A very good friend of mine has just been on an epic trip around the West Coast of America, living the dream and ticking things off her bucket list. These are her thoughts…
1. Don’t ever outgrow hostel dorms. Sure, you’ll get woken up at least 5 times on the first night coz someone dropped their water bottle from the top bunk or set their alarm for 6am, but you’ll be over it by night two. No matter how old / well off you are, you should make sure you check in a hostel every now and then. Meeting new people and sharing travel adventures trumps your comfortable hotel bed any time.
2. All 8 of us in my all girls dorm are traveling solo. Most of them for months. Girl power!
3. That feeling when you open your wallet and are fully convinced that you lost money / got robbed… It was you, you spent it all.
4. Never underestimate the importance of packing extra underwear. Or else you’ll be posting your travel thoughts from a laundromat at midnight…
5. There might be times in your life when you may worry that you’re a bit special. But then you’ll go to Venice beach and you’ll realize that in the great spectrum of craziness, you’re actually reaaaally normal.
6. Pacific Coast Highway is the perfect metaphor for life: it’s all about the journey, not the destination. And that journey needs to be made in a convertible. Feeling the wind as you drive without destination may be one of the best feelings ever.
7. If you’ve mastered the art of shaving around your knees in a shower cubicle you’re ready for anything life throws at you.
8. Everything makes more sense in California. Trap Queen lyrics, Kate Hudson’s cleansing diets, Adam Levine’s voice… Coz in California anything goes. And that’s what it should be like everywhere else.
9. Walking by a street where there’s an Abercrombie is like driving on a road where a skunk has been run over. You can smell it from miles away and are secretly excited about finding out where it is.
10. Send a postcard / letter to your future self every time you achieve another one of your traveling milestones. And open it when you get to the next one. I can guarantee you’ll have the biggest smile on your face when you read it.
11. Save your desire to get a new tattoo for these big moments. That way you’ll look at yourself before falling asleep and will be reminded of all your adventures. This is what life is all about!
Written by Vera Pina
Roo Around The World 