Six Things I’ve Learned from Travel
Travel has been one of my greatest teachers. Not just about geography or food or culture—but about myself. Every missed train, unexpected friendship, wrong turn, and quiet solo dinner shaped me in ways I never expected.
Here are six of the most meaningful lessons I’ve learned from traveling.
1. How to Manage Expectations and Deal with Disappointment
No trip ever goes exactly as planned.
Flights get delayed. Hotels look nothing like their photos. The “hidden gem” restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. Weather ruins the postcard-perfect view you imagined.
At first, disappointment feels heavy. But travel taught me something powerful: expectations are often the real problem—not reality.
When I started leaving space for unpredictability, everything changed. I learned to:
Replace rigid plans with flexible outlines
Focus on experiences instead of perfection
Ask, “What’s possible now?” instead of “Why isn’t this working?”
Ironically, some of my favorite memories came from “ruined” plans. The canceled tour that led to wandering local streets. The missed bus that introduced me to someone fascinating.
Disappointment isn’t the end of the story. It’s often the start of a better one.
2. How to Be Resourceful and Stick to a Budget
Travel quickly teaches you the value of money.
When you’re watching every dollar (or euro, or peso), you become creative:
Cooking simple meals instead of dining out every night
Walking instead of taking taxis
Finding free museums and community events
Choosing experiences over souvenirs
Budget travel isn’t about deprivation—it’s about intention.
I learned to ask:
Is this worth it?
What matters most today?
Where can I adjust without sacrificing joy?
Being resourceful builds confidence. When you can stretch a budget in an unfamiliar place, you start believing you can handle more than you thought.
Repairing our tent on a backpacking trip in Iceland
3. How to Take Public Transportation
Public transportation used to intimidate me. I grew up in a small town with no public transit. My first time riding a metro was the summer after I graduated from high school.
Different languages. Different ticket systems. Different rules. One wrong platform and you’re headed the opposite direction.
But navigating buses, metros, and trains in unfamiliar cities forced me to:
Read maps carefully
Ask strangers for help
Stay calm under pressure
Pay attention to details
There’s something deeply empowering about figuring it out.
The first time I successfully navigated a complicated metro system alone, I felt unstoppable. Public transit isn’t just transportation—it’s a crash course in independence and adaptability.
4. How to Make New Friends
When you travel, you’re constantly outside your comfort zone. And that vulnerability opens doors.
You learn how to:
Start conversations with strangers
Share stories quickly
Find common ground across cultures
Listen more than you speak
Some friendships last an evening. Others last years.
Travel strips away small talk. When you meet someone on the road, you’re often meeting them in a raw, open, curious state. That creates connection faster than you’d expect.
I’ve shared meals with people whose language I barely spoke—and somehow we understood each other perfectly.
Jarda and I met when we were both in New Zealand on a working holiday in 2012. We got to catch up again in 2015 in London.
5. The Courage to Go It Alone
Solo travel is one of the most confronting—and rewarding—experiences I’ve ever had.
There’s no one to lean on.
No one to decide for you.
No one to fill the silence.
At first, it feels uncomfortable. Then it feels freeing.
Traveling alone taught me:
I can eat at a restaurant by myself
I can explore a city without a companion
I can solve problems independently
I enjoy my own company
Being alone in a foreign place forces you to trust yourself. And once you’ve done that, everyday challenges feel smaller.
Courage isn’t loud. Sometimes it’s just boarding the plane.
On a 3 month solo backpacking trip throughout SE Asia I met countless new friends and got offered a job leading gap year programs.
6. How to Manage Risk
Travel involves risk. Missed connections. Lost luggage. Unfamiliar neighborhoods. Health concerns. Uncertainty.
You can’t eliminate risk—but you can manage it.
I’ve learned to:
Research before arriving
Keep digital copies of important documents
Trust my instincts
Stay aware without becoming paranoid
Have backup plans
The goal isn’t fearlessness. It’s informed confidence.
