25 THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED WHILE TRAVELING

It’s January 14, 2019.

We have been traveling for almost 2.5 months. Hey, that’s quite something, isn’t it? 😊

Do you know what the only constant is when you travel? Change.

Only this.

Every day something new, something unpredictable.

More often than not, surprises are nice, but there come times when you only want to hit someone’s head to the wall (many times your own).

Or sit on a plane, go back home and hide under your bed, so that nothing could possibly surprise you again. 😛

But hey, fu*k it, that’s life, right 😁? We learn from our own mistakes and tomorrow we’ll know better. Or perhaps not 😛

So, here are 25 things we have learned while traveling :

1. Recalculate if cheaper option really pays off. Is the ticket you bought at a bus station really much cheaper than the package they offer at the agency? Because you never know, you can find yourself at the wrong bus station, where you find out that you still have to pay a ridiculously expensive taxi to the final destination.
2. Do not fall for the “happy hour” or “special offers”. On a plate, you will probably find quantity resembling a tasting menu at the super expensive restaurant.
3. If something is too good to be true … it’s usually not true. 🙂
4. In the top season, do not be stubborn and book in advance. Otherwise, you will sleep in a hole and it will be completely your fault.
5. Always read real WIFI ratings at Booking.
6. Bring along the right ATM card. Debit MasterCard or Visa, if possible. Otherwise, you will be devastated when Maestro won’t work and you’ll get charged as much as 15€ for one withdrawal at the ATM with a credit card.
7. Latin America IS NOT South-East Asia. Especially when it comes to prices. (jeez, this one still hurts 🙂 )
8. There are some things in Lonely Planet that are not so true. I read once more that Guatemala is incredibly cheap, and someone will get hurt. 😊
9. If you book a “habitacion privada” (private accommodation) on Booking or elsewhere, write and ask a lodging if maybe someone else lives there. So on your birthday you will not wake up in the bed of a son who is often not at home, while his mom is cheerfully singing in the kitchen. 
10. If everyone warns you about something, it may even be true. You do not have to go and find about it by yourself. Believe me, you will come to the same conclusion. That road is really not there. And yes, you should really not throw the paper into the toilet.
11. Another one about accommodation – write lodging what kind of room do you want. Otherwise you will sleep in the smallest one. In the basement. 
12. When you book a car, check (n + 1) x if all costs are really included. That way you will not leave half of your salary there in the end.
    

    When something goes wrong.

    

    And again.

    

    And once more.
13. Starbuck is great, but homemade Turkish coffee still rocks (I love our Slovenian brand Barcaffe).
14. The feeling of taking a shower in a modern bathroom after two months of cheap hostels with shared bathrooms is almost as good as winning the lottery. 
15. If you see a huge wave, go underwater. It’s worth listening to a surfing instructor, really.
16. Mosquitoes in Latin America do not give a f*** for “anti-mosquito” candles.
17. When you argue, argue till the end. That way you won’t envy the fellow traveler who was slightly more stubborn than you were and he got what he wanted while you didn’t.
18. It’s easier to wander around in Europe. Not that we didn’t not know it before. But you’re still a bit sad and annoyed when you want to go on a short hike to a nearby hill, as it seems to be a wonderful view from there. But you can’t go because either it’s not safe or you have to pay for a guide.
19.  If you are sending home mail via DHL, ask them to write “free shipping” on a box. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay additional costs if you’ll want to get the package from the border of your country to the house (when a package will go through customs).
20. You can only see a certain number of ruins, before you are officially ruined-out.
21. Instagram tourism is real. I’m talking about people standing in line for taking a photo at famous spot and all that. Ehh…
22. Cuban stray dogs are the kindest in the world. Really! 😊
23. 6 hours of travel never means 6 hours of travel. It’s probably 8. Or 12.
24. Anything can be awesome if marketed that way. So going on a lake with a SUP is sold as a unique experience in this world, and every 2-meter waterfall is a worldwide attraction. Incredible advertisement, that’s to say. 🙂
25. There’s no such thing as too much guacamole. Ever. 

Guacamole every day. Twice a day.

Have you learned something useful? 😛 Or perhaps it’s better you did not so you’ll go and try it by yourself first. 😉