Health On The Go: The Golden Rules Of Every Traveler

My dear travellers, today I have for you a very important and needed entry regarding health and our safety during the journey. Many factors contribute to a successful journey, and one of the most important is the knowledge and awareness of situations that may (although they do not have to be preventive at all!) Meet us in various corners of the earth. Discovering new, often unfamiliar places is fantastic, but somewhere in this eurofia, an ambush, crazy taking pictures of subsequent landscapes and trying the next exotic dishes, there must be a place for a rational approach to taking care of yourself.
If somebody thinks that he is untouchable and on vacation or on a journey of dreams only beautiful situations happen in film, he is unfortunately wrong. Regardless of what is the purpose of our journey and what is its nature, taking care of health must be the number one of all activities. During the holiday period, the frequency of trips increases, but this trend is slowly changing and travels appear throughout the year. And more and more often these are remote, tropical and culturally different places. This means that – especially in a new place – we must be well prepared for all possible situations, so that we can easily enjoy the journey.

The quality of life and sanitary conditions in Europe are very high, and we are used to it and often we do not know how many aspects we need to pay attention to during a stay in another country, especially one that is less developed, has a different bacterial flora or diseases that do not occur in our home country.
Let’s also overthrow the myth that, with short trips, such as in Europe, we can wave our hand for proper preparation. It does not matter whether we are going to Croatia for a week or a month’s trip to the Amazon. The principles of caring for health, safety and widely understood travel prophylaxis apply to EVERYWHERE.
I am not here to scare you, but to share with you my travel experience and what I have often learned about health on the go. Most important, however, is the fact that most of dangerous situations and diseases can be easily avoided by following the basic principles of PREVENTION, ie prevention in advance.
Remember that vaccinations before departure are the basis, but the vaccinations alone do not protect us from infection, so our main goal is to prevent any disease from being infected. And for that we have some security rules in everyday functioning.
That’s why today I am in a hurry and I have gathered for you the most important rules that we travellers must know and apply. Because we agree, there is nothing worse than being sick on the road.

In the first place, we should remember about water. It is contaminated water and food prepared on it that are among the most common causes of traveler’s illness. Especially when it comes to poorly developed countries, which are a frequent destination of exotic travels. Diseases that can be infected by infected water are, for example, travelers’ diarrhea, typhoid fever, type A jaundice or cholera (hence the vaccination for these diseases is definitely recommended, because contrary to appearances, they are not rare).
The easiest way to treat water is to cook it, because it kills all pathogenic bacteria, viruses and parasites. If it is not possible to boil water (eg during survival expeditions), it is worthwhile to obtain chemical treatment agents containing iodine, chlorine or silver compounds, or modern microfiltering filters (portable point-of-use).

RULES YOU NEED TO REMEMBER
1. Drink only bottled water
(with a closure protected with foil that is not used in Poland) or canned. Even in restaurants, order water in a bottle, not one that will be served in a jug or directly in a glass.
Warning! In India, I met with cases that the water sold in street kiosks was poured into plastic bottles from the well, and then with a lighter the cork was melted to make it look pre-bottled (!). There is a patent for it: always squeeze the bottle with water firmly, if the cork does not fire, it means that the bottle was closed at the factory and you can boldly drink it.

