As human beings, we’re very passionate about forming opinions from the cosiness of our couches, and making big arguments about places we’ve never been, supported only by the warm light of our laptops or TVs. Yet once we leave our safe places and start travelling the world, the learning we can do is astonishing.

I’ve been fortunate to travel to 70 countries so far and the memories I have are my fuel in this life. I’d like to think I’ve learned something along the way, and I’d love to share 10 things this journey taught me, which in fact are question from you from social media.

Before I forget, I’ve also made a video about this in case you want to check:

#1 Travel is never a matter of money, but of courage. -Paulo Coelho.

For some reason, we’ve built up this strange thing in our heads that a trip is going to destroy our bank account, but that’s not the case.

For me, even when I was a student and had a very tiny budget to cover my essentials, travel was an important part of it, as opposed to something I could potentially do if I had some extra cash.

When I started to travel, I was doing CouchSurfing in every single trip, so I was literally sending requests to strangers to stay at their places for couple of nights and this was 100% free.

It was a win-win because the local wanted to learn from the traveler (language, culture, food and so on) and me as a traveler I wanted to enrich my travel experience with a local in addition of a free night of course.

#2 Good food is very often, even most often, simple food. -Anthony Bourdain

On Saturday night we may only go out for Spanish or Italian cuisine, but that doesn’t mean that Lithuanian or Slovenian food won’t change our lives. In fact in these 2 countries I tried some sensational food and desserts.

In Lithuania, I tried cepelinai, this is the national dish. They are dumplings they make from grated and riced potatoes and they stuff it with ground meat or dry curd cheese or mushrooms.

In Slovenia, I tried the best ice cream ever.

Trying out different food in different countries while travelling isn’t just about taste. It’s an adventure into what makes that country unique.

#3 We cannot understand our own country unless we leave it. -Unknown

I didn’t know what it meant to be Argentinian until I left Argentina. Abroad, I learned how the rest of the world perceived my home country. I balanced that with my own feelings to understand who I was, and where I came from.

There are so many different views on education, healthcare, transportation, safety, finance, relationships, career for instance. This is helpful to get a sense of where our home country fits.

On a personal level, I remember cheering on Argentina in the World Cup 2010 back in my small student place in Troyes, France. I watched football in a place I didn’t want to be. In that moment, I truly understood I was Argentinian. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about football.

#4 A different language is a different vision of life. – Federico Fellini

The connection between language and how we understand the world is something that has always fascinated me. Language is not just the way we communicate but also how we think and what our culture, history and values are. I have a full video explaining how learning languages improved my life. The experience of learning and mastering a new language is mind blowing.

This shift in perspective has allowed me to travel without fear but also to make friends around the world, understand how they live, what they like, how they really feel and experience the kindness of humanity in multiple places.

#5 To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries. -Aldous Huxley

It feels like the world history focuses primarily on the great powers, and we don’t necessarily get a deep understanding of enough countries around the world. From a travel perspective, this offers an incredible opportunity.

Besides any opinion, it’s important to get to travel there and understand what it was and is like, directly from the people. I remember catching a flight to Tirana some years ago for this very reason. I left Albania with a deep understanding of the struggle of the people in recent history, but also with an appreciation for their resilience.

#6 You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. -Martin Luther King, Jr

It’s good to prepare for a trip. However, there’s no need to buy the entire shelf of books when going abroad.

Once I remember I ended up visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the largest religious structure in the world. I had a basic idea of the temples and monks, but actually seeing Buddhist monks in action in the temple with my own eyes and watching their rituals was mesmerising for me.

#7 You don’t take a photograph, you make it. -Ansel Adams

We live in a period where we only get credit for what we can show, but when it comes to travel what really matters is what we experience. 

It’s probably sarcastic I’m saying this because I have this YouTube channel where I show stuff but it’s about finding the right balance.

The truth is, if we don’t take a break from our camera or phone and connect with the sunset or landscape on a personal level, then that photo or video won’t mean much to us anyway.

#8 I love to travel, but hate to arrive. -Albert Einstein

When we travel, we’re going to meet people that will change everything. They are going to change the way we think about the world, the way we view ourselves, and the way we look at everyone else around us.

This person could be a stranger we meet on the way to another destination. It could be someone we meet at a bus stop, or at a restaurant standing in the queue. It doesn’t matter how it happens now but one day we’ll remember and it will become important.

#9 Not all those who wander are lost. -J.R.R. Tolkien

Waking up in another country or a strange town is one of the most amazing feelings in the world. Sometimes I feel like only when we’re lost we’re starting to understand ourselves and see what we are capable of. I remember being in many countries with no internet and getting lost all the time. Still managed to find the way back. Life is a bit like that because we get lost and somehow we find the way back.

For me travelling is about discovering the unknown and keeping trying to find myself uncomfortable.

#10 Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show. -Unknown

On the road, we learn just how little stuff we actually need. We realise that all the stuff they sell at the shopping centre is pretty useless in leading a truly happy life. Coming home, we find ourselves a minimalist to a certain degree simply because we realise what we need. The more stuff you own, the more your stuff owns you.

Travel isn’t just the experiences we have when we leave our homeland, it’s the experiences we bring back which change us in ways we could have never imagined.