Travel sharpened my judgment. It taught me to distinguish between healthy caution and unnecessary anxiety.
Final Thoughts
Travel didn’t just show me new places—it revealed new parts of myself.
It taught me flexibility when plans fall apart. Creativity when money runs tight. Confidence when I’m lost. Openness when meeting strangers. Bravery when I’m alone. Awareness when facing uncertainty.
And the most surprising lesson of all?
You don’t come back the same person who left.
Every trip leaves something behind—and brings something new home with you.
Should I take a gap year?
Should I take a gap year? — I’ve been getting this question a lot lately. I'm not keen on "selling" students on the gap year because that kind of goes against what I think a good gap year is: allowing space for individuals to seek answers to their own questions; get comfortable with uncertainty; build confidence in knowing they can make their own choices; and learn to make mistakes and recover from them. Those are some huge life lessons that I believe help one to be successful and (more importantly) live a happy life. I am, however, an advocate of the gap year because of the powerful impact it had on my life, and the lives of hundreds of students I’ve worked with.
Deciding whether or not to take a gap year is a tough and somewhat scary decision. Graduating from high school is the first time in our lives when next steps aren't already laid out for us. It's OK to feel uncertain, and it's OK to not know exactly what you want to do with your life right now.
Uncertainty or anxiety about choosing a major or career is one reason to consider a gap year. College is expensive. Is it worth it? Absolutely! (I loved college so much that I went back for a master’s.) However, is it worth wasting a year or two (and all of that tuition $) trying to figure out why you are there, and possibly taking more than 4 years to complete a bachelor’s because you started before you were ready?
College will still be there in a year. A gap year won’t be the answer to all of life’s questions. But, if you make it a meaningful gap year, you will likely gain perspective and may find you feel alright with not knowing all the answers. An intentional gap year that allows you to gain real-world experience, get comfortable with uncertainty, and become more confident about your future could be worthwhile.
Maybe you know what you want to major in and have already pinpointed a career path, but just aren’t sure you’re ready for the independence college requires. Some gappers choose to take a gap year because they are young for their grade or haven’t spent much time away from home. A gap year is a good opportunity to learn important life skills, such as, cooking, budgeting, communication, building community (making friends), and learning resilience.
Some students choose a gap year because they recognize this transition period is one of the few times in our lives where it is relatively easy to hit pause and enjoy a year filled with adventure and learning new things through hands on experiences. Gap years later in life are possible, but often more logistically complicated. A gap year because you can — why not?
No matter your reason for considering a gap year, ask yourself:
What could I do next year to help prepare me for college?
Do I need to learn some basic life skills such as, doing my own laundry, getting myself up in the morning and out the door on time, or communicating effectively?
Could I use a gap year to gain some experience in fields that I’m interested in through an internship or shadowing someone whose profession interests me?
Make a list of things you could do during your gap year that makes you feel excited. Remember, a gap year is both a time to learn new skills and explore your interests and passions.
Some students and parents worry that a gap year will impact college plans. Research by the Gap Year Association shows that 90% of students who take a gap year return to college within one year. Not only that, students who took gap years earned higher GPAs than their non-gap year peers. 75% of gap year alum surveyed reported that their gap year helped them to get a job, and 84% said their gap year helped them to learn skills that allowed them to succeed in their career. Each year more and more colleges embrace the gap year as a positive experience for students. Harvard encourages all admitted students to consider taking a gap year.
Are there reasons NOT to take a gap year? Yes! While many offers of admission can be deferred, not all scholarships can be deferred for a gap year. Talk to your admissions officer to see if any scholarships or financial aid you have been awarded could be deferred for a gap year. Some students plan to use a gap year to reapply to schools that did not admit them previously. This is not a good reason to choose a gap year. There is no guarantee one will be admitted because of a gap year, and one risks losing their deferred spot if the school they committed to attending after the gap year finds out that they are using their gap year to apply to other schools.
If you'd like to chat more about gap year possibilities. I’d love to speak with you. Schedule a free introductory call with me here.