2. Avoid drinks with ice coming from an unknown source
Like you remember about bottled water, but how hot it is, man does not pay attention that tap water can also be found in our juice or drink. Inspecting the source of water used seems like a miracle, so I use a simple rule – in the tropics I never drink ice-cold drinks. Believe me, it can be experienced, and the problem of wondering if it would be good water for sure, disappears as the hand took away.
3. Wash fruits and vegetables with bottled or boiled water
Remember – the same principle as using ice – washing food with tap water or well is no different to drinking it, because bacteria and viruses will just stay on the food. Even after washing, always take them out. You can also burn the skin with boiling water, which will kill most of the germs.
4. Avoid foods that have not been cooked sufficiently
High temperatures and humidity, as well as poor food storage conditions, make it vulnerable to an increase in the number of microorganisms that can cause infection. This particularly applies to meat, eggs, seafood and dairy products. Do not eat undercooked food and food that you are not sure that it has undergone heat treatment or, for example, has been out of the refrigerator for a long time. Contrary to appearances, it is not difficult to travel, for example stalls in Southeast Asia are a breeding ground for bacteria, viruses and fungi. Just look at the raw meat or fish, which without a refrigerator lie on the countertops for many hours, and should turn on you a warning lamp. Another example – Cuba and famous cakes with whipped cream sell on the street at 30 degrees (without a refrigerator). We definitely say NO to such snacks.
5. Watch out for street eateries and stalls
I know, I know, you will be outraged right now, because how to go to a new place and not try the local cuisine at the points where mainly locals eat and usually very cheap. I’m not saying no, but just be careful. Try to choose those in which there is a lot of traffic, so the food has to be prepared on a regular basis, and try the dishes cooked and fried. In addition, pay attention to what these dishes are served – ideally, these are disposable plates and cutlery, and not, for example, plastic reusable. All you have to do is look closely at the place to see that your plate after the predecessor has just been roughly rinsed in a large bowl of water that has been there for several hours and has more bacteria in it than you can imagine.
6. Brush your teeth with water from the bottle or boiled
Sounds fancy? But it is not. Every experienced traveler will tell you that the first moment you arrive at an exotic place is to put a bottle of mineral water in the bathroom. For example, to remember about her when brushing your teeth, because we do not have a reflex to rinse the mouth with water from the bottle. I will go even a step further – you can also wash your face with such water, and if you think that it is too much, always, but always close your mouth washing your mouth or bathing in the shower (and then dry the face and the mouth area with a towel) by accident, do not swallow water. It’s still the same tap water that we try to avoid, and sometimes one drop is enough to poison. Believe me, I did it in India – precisely because I forgot to close my mouth, washing my hair in the shower.
7. Wash your hands often and always wipe them
Frequent washing shortens life – says the adage, but not this time. Hand hygiene is an absolute foundation. Always wash them before eating and use soap. Additionally, remember to dry your hands with a towel – for the same reasons as above – to avoid mouth contact or food with water. And, best of all, have a MUST HAVE with you every traveler – an alcohol-based disinfectant gel – and use it even after washing your hands.

Insects are really a difficult opponent. There are plenty of them, they are small and “spread with the speed of light.” Their intrusiveness is not limited to bubbles on the skin or unbearable buzzing over the ear. Insects are one of the most dangerous carriers of infectious diseases, such as malaria, fever, dengue or Japanese encephalitis. Contrary to appearances, you only need one insect bite to become infected. And these diseases are nasty and for some of them (eg malaria or dengue) there is no currently available vaccine. It means that our only weapon is prevention, or in short, do not let yourself bite. Because I assume that the use of the most effective method minimizing the risk, i.e. not indulging in places at risk of morbidity (unfortunately, nowadays a large part of the world and everything we call tropics),

RULES YOU NEED TO REMEMBER
1. Repellents, repellents and repellents
The simplest and most effective rule – use repellents, that is chemical substances, repelling insects. Choose, however, those that contain DEET or ikicdynę. The formula – spray, gel or roll-on is optional. It is also important to know what concentration to choose. In the case of DEET, it should not exceed 20% in children and 50% in adults. However, it is not a suitable remedy for infants under 2 months old. DEET agents last for about 6 hours, but they should be used more often, for example after a water bath.
My advice is: do not hesitate to use repellents. Do not approach this: I do not want to, I have forgotten, and maybe nothing will bite me. I also had such a selective approach, until in Thailand I fell ill with Dengue. You can also try local remedies that are often based on insect repellent ingredients (such as lemon eucalyptus oil or ordinary oil) and are equally effective.
Warning! Remember that in tropical countries where you use UV filters, the repellent is applied to the skin after first protecting it with sunscreen.
2. Cover the body
There are many guides that advise you to cover up in the tropics from head to toe, i.e. long trousers, long sleeves, socks, and high boots. And if you look at a local, eg in Thailand, you will actually see that even in 30 degrees they wear jeans and blouses with long sleeves. In part, it is a habit to high temperatures, and partly protection against mosquitoes. However, I am aware that if we do not go to the jungle or safari, only for a holiday trip to warm countries, everyone wants to take advantage of this heat and sun, and walking in jeans is the last thing he dreams about. I have such a patent for it that I wear, for example, long thin dresses or thin loose pants that cover the skin, but are still airy. I put on a tunic or kimono on my shoulders, so I do not feel covered from head to toe,
Warning! When traveling more survivalowych it is worth considering buying clothing factory impregnated insecticide, such as permethrin, means a measure that has a deterrent effect on various species of insects, including: chamomiles, ticks, gnats and sand fleas.
3. Prepare your accommodation
Checking the room before falling asleep is very important. First of all, take a look at the tightness of windows and doors, check if the safety nets have holes and remove all mosquitoes from the room. I definitely recommend you choose rooms with air conditioning, because it is a natural barrier that runs over insects. If you do not have air conditioning, it is necessary to choose a place with a mosquito net, but be careful – check that there are no holes, because in many hostels or hotels unfortunately mosquito nets at the beds leave much to be desired. Traveling in Southeast Asia to less developed countries, such as Laos or Cambodia, I had my own mosquito net in my backpack (PLN 15 on Allegro), which saved me many times from the bloodthirsty attacks of mosquitoes.
4. The time of the day matters
The mosquito transmitting diseases is not attacked only at dawn and at dusk. Different types of them carry different pathogens over the course of a circular day, so realizing that we are exposed all the time is an important principle that should mobilize us to continually protect ourselves. During the day, they feed on mosquitoes carrying dengue, chikungunya fever, zika and yellow fever. However, at night, the likelihood of a mosquito infesting malaria, Japanese encephalitis and fever of the western Nile is increased.

