting. Trust me, just move. You won’t regret it.

EAT THE STREET FOOD

Many people I talked to before traveling told me to stay away from street food because I would get food poisoning. Turns out, it doesn’t matter where you eat, you can get food poisoning. It also turns out that street food is some of the absolute greatest food you’ll find in the world – especially in SE Asia. My biggest tip for finding some of the best street food in town is look for local lines. If the locals are eating there, it’s bound to be delicious!

TALK TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN + BE SURE TO LISTEN AS WELL

Just like eating where the locals eat gives you some extra insight, talking to locals can be life-changing as well. Even if it doesn’t change your life, it can totally change your trip. Some of my favorite memories of places are conversations I’ve had with people. From local guides to people you meet out + about and the random acts of kindness from strangers, each interaction helped shape my travels. I love the commonality you find with others. I love the feeling of knowing we’re not all that different no matter where in the world we are.

COLLECT MOMENTS + MEMORIES

I’m not saying I’m a minimalist by any means, but I’ve put so much more emphasis on collecting the things that last – memories, moments + experiences. Matt and I try to gift experiences. We plan trips around birthdays or anniversaries. We spend extra money doing something new together. These things are far more priceless to me than material items. And many of the material items we do have are tied to experiences or memories. It’s something I hope we do + focus on through our lives.

LEAVE IT BETTER THAN YOU FREAKIN’ FOUND IT

I used to be a huge fan of “leave no trace”, which is still good! But in my 20’s I took it further to leaving it better than I found it. I used to plan a clean up for Earth Day, but then it hit me in my late 20’s that I could just be cleaning up anytime I’m outside. I constantly find myself picking up trash on trails and try to keep small trash bags that I can fill while hiking. More than that, I’m taking step to reduce my single-use plastics and live an all-around more sustainable lifestyle.

SOMETIMES YOU DON’T GET TO TAKE THAT TRIP + SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GO HOME

This is a lesson that hurts. It’s one that never gets easier to actually do, but it becomes easier and easier to be at peace with. In my 20’s I was always a travel at all costs kind of person. Every spare penny I had went toward the next adventure. I skipped a meal if it meant $5 could go into my travel jar. The first time I went to Asia, I got so ill with bronchitis, and honestly, I probably got pneumonia as well, that I gave myself asthma because I scarred my lungs not wanting to spend the time + money going to the doctor. That was stupid! Especially since I had travel insurance. However, 2017 was the year that I started to learn that it’s okay to have to rest, it’s even okay to go home. Just this last week, Matt + I both got the flu and we were supposed to fly out for a hiking trip in Maui. We didn’t get to go. It was so hard and I internally fought it all the way up until we canceled the first flight. Then you know what I felt? Relief. I was going to get to rest and heal up at home, without the possibility of getting worse or flying all the way to Maui and not getting to do any of the things we wanted to do. It’s okay to be sad, but it’s also okay to just go home.

GET TRAVEL INSURANCE

At 24, I took a trip that required me to have a travel insurance policy and this was the first time I’d ever taken it out. When I saw how affordable it was and that it covered so many things I swore I wouldn’t travel without it anymore – we love World Nomads. And it has more than paid off. Obviously, when I make that transaction, my hope is that I’m just giving them my money, but more than once now I’ve had to make a claim and I’m always so grateful for it.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO LEAN ON OTHERS

In my early-mid 20’s I thrived on being independent. I thrived on doing things 100% on my own. While I still love being independent, I learned a valuable lesson in leaning on others. This really started while traveling. When Stacey + I went to Asia when we were 25, I got sick and I relied on her a lot. It was hard to have to ask another person to give me support, but that vulnerability led to a stronger bond and friendship. Also, being vulnerable with strangers ended up being empowering in a different way than I ever expected. Asking for help with situations from people I didn’t know at all or had only known for a day or two gave me this beautiful, renewed faith in humanity.

HOME IS PRETTY DAMN AWESOME TOO

It has taken a solid decade for me to acquire the love + respect for my hometown that I didn’t always have. Growing up, I didn’t love Springfield, and to be honest, it’s not my dream town to live in, but it is home. It’s where my family lives and it’s where Matt and I have created a homebase. And it feels so good to have put down some roots. Cultivating this home means that we have a space to love spending our time instead of just constantly aching for the next adventure. I love not missing out on all the family gatherings. I love getting to spend time with my friends. And I even love getting more involved in my community and we’ve really explored the Ozarks and we’ve found out it’s not only a wonderful place to live, but there are so many beautiful places to explore so close to home.

30 was spent close to home. We managed to get outside a tiny bit, just because I needed it. We’d been inside all week starting to recover from the flu and I needed to feel the sunshine. To hike a mile or two – even though it took us about twice as long as normal because I had to stop to cough and breathe over and over. It was still a perfect birthday. I’m so looking forward the next decade of adventures, lessons and growth.

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