Do You Have These Travel Habits? (Hint: You Should)

There is a lot to be said about habits. We all have them, and often they become so established in our lives that they are automatic, and we don’t even think about them anymore. There are good ones and bad ones, but it’s the latter that seems to catch more of our attention.

The social media obsession has us constantly comparing ourselves to our peers, making us hyperaware of our missed gym sessions, procrastination at work, and late night ice cream escapades.

In our mind’s it is easy to let our bad habits outshine our good ones, and I’m not saying you should ignore or submit to the vices you aren’t proud of, but as you work to diminish them, you can continue to implement new good habits into your life.

What are the best kind of good habits? The easily developed ones.

Over the time I’ve spent in Australia, Southeast Asia and Europe, I have noticed some of my personal rituals have repeatedly proven to be useful while I’m out exploring. Here are a few of them…

Ask a Bus Driver

I learned this in Australia and it has stayed true to me ever since. Two friends and I had arrived on the Gold Coast to study abroad, and signed up for a trip to Byron Bay with our fellow incoming exchange students. As it turned out, the morning that our charter bus was meant to leave, we underestimated the time it would take get to campus and missed our ride.

Feeling deflated, we walked back to the bus stop to catch a lift back to Surfers Paradise. On the way back, we picked our bus driver’s brain about our options for getting down to Byron, and he told us everything we needed to know in the most friendly way.

Several years later I exited the metro station onto the streets of