5. Not just mosquitoes
Let’s also disprove the myth that only mosquitoes threaten us. Insects carrying dangerous diseases are much more and there is nothing to panic, but be aware that the application of the above principles protects us against the entire spectrum of insects. In a tropical climate there are often sandworms (extremely irritating micro-openings that are difficult to see and which do not sound like a mosquito) – leishmaniasis carriers, onchocercosis flies, Chrysops from which loas may develop and known tusks tse carrying an African coma. In a word – there is nothing to be protected from!

Exotic journeys also involve possible contact with unfamiliar animal species living close to humans, e.g. monkeys in Indonesia or India. Our first instinct is the desire to look at them closely, take a photo, etc. However, you must be careful, because they are still wild animals, often carriers of diseases such as rabies. Bats are also carriers of bats, for example in caves. What’s more, the probability of being bitten by a dog or cat is even greater, and these are not lacking, for example in Thailand – there are whole hordes of them. It is worth to get vaccinated on rabies, and in contact with animals be restrained.
If you travel to open areas and close to nature, be sure to watch out for snakes, scorpions and spiders. Animals that are practically non-existent in Poland, so we are not accustomed to taking them into account in our way of thinking.

RULES YOU NEED TO REMEMBER
1. Avoid contact
The simplest rule – stay away from unfamiliar animals. Do not try to touch the monkeys and do not use their food (it irritates them very much and can cause them to aggressively). The same with random dogs or cats, even domesticated ones. In poorly developed countries, the approach to animals is different than in the West, no one vaccinates them and does not control them at the vet, and most of them are not.
2. Wear full footwear
Flip-flops for a walk to the jungle? No thanks! When choosing to the jungle, forest or rural areas, remember to wear full footwear, because it will best protect you against possible bites of animals living in the grass and undergrowth. Always check your shoes before putting them on and thoroughly shake them off. It is hard to imagine how much it can fit in one shoe, for example to my trainer left on the terrace in Thailand, four frogs have been packed! You do not know how difficult it was to remove them from him!
3. Protect the youngest
If you are traveling with children, be aware that through their growth they are an easy target for animals such as dogs or cats, which makes them extremely vulnerable to possible contact with their saliva or bite. Especially that children do not have barriers in themselves and are more likely to cling to animals.
4. Prepare for snorkeling
If you have plans to snorkeling, get special rubber footwear that protects you from stepping on poisonous sea animals. Here you do not have to look far – eg in Croatia there are many sea urchins, whose sting is very painful and poisonous. And what’s new in the warm waters of Australia.

Often, what you cannot see is the most dangerous, hence one of the most recommended is the tetanus vaccine, which is found in the soil. It’s easy to get infected with it, because you only need a small abrasion or scratch on your feet (and that’s easy to do), which in combination with the outdoor shoes we use on holidays, exposes us to potential contagion. The best protection is definitely wearing covered shoes.

