Realizations, Lessons, and Ramblings from One Month of Travel

Don’t worry, I’m not going to drop any heavy stuff on you guys here. I do realize in the grand scheme of things that one month of travel is nothing. But it’s my FIRST month! And I’m glad to have survived it, learned some things, and enjoyed every (well, almost every) minute. So in this post I’d like relay some of the random knowledge I’ve acquired while traveling solo through South America for one month. Here we go…


Sometimes selfies are necessary

First, yes okay, everyone on the Internet was right. Blogging from the road is hard. We won’t even go into how luxurious and rare a speedy wi-fi connection is. Most of the time, even if the hostel where I’m staying has a good Internet connection, once everybody jumps on it after their daily travel activities (i.e. around dinnertime), it really slows the hell down.

Combine that with being tired from all those aforementioned activities, and that’s a good recipe for me not blogging. Plus, sometimes I just want to have a beer, chat with folks, or get in bed and watch Netflix and/or sleep. I’m sure you can forgive me. And I can’t believe I actually envisioned myself typing on long bus trips. Are you kidding, past Rachel? Do you know how mountainous South America is and how windy those bus trips are?! That would be a recipe for vomiting.

I can fall asleep on any public transportation. This is actually a point of pride. I slept the whole flight to Colombia, I love a good overnight bus journey, and during any trip over an hour long, I am passing out. It’s a skill.

Turns out, I AM a pretty laid back person. If you’ll recall, I had been worried about this early on. But I’ve stopped really checking bus schedules, I’ve learned the meaning of the constant South American refrain of tranquilo, and I usually just research new destinations by browsing the Wikitravel page or asking fellow hostel mates beforehand. I’ve been able to pick all of my hostels since Bogota by just asking folks – if they’ve been there, they won’t steer you wrong.

I even had a newfound friend who said, “I like you, because you’re loose.” Being that English was his second language, I carefully corrected his use of that word, noting its negative (um, slutty) connotation, and suggested that maybe that was not exactly what he meant. He then clarified that he meant “go with the flow.” Ah, yeah, that’s much better.

On that note, there is a definitely “Gringo Trail” in South America. I keep seeing the same people over and over again at different hostels – it’s quite fun having friends for more than a few days in the ever-changing environment of long-term travel. And everybody knows all of the hot spots, happening hostels, beautiful places, must-do activities. Hell, I even ate at an incredible roadside empanada place (the lady made them from scratch and fried them right there!) because the Norwegian girl I was biking with had heard about it from some people who had already done that bike route.

I’m a pretty dirty person by nature, I guess. I don’t get super sad if for some reason I can’t take a shower for 48 hours (like when the water repeatedly cut out at the hostel in Salento). I sort of already knew this about myself though. But it might’ve reached a new low the other week when during a coffee farm tour, we were all trying the coffee berries. We each got one and peeled it (so it was slimy on the outside), and then I accidentally dropped mine in the dirt. Not one to miss out on the potentially once in a lifetime taste of a coffee berry, I picked it up and stuck it right in my mouth. Whatever.

Also related, I will actually eat anything. Though I might be a self-professed foodie (I still hate that word) and typically agonize over meal choices and restaurant menus (think Aziz choosing tacos in Master of None), when it comes to being on a budget, perpetually traveling, and just hungry as hell, it turns out I will eat a bus station ham and cheese sandwich if I have to. I’m also big on whatever menú del día is less than $4. And I haven’t had a fancy dinner in weeks! When everybody else around you is on a budget too, it’s hard to find a companion for pricier than average meals. I’ll just have to wait until Charlie gets here…

I enjoy being alone, but not for too long. The worst thing ever is an empty hostel. You have to do all the must-see things in a town alone, eat alone, and then return to a dead common area or a few unfriendly strangers. It’s creepy even. A private room is fine (and really nice) for a day or two, but I need that human interaction. Don’t we all? Luckily I’ve stayed in a lot of really social hostels. And I LOVE when a good family dinner is provided.

I’m not that good at hiking, Physically, I’m just not. I live at SEA LEVEL okay? This altitude is tough for me. And I hate going uphill. It’s hard. I’m slow, so just let me be slow, hang out in the back, and I’ll get there eventually. God I’m so worried about the Inca Trail.

This might look like an insightful picture, but I was really just cursing my terrible hiking abilities thus far

For the most part, South America draws a really good group of travelers. I was a bit worried about 18 year old gap year kids I’d never be able to keep up with, but it seems that South America draws an older crowd of travelers. Well an older crowd of young people, usually ranging from 25 to 30. And I’ve met so many people who have quit their jobs to travel!

My skin looks great from not wearing makeup (if I do say so myself). I rarely wear any because of all the outdoor activities I’ve been doing, and combined with the heat of some of these places, it’s just not worth it.

