There's vacationers, and then, there's travelers. Do not be confused and assume the two are the same. Being a traveler is like being in an exclusive club with initiations and levels and teams. As a traveler you know the hard work that goes into it, the journey is no vacation. Are you in the club?
1. You know the lingo.
You know what an Aussie is, and you know what a Kiwi is, and you’re smart enough not to say they’re from the same place. You say you're from the states, and you go to Uni(versity). So, are you an American backpacker, like in the woods, or are you a normal backpacker, like you travel place to place with your possessions on your back? Hostels and Couchsurfing are some of the options. Just make sure if you want to sleep you check to see if it's a party hostel first.
Of course, there's just the basics like a biscuit is delicious, a cerveza is refreshing, a jumper is comfy, and a mozzy sucks your blood. Get off the gringo or tourist trail and head to somewhere off the beaten track. Is your ticket an RTW ticket or one ways or how did you plan it? Gap years and gap summers and grown up gap years are common. Maybe they're eat, pray, loving. Naw, they're woofers who like to spend their weekends trekking. I heard he's going to border run. Are you a dormitory or private room gal?
You get it.
2. You've had the conversation... many times.
"Hi, where you from? Are you solo traveling? When did you get here? How long you traveling for? Where have you been? When do you leave? Where are you headed after this? Oh yeah, what’s you’re name again?"
3. Hostels are like home.
Pub crawls? You’ve done many. Staff? The best people to make friends with. You’ve pressed the shower button too many times. You’ve become very comfortable doing your business next to someone else doing there business.
Roomies? You average 4-20 a night. That is if you go to bed when it’s still night. Sleep? You have become a master at sleeping through snoring, puking, yelling, and many other things that shouldn’t be happening and are slightly scarring but you've probably experienced at least one of yourself.
4. You cook on your trip and compulsively label your food.
No, really, that’s it. You cook for yourself. In a kitchen. With other people. And you label your food because no name equals free game.
Speaking of which, you know to look in the free food section before you get started. And then you go to the grocery store. And buy pasta. Because you’re too poor to eat the local cuisine at a restaurant…and besides…you’ve already done that several times because you’re a traveler… You’ve been there awhile.
5. Your souvenirs look a lot like toothpaste.
Some people fill their luggage with knick-knacks. But you? You’re lucky if your backpack has room for the bag of rice you didn’t finish using yet. No, your money and space is saved for everyday goods.
My underwear? Portugal.
My henna hair dye? Yeah, that was India.
Oh, I’m sorry nice cashier lady, did I just hand you a Canadian quarter?
And that tooth paste? It’s from Spain.
6. Your feed looks like National Geographic's Instagram.
One of the best parts about travel is you make friends all over the world, and more specifically, friends who enjoy to travel. Currently, my Insta-feed contains such things as a library in Australia, a snowy trail in Canada, the streets of the Czech Republic, a bar in India, art in England, a hostel in Portugal, a bench in the Netherlands, a selfie in Spain, a beach in Argentina, and these are only some of the things my friends have been doing in less than 48 hours. It's enough to keep me inspired and enough to also make me dread another day of school.
7. You're an expert at goodbyes (or you avoid them altogether.
With all those cool friends you met abroad also comes a lot of goodbyes. The first few were the hardest, but then it happened more and more frequently. At some point, you learn how to be a friend for a night, and you learn how to be a companion for a couple weeks, and you learn that those friendships can still be deep and intimate.
You accept them for what they are and can only hope that as travelers you'll happen to be in the same country, or if you're close enough, meet up someday again. Once in awhile, it may even deserve tears. In the end though, we walk away with a smile and beautiful memories.
Are we bitter and lonely, or have we just learned to live deep and be happy in the moment? I think we're all still trying to figure that answer out.
8. Passports are points pride and competition.
My passport is filled more than the average chum, yet I'm still a toddler in the travel world. Over seven months have been spent traveling in the past two years, and eight countries (nine if you include my own) in that past three years on three different continents (including North America).
I still have not even scratched the surface compared to many other backpackers, but I've finally gotten to the point where I can brag some to the babies. And yes, you brag, we all brag. We collect countries like medals and periods of time like trophies, and we all sit in the common room and talk about our trophies and medals, and if you find someone who shares a medal with you, well, you've just formed a team.
9. You've escaped death... a few times.
My stories include waking up to a family of vicious monkeys in my bedroom, a pack of dogs crawling into my bed in the middle of the desert, almost stepping on a rattle snake on a trail, hitchhiking much too late at night, trusting strangers and going to their home, jumping off things I probably should not have jumped off considering tide, done adventure sports and ridden rides with zero safety standards, and the list goes on and on.
And although these are my experiences, you know these stories could just as well be yours.
10. Who cares about culture shock? Reverse culture shock on the other hand...
It never gets easier to come home. You will always fumble for words and be frustrated when you tell a story, but no one understands it. You will always be surprised by the amount of times people ask you how your trip was, and you can't form a true enough response. It will always hurt when you feel so different and changed, and yet everyone else is the same, and they see you as the same.
You can't help being annoyed by the people who stare endlessly at their iPhones and talk about Justin Bieber. You'll always be ready for an adventure, and it boggles you that other people don't want to go on an adventure as much as you. You miss making new friends and living the magical life of travel.
11. You know you know nothing.
Different cultures, different customs, different people, different perspectives. There's always something new and different. Just when you think you begin to understand the world or people a little better, you learn something you didn't think about before.
Travel is a tough teacher of humility. Mistakes are abundant, and patience is key. When you travel, you must be open to new ways of understanding and thinking. So although you feel like you may be more aware and cultured than people back home, what you really know that they don't know is that there's no such thing as the best way, there's no right answers, and there's also something new to learn and you can't speak for anyone else.
You know you know nothing except the experiences you can try to learn from.
12. You give up a lot to keep going. It's an addiction.
Every real traveler knows that they can't stop; you leave once, and you're hooked. Your feet are oh, so itchy. You don't live like a king or queen when you're home. You save money compulsively and become frustrated when you blow money that feels like a waste, and even if it's not a waste and you needed to spend it, you still can't help but think of what experiences you're giving up for that.
You hit the refresh button on your favorite travel site just to torture yourself knowing you haven't got the money since you only got home from your last trip a month ago. You give up a certain level of comfort with people at home; there's no possible way for them to fully understand you unless they're also a traveler. You give up birthdays and months with your best friends and some holidays with mom and dad. You give up perfectly up-to-date wardrobes and all the newest gadgets. When you get home you've missed the trends, the viral videos, the gossip, and the news.
And yet, it's worth it.
You are already planning your next trip.
It makes you laugh and smile and brings you to your knees. Being a traveler is no vacation, but it sure is a beautiful life that I'd chose over and over again. So, are you in the club? Don't worry if you're not, we're a very welcoming group, just a little crazy.