RULES YOU NEED TO REMEMBER
1. Try not to walk barefoot
After all, even the thinnest flaps are able to protect against infection. Also avoid places with contaminated soil or sand.
2. Watch where you go
Avoid also places with high grass, bushes, venturing into the forest after dark.
3. Do not take a bath in unmarked places
It is also good to avoid swimming or wading in water reservoirs or shallow ponds, because there may also be parasites in them.
WHAT ELSE?
At the end I will add a few important rules that will certainly help you in small and large trips:
1. FLIGHTS AND JET LAG
After reaching the new place, give yourself time to acclimatize and get used to, for example, high temperatures or changes in altitude. Visiting and exploring with a lot of tiredness and shock of the organism resulting from changes in time and climate zones – is a simple step to its weakening, and thus greater susceptibility to disease.
2. SUN PROTECTION
In a hot and tropical climate remember about the proper irrigation of the body and necessarily about sunscreen. Do not underestimate the sun, because the closer to the equator, the stronger it is and tans us faster and harder. And against such a sun we are protected only by very high filters (minimum 30 SPF) and necessarily a headgear! It is not about a nice tan, but about avoiding sun shocks, strokes and skin melanoma.
3. HUMAN FACTOR
A factor that is very important and which is often underestimated. When traveling, it happens to get sick and even go to the hospital. In addition to good and proven insurance, which is an absolute basis, whether it is a short trip to Europe or a trip to the tropics – you also need to have eyes around the head in the context of medical facilities. In poorly developed countries, the level of sterility and professionalism of personnel may deviate from Western standards, which makes a tourist risk of contracting Hepatitis B or HIV / AIDS while taking IV drip or intravenous medications. So if you have a choice (I’m not talking about extreme cases of life and death, when any help is already all), think about it five times if the place you came to meets the standards of cleanliness.
This also applies to casual sexual encounters – always use condoms and be aware that in developing countries the risk of contracting STDs and HIV / AIDS is much higher than in Europe.
The same applies to the performance of cosmetic treatments or tattooing – if you have to, choose a reputable place, because it will reduce the likelihood of contracting, among others WZW B and C.
4. PLAN WITH YOUR HEAD!
I know that when the journey of a journey comes, everything else goes to the background, but be careful in all of this. The world will not escape us, and health may, so choose carefully the places you want to visit. Check the pages of embassies that provide current information on eg natural cadastre, as well as the WHO website, which updates information on the epidemic or the increased risk of infection, eg dengue in a given region. If you do not have to, do not push yourself into dangerous places or wait for the threat to pass. None of us is untouchable, but most dangerous situations can be avoided. On the one hand, adventure is an adventure, but on the other – at the end of the day what is really important is health and safety. Without this, each trip loses its flavor.

How to Enjoy Frequent Business Travel

Frequent travel might sound like a big turn off to most of us but business travelers who are always on the go do not feel the same and in fact feel quite good about the same in the long run. Many of these business travelers who are always quite busy have started out feeling quite miserable about the entire travel and have slowly started to like the same. Frequent traveling definitely involves a different kind of mindset and attitude and this behavior definitely removes the sting out of the travel. The following tips will aid each of us who are always on the road for business travel.

1) As soon as you get to your hotel room, the first thing you should do is to unpack. Your objective must be not to touch your suitcase until the time comes to go back home. Make yourself comfortable in the hotel room by hanging your clothes in the closet, putting your items in the drawer and making sure that all your toiletries are all out and are reachable for your use. Make sure that you make your room cozy as per your convenience by keeping your book on the night table, putting shampoo and soap in the shower and also putting the bathmat down. All these things will help you make you feel more at home.

2) Always make sure that you have a separate bag of toiletries for your travel and you can keep duplicates of all the necessary items except medications. Never exchange items out of your road toiletry bag as you might later regret it.

3) You certainly do not need two laptops but you cannot keep personal stuff in your company laptop and for this purpose, you need to set up a free remote access service on your home PC and in this way you can remotely login to it whenever possible. Or you can invest in a thumb drive to store your personal files which you can use whenever you require.

4) You do not need hanging bag every time you travel. What you can do is leave the stuff on hangers and in this way you do not have to waste extra time to mess with those crazy hotel hangers.

5) Always ensure that you get a hotel room with a coffee pot and a mini-fridge or microwave which will give you access to your morning coffee or tea or evening snacks and beverages without even walking into a common area in your pajamas.

6) Make sure that you hang the Do-Not-Disturb sign every evening which will give you your extra space and privacy for your evenings.

7) Also, make sure that you have an ‘everything’ bag and in this bag you can throw in extra items which you might require on your trip.

Business Travelers’ Pet Peeves

According to a survey published in USA Today, what irks business travelers’ the most when they are on the road are:

Flight delays 51%
Being away from loved ones 33%
Not getting a restful sleep 30%
Airport security 27%
The USA Today survey was taken before the Christmas Day 2009 ‘underwear bomber’ incident, so airport security may rate a lot higher now, but the overall pet peeves will probably remain the same.

