Learning from travel: lessons in life

Travel as a teacher?  When I was 20 I hadn’t been on a plane and last year I took near on 60 flights… Whilst I’m not as well-travelled as many, I’ve definitely been taught a few important things on my travels….

It isn’t necessary to go abroad to explore and relax – some of my best adventures and most enjoyable times have been in the UK.  We may be a small island but there is embarrassingly a lot still to see.  Just take Cornwall – I have visited twice a year for almost 35 years and every time I return there is somewhere new to visit as well as returning to favourite spots.  My Grandpa was fantastic at pointing to places at a map and sending us to visit, we are still working through his list.

To never underestimate the power of language – being able to speak the local language is so important, to get to know people and the culture or as an opening gesture at least.  Spend time with people whose first language isn’t English and you realise its power. Sadly my once-strong French and German are now terrible and it’s fair to say whilst I can understand what I hear I would fail miserably with much more than ‘un vin blanc’ or ‘ein glas weisswine’…

To be confident – if I can get on a plane and take myself off to India alone or live in Mallorca for a month by myself then I can certainly hold my own at work or in small-talk.  However you go about travel it will take you out of your comfort zone at the same time as being a round the clock learning experience.  It makes you interesting and helps you understand about other cultures as well as building a self-confidence about about ‘me, myself and I’ that isn’t learnt at home.

To follow a whim and do something different –the trip last year that was the most defining for me wasn’t 5* but was competing in a 600 mile offshore sailing race.  It was fabulous in every way.  The opportunity arose off the back of a door slamming shut elsewhere and to take part has been such an important part of me being me, so much so that there’s more of this craziness planned this summer.

To carry on with plans even when things go wrong – I ended up in hospital when we were in Northern Ireland which was rotten.  We didn’t let this end our trip but carried on with seeing what we wanted, albeit at a slower pace.  Instead of looking back gloomily on that time we instead were together and made some good memories to look back on rather than festering in a hotel room or getting an earlier flight home.

To visit things that aren’t on the bucket-list – I have British Airways and their lack of reward flight availability to thank for amazing trips to Jamaica, Oman, Abu Dhabi and New England – all places that hadn’t originally sat on the wish list but which we booked on a whim and had the most amazing trips to.  We’ve been back to Maine since and almost booked another trip to Jamaica on a dreary January day!

That business travel has its place – we do very well out of business travel miles and hotel loyalty programmes, but one or other of us often being away can be a bind.  Ships that pass in the night, being apart for important dates…  The positive, aside from the mountainous air mile accumulation, is that we value our weekends and get far more out of when we are both at home together.  We also both value our independence either away on a work trip or when home alone.

To always take a cardigan – even to the desert.  So British I know, but I will rarely leave the house (and definitely not the country) without a trusty cardigan in tow.  A chilly breeze in the Caribbean or a slight chill at night in the desert, one must always be prepared for the unexpected.  Said cardigans do normally return home unworn, but…!  I have learnt however to pack sensibly and not simply pack to the luggage limit.

Planning and not over-planning – gone are the days of needing a guide book. Knowing people all over the world or in the blogosphere solves travel queries.  Pinterest could be said to create issues – full of ideas (good) but full of beautiful photos to inspire too much wanderlust (frustrating).  With all this information available I no longer plan in minute detail – I still have my list of tips that I don’t want to miss, but we go with the flow and follow our noses too.

There’s no need to have a type – I like a luxury break, in fact I love one.  But it isn’t the be all. It doesn’t need to be comfortable or spacious, it doesn’t even need to be for more than a night or two.  What is most important is getting away, relaxing, spending time with Mr P and seeing beautiful and interesting places and cultures.

What have I missed?  What have you learnt from travel? It’s an inspiring way to spend some time!