Travel guide: Lea On The Run – Part 3

A home away from home

The country which is so far away from home is not unfamiliar to you anymore. When you are on your way to the supermarket around the corner, a lot of people greet you on the way. You know your backpack inside out and do not even need five minutes to put up your tent – you are an adventurer and finally arrived.

Sooner or later this will happen to all travelers. You accustomed yourself to the new culture and people, the climate and nature. Travelling has become your daily routine and the chaos from the beginning has disappeared out of your head. And who knows, maybe you can have a conversation in the new language. It is the time to enjoy, without doubts or home sickness. Everyone is valuing different things and I do not want to enjoin something on you, but I hope that I can give you couple of impulsions. The following chapters are my advice for you. Enjoy!

Be brave

You do not like bananas? Maybe they taste different in Costa Rica! Never tried fish before? But it is so tasty! New country, different culture, different food. You should not miss out on the culinary highlights of other countries. Even if you do not like the taste that much, you tried it and did not miss out. For example, I love Yucca or Maniok. Never heard of it before? In South and especially Central America the yucca is a root tuber from the yucca palm, like the potato, which can be served with my dishes. I love yucca – especially with butter and lime juice. When you are back in your home country you can share your journey with your loved ones by preparing some culinary dishes from your trip.

Stay offline

I know it can be tough to leave your phone off and I also know that is nice to share photos of your latest adventure with your family and friends back home, but this is your time. You should try to forget home for a moment and focus on where you are at this moment. Trust me, you will get to know other travelers and locals much faster. It also reduces the chance of becoming homesick and you also have a lot more to tell no one has heard before when you are online the next time.

Write a journal

This is probably not for everyone and especially men are often not a fan. But I really would recommend it! You do not need to follow a certain instruction – just write as you like. A friend of mine writes very detailed once a week, like a story of what she has experienced. I prefer to write a short summary every day, draw something or note down my feelings in bullet points. If you look at your journal after weeks, months or years it is an amazing feeling and takes you right back to your journey. Most of the times we forget more than we expect and having it written down is a nice memory.

Send postcards

You may ask why you should do this? You take extra time to sort your thoughts and write about them, at the same time you feel connected to your family and friends. And everyone loves postcards and maybe they will write to you in the future as well. For me, one of the nicest things to receive is a postcard from another country! There are some apps where you can send a postcard with a photo of you. I find this very handy especially for countries with an unreliable post system… (like India for example).