Hello there, fellow adventurers,
​
Travel teaches things you just can’t learn at home (like how to mime “toilet” to a stranger in a foreign language).

This comes as no surprise, yet it's hard to quantify. I've narrowed it down to 3 skills/virtues that travel excels in teaching you.

1. Adaptability

Travel loves to mess things up, no matter how much you plan. Missed buses, last-minute changes, mystery meals that may or may not be staring back at you - I've learned to just go with the flow and call it “part of the adventure.”

Flights get delayed, trains vanish off the schedule, or you find out your “hotel” is actually a tent behind someone’s house.

The only way through it? Embrace the chaos. I’ve learned to look at every mishap as a funny story I’ll tell later (okay, maybe not funny in the moment).

Turns out, being adaptable means laughing it off, figuring it out, and somehow ending up with a good story.

2. Humility

Nothing humbles you quite like travel - not just the small stuff, like botching every phrase in the local language, but also the serious things you witness.

I’ve been places where people live with so little - where clean water and steady electricity are luxuries, and yet somehow, people make it work. It’s a perspective check that really sticks. Realizing how lucky and entitled I am, even on a “bad” travel day, is something I carry with me everywhere.

3. Patience

Oh, travel has turned me into a full-time waiting champion.

The never-ending line at airport security, behind someone who’s practically unpacking their life belongings one sock at a time.

Or how about buses that “will be here in five minutes” for the next two hours?

I’ve spent enough time waiting for public transportation to arrive that I could probably write a novel about bus stop etiquette. Writing this, I get a flashback from when locals in Brunei fought to get on the bus. I felt so guilty taking working people's spot on the bus that I got off and walked.

Moreover, some countries have a totally different (and very fluid) perception of time: For example, Fijians don't even have clocks as, I quote, "everything runs on Fiji time". And Indonesians' favorite saying is "Sabar, sabar", which means "Patience, patience".

Travel teaches you that waiting isn’t a punishment; it’s just part of the ride. Over time, I’ve learned to just smile, go with the flow, and remind myself that in travel, everything eventually works out... even if it’s on “island time.”

Until next week,

Simon

My top travel resources:

• I book hotels through Booking.com and Agoda...
• ...and amazing hostels via Hostelworld.
• I seldom go on tours, but when I do, it's through Get Your Guide.
• Transport in Asia is easy with 12Go.
• eSIMs are usually more expensive than local SIMs but quite convenient. Use Airalo for a reliable and affordable eSIM.

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​Backpack Moments​

A blog about long-term backpacking and budget travel