What are some ways to help alleviate these pet peeves so you can enjoy your journey more?

Flight delays

Book flights for early in the day as much as possible. Planes are usually at their starting airport for the day and the crew has had sufficient hours between trips. As the day progresses, any earlier flight delay can cascade down to the next flight, which may be yours. In the summer, afternoon showers in the south can delay flights and affect the entire system.

Before booking a flight, use FlightStats.com to see the on-time percentages. Follow Vegas odds in this case…the higher the on-time percentage, the better a chance your specific flight will arrive on schedule.

Being Away from Loved Ones

Before leaving home, involve your kids in your upcoming trip so that you can share in the experience of your travels together. This will help relieve some of the guilt about being away from home, but also make it a fun learning experience for your kids as well.

Tips for involving your kids in your travels:

* Bring along one of their favorite stuffed animals (something small!) or their Flat Stanley and take a photo of their toy in the city you’re visiting.

* Cook foods together that reflect the culture of where you’re traveling to, and research online for interesting facts about the city’s customs that are fun to share with your kids.

* Have each child do daily writings in a journal and you do the same. Share your writings upon your return home.

When it comes to your spouse, touch base daily. If you say you’re going to call home at a certain time, do it. Even if something comes up, at least call at the designated time, explain what’s come up, and set a later time to talk. When the dependable part is an issue, then wondering, doubt and assumptions start. Talk about their day and the events at home rather than sensationalizing your trip. Use video cameras (Skype video is great!) to feel more connected to your loved ones.

Email or phone your friends to keep these relationships strong. Create a plan to reach out to at least one friend a day to say Hi and see what’s new with them.

Not getting a restful sleep

Pilots, flight attendants and travelers definitely have challenges getting consistent good sleep. Hotel noises, waking up and not knowing where you’re at, and varying pillows and mattresses do nothing to help induce a solid night of zzzzz’s.

I love the scent of a spritz of lavender spray for its sleep-inducing qualities. To block out hotel noises, I sleep with a pillow speaker attached to my iPod. Soft playing relaxing music helps me nod off without hearing doors close, elevators moving and people talking.

Quieting the mind an hour or so before bedtime also helps getting down to the business of falling asleep. For those of us (too often, me) who are online or working until the last minutes before bedtime, we need to give our minds time to relax instead of jumping into bed with worries about the undone to-do list looping through our brain. Tip: ask the hotel for a shut-down call about an hour before your desired sleep time.

Airport Security

I left the least fun pet peeve until last. Airport security is a necessary evil, so find the most enjoyable way to get through it as fast as you can!

Wear security-friendly clothes on travel day. For women: slip-on shoes, a sweater-set, no big metal jewelry or buttons, and no belts or collars that need to be all situated again on the other end of security. If you wear a jacket, you will most likely be asked to remove it, but sweater-sets don’t usually get tagged as undress items. Men: wear slip-on shoes as well. If you’re wearing a jacket, move all the items (wallet, coins, keys) from your slacks pockets in your coat before you get in line, and place your jacket in a TSA-bin. Be ready by having your belt and shoes off as well.

Look for the savviest travelers to get in line with. Avoid families with strollers at all costs, teens (they usually have drink bottles that they forget to take out of their bags), and tourists with lots of souvenir bags. Look for people with the above security-friendly clothes so that they go through security just as fast as you. A full line of people wearing big boots, sneakers and jackets and you’ll be in line way too long!

Happy traveling… and say good-bye to your travel pet peeves!

Smartwomentravelers.com [http://www.smartwomentravelers.com] is a community dedicated to women who travel frequently, whether in their career or for enjoyment–women who have unique challenges in balancing dual lives at home and on the road. This community is infused with quality content from experts on travel, relationships, parenting as a traveling mom, health and fitness on the road, travel tips and more.

Features include a message board, social networking tools, a blog at [http://www.PearlsofTravelWisdom.com] allowing traveling women around the world to connect, share ideas, and seek support to ease the challenges of travel. Members receive an informative and enlightening ezine, forum and seminar invites where top speakers offer their pearls of wisdom.

The founder is Carol Margolis, a well-traveled consultant, businesswoman and speaker who has collected countless pearls of travel wisdom over many years. Carol raised two children while being on the road the majority of their childhood, many of those years as a single parent. She jumped in a plane or car each week with two bags, a load of guilt and very little in the way of a support system. She is sharing her pearls of wisdom learned over many millions of miles to create such a

Why You Should Travel – Growing As a Person

One of the best reasons to travel is because it is quite possibly the best way to grow as a person.

