As travelers, we’re a different breed of people.  We’ve seen how people live around the world, we’ve missed connections and slept on airport floors.  We’ve gone hours without eating and battled sleep deprivation in countless  countries around the world.  Travelers have had to experience a lot and we’ve seen a lot, so there are some things in life that travelers just do better.

(PS – this post is merely meant to be fun, not to say anyone else doesn’t do any of these things better!)

1.  Just go with it.

When you’re relying on other people to get you places or airlines to be on time and then aren’t, you learn really quickly as a traveler to just go with it.  Going with the flow is essential to our success as a traveler and you learn very soon that letting go of much of that control is essential to the whole process of travel.

2.  Embrace the insignificant moments.

I can’t tell you how many memories I have from my travels when it wasn’t something very significant, but I remember it as such.  The insignificant moments end up becoming incredible because you’re out there in the world, you’re exploring, you’re living.  All too often we pass over those insignificant moments in our every day lives because we’re too busy with our daily routines.  But travelers learn to embrace those moments that are small and insignificant, but maybe the most important.

3.  Make the most of every day.

Traveling has taught me to really take in the moment, even when at home.  And even though it’s harder, travelers are often more present in their daily lives and make the most of every day we have.  We know that life is meant to be lived and experienced, so it’s essential to make the most of each and every second we have!

4.  Take care of the planet.

When you see how people in India are living with barely a roof over their head or how people in Cambodia have to bathe in the rivers, you realize really quickly that we are very lucky to have what we have in the West.  This also makes us think about how we can better take care of the planet, both environmentally and humanitarian-ly.  We’re all in this together, we need to help each other.

5.  Understand what’s really important.

I’ve seen children begging on the streets of Marrakech and kids and babies wandering the dirty streets of Agra, India.  And as travelers as we see such sights as these, we realize that it’s not about our giant houses and our giant cars and our fancy outfits that make us happy.  As humans we don’t need all that much to be happy, but often we let all those material things define our success and our happiness.  As travelers, we realize that those are nice, but it’s truly ourselves and those around us that make us happy and it’s about understanding what’s really important.