Fifty dollars a day is totally doable! Hooray! I came in under budget for my month in Colombia, even with expensive things like Scuba certification and paragliding. And I’m not starving, slumming it, or cooking my own meals. I get my nails done, have lots of coffee breaks, and generally do whatever I want to. I even got a massage yesterday. Truthfully, I haven’t let my budget hinder my fun at all. Travel is really not expensive. You can do a lot with $1,500 a month.

Side note, I’m going to fuck that budget up this month when I go to the Galapagos. But hey, I didn’t save up money for a year and a half to NOT do everything I want to do in South America!

With that said, it feels good to be able to head out into a city with $10 in your pocket thinking, “Yeah, this’ll be enough.”

You can hand wash clothes if you have to. It sucks but you can. It’s not the washing part that actually sucks, it’s more the finding the time and place to let your clothes dry, because God knows you don’t want to pack them while they’re wet. I’ve only had laundry done twice since I’ve been gone. (To be fair, I avoid doing laundry for excessive periods of time at home.) You’ve just got to be sure to pack enough underwear. Though you could just hand wash a few pairs and be good for a while…

I really like croissants. Like too much. At first, I thought there was way too much bread in the diet down here, but now if I can’t find a delicious breakfast pastry, I get sad.

Things I miss about the US: Never paying for water at a restaurant, never paying for a restroom, and always being able to flush toilet paper down the toilet. Very minor things, guys.

People you meet on the road are SO interesting. It gives you such a perspective on other peoples’ lives and nationalities. From all the Israelis who have to serve in the military at the age of 18 (even the girls), to the Brazilians who travel in Colombia because it’s cheaper than traveling through the beaches in their home country. I met some Germans studying abroad for their masters in engineering in Arizona and a girl from Australia who had studied abroad at UNC (we had a mutual friend)! One British couple I met – a doctor and a pharmacist – are traveling around the world for a year and they’ve already spent three months volunteering in Belize. I even met a guy from New Zealand who’d lived in Raleigh for four years while growing up! Crazy.

There are so many Germans here. Not a bad thing. Just an observation.

Speaking of, I’ve learned that going to college (I almost typed “university” since that’s what you have to say to get anybody to understand you around here) is not the end all be all. So many people that I’ve met who didn’t go to college have done SO MUCH MORE with their lives than me. They speak multiple languages, have traveled everywhere, and done tons of different jobs that I am so impressed with. And apparently they have no problem getting more good jobs because they have so much life experience. Makes you feel kind of shitty for caring so much about whether someone has that worthless bachelor’s degree. But you know, I was really good at flip cup and beer pong at the hostel’s drinking game night, so there’s that. I may have even yelled, “That’s what I learned in college!” once or twice.

I totally packed the right amount. People are so impressed when they see my carry-on sized backpack. And I’ve worn everything except the small black skirt. Should’ve packed more socks though…

It’s easier to stay healthy on the road than I thought it would be. Turns out I was mixing up travel with vacation. Which means I’m not eating until I explode at every (well researched) meal and I’m not having multiple alcoholic beverages at lunchtime while I sit in a beach chair either. (Okay, well sometimes). I’m so much more physically active than I was while spending nine hours behind a computer screen, and I feel like my body is thanking me for it. I feel relatively thin and I sleep so well at night. Even with four other people in the room. (It’s also completely possible that I’m confusing “healthy” for “skinny.”)

Aforementioned Germans

I LOVE hostel cats! They’re usually super friendly because they get petted and snuggled so much by strangers. And you know what they say! If there’s a hostel cat, there’s probably no hostel rats…

Most people are friendly and they want to help you out. I can’t count the number of people in Colombia that gave me directions or saw this confused gringa on the sidewalk and asked if they could help me with anything. You also can’t pass a Colombian on the street without hearing a greeting of “Buenas” or “Hola.” (Side note: Colombians are the best and most friendly people, that country is amazing, and I am simultaneously depressed about leaving and plotting a way to get back there.) But even after I crossed the border to Ecuador, I had a lady sit beside me on the bus and make sure I got off on the right stop in Otavalo – there were four stops in that one town, so chances are I would’ve screwed it up if left to my own devices.

Cab drivers also frequently give me a briefing about their city, things to be aware of, and sometimes my entertainment and food options. It makes me wonder if I would be that nice to foreign strangers if I saw them wandering around my neighborhood in North Carolina. I’d like to think that I would, but I’m not so sure.

This is going to be really hard to quit. Long-term travel I mean. When it’s this (relatively) cheap and easy to make your daily life so exciting and fulfilling, I don’t know how it’ll feel when I stop. One of my friends sent me a message saying, “I love reading your newsletter on Monday mornings because it makes me think, ‘All right, Rachel’s traveling the world. I think I can handle going to work today!” But the thing is, traveling is way easier than getting up and going to work every morning. And I’m so happy and grateful to have this opportunity. I’d recommend it to anybody.

So that’s it! Nothing groundbreaking, just a little insight into my brain while traveling. Here’s to many more months of these types of insightful lessons!

So what have I missed?! Any important lessons I should’ve learned by now?