Growing in maturity

Sure travelling often involves countless drinking games, crazy parties and ridiculous times… but somewhere between those it also helps you really mature as a person.

Travelling can be a really humbling experience. There’s no quicker way to learn how easy we have it and how blessed we are in North America compared to some other countries as to travel and see them for yourself. Watching small Chinese women work filthy 12 hour hard labour construction days in the burning sun really made me feel foolish for the jobs I had complained about in the past. Seeing the tiny, dirty, houses that some children are forced to grow up in will make anyone appreciate what they had as kids. Even seeing how much homework Chinese children get can make you wish you complained a little less back in school! :D

Travelling definitely humbles you and makes you grateful for the things you take for granted back home. When you see some of the unhappy ways people live on a daily basis it makes all the small problems that used to concern you seem irrelevant and silly, they just don’t matter as much. Travelling also helps you mature in your ability to deal with difficult people. If you thought dealing with your boss back home was difficult, imagine if he was Chinese and didn’t speak your language! It can be frustrating to deal with people who have different ways of thinking and hard to come to terms with them, but as you travel your forced to try your best and you can’t help but gain increased patience and people skills through the process.

Travelling helps us understanding more of the world we live in… and this wider worldview and understanding helps to grow and mature.

Constant growth

Travelling gives you more opportunities for constant growth than you could ever find working a 9-5 back home. Whether you take the path of working for a while, saving money then travelling, or getting a fulltime job like English teaching which has very low hours, chances are you’ll have much more time to experience the country and learn from it.

You’ll be able to fill your time with countless opportunities to go on adventures and experience the new culture you’re in. These experiences will get out of your comfort zone constantly and although you might have some fears and difficulties as you try to make it in a foreign land, these difficulties will cause you to adapt and grow quickly.

Travel will force you to take on new challenges. Anything as simple to making it home from the long walk you took without any English street signs, to learning to cook new food, to socializing with people from different countries, to learning a new language. These new challenges will help you build new skills and free yourself from your former limitations. If you become good at doing something in a foreign country you’ll be even better at doing it back home in the familiar.

Personal insights

When you’re challenged through travel you’ll no doubt learn a lot about yourself. Getting away from your familiar routine you’ll have to deal with new things, and in seeing how you deal with things you’ll learn, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and how you can improve.

Travelling also helps you find out what’s important to you. When you remove all that you know you quickly realize what you miss the most and what really matters to you. And with this blank slate of a new land you’ll be able to find what you need again to be happy in life. For me it was sitting on a beach under the stars with people I loved and some live guitar in the background that I discovered all I ever needed to be happy.

Besides learning what’s important to you, you may also discover what you’re passionate about. Most people have no idea what they want to do with their lives… at least when they are forced to choose a career path in university… but travelling shows you what’s possible to do with your life and you’ll be exposed to so many things it’s much easier to discover your life’s passion or what you want your purpose to be.

Bonus benefits

As a nice bonus benefit to travelling, it also makes you a more interesting person! You’ll have experiences to share and stories to tell. You’ll definitely have a lot to talk about and you’ll be able to provide value or at least entertainment to others through what you’ve done.

You’ll also gain interesting insights and ideas from all the people from around the world you’ve met along the way. You’ll know new foods, new games, new music, new jokes, and new ways of doing things. You’ll have the gift of many unforgettable memories that will be valuable to you for years to come. Not to mention the lifelong friendships you’ll have created along the way. Lastly as you get older you’ll be able to look back on your life and say ‘I did that’ with a feeling of accomplishment in time well spent.

The 5th reason

As a final note to end this why travel series I want to bring up a 5th reason to travel… It’s a whole lot of fun!

I’ve had more fun in the last year and a half of travelling than I could have ever imagined before leaving for the first time. I’ve gone bungee jumping, cave exploring, zip lining, elephant riding, I’ve slept under the stars in a hammock, went cliff jumping, entered into 2 muay Thai kickboxing fights, went snorkeling, scuba diving, petted tigers, went to museums, went rock climbing, explored Chinese temples, climbed mountains, gone skinny dipping, hiked up to the world’s largest flower, visited 4 different theme parks, went to concerts, went to a full moon party, played countless drinking games, went to countless parties, sang songs at countless ktv’s, and did a bunch of fun things I don’t want to admit!

There’s a lot I’m missing but the point is travelling is an absolute blast, and

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