5 Things I Remind Myself Traveling

During my time here, I have been fortunate enough to have been to 14 incredible cities and seven countries. From my experiences traveling, here are five things I learned and try to remind myself for future travels. 

1. Take lots of pictures. In my mind. I think it’s the best souvenir anyone can have.
    
   They’re cheap, don’t take up any room in your suitcase, and they’re something you can 
    
   keep forever. You might only be able to be in this place one time in your life and is there 
    
   a better way to document it than take a picture?
    
2. Stay positive. Bad things will happen and sometimes things will not go as completely as 
    
   you planned. However, try to stay optimistic! Remind yourself that not everyone has the 
    
   opportunity to be traveling or be in the wonderful place you are in now. Good vibes will 
    
   bring good things and I truly believe every word of that. Don’t let one misfortunate thing 
    
   ruin your day and sometimes, when bad things happen, you realize that it led to better 
    
   things. Although my travel experience to Istanbul were probably some of the worst I’ve 
    
   ever had, I really wouldn’t change anything because I learned from my mistakes and it 
    
   made me a more experienced person.
    
3. Don’t be afraid to let yourself out of your comfort zone. Safety is always something

    

   that should come first but don’t hold yourself back from everything. If there’s something 

    

   you see that you want to try or are interested in, it’s not a bad idea to try it! I was very 

    

   cautious during my time here abroad but as time passed, I learned that not all things are 

    

   going to end badly. Just because a lifestyle is different from yours doesn’t mean that it’s 

    

   necessarily going to be bad. Embrace the new surrounding and people because it is what 

    

   makes our world such a unique and amazing place.
    
4. Unplug yourself from social media. In our generation, people are controlled by

    

   technology and obsessively have the urge to check social media. Back in the States, I 

    

   never see anyone just sitting on a bus or making eye contact in an elevator. When any 

    

   awkward moment approaches, people resort to their phone. When traveling, I really try to 

    

   put away my phone and just really get to watch people. People watching is one of my 

    

   favorite things and not only do you learn things about other people, but you learn things 

    

   about yourself as well.
    
5. Start a journal and write down memories. It’s hard for me to tell people what I did

    

   yesterday let alone tell people what I did on my trip. I started a blog and a diary when I 

    

   went abroad and it’s pretty cool looking back and seeing what I did. I highlighted some 

    

   of the best and bad moments I had and when I go back home, I can’t wait to share them 

    

   with my friends and family. I think these are precious memories that people only have a 

    

   few times in their lives and I want to remember what I first felt about a city or the people 

    

   I met or some of the conversations I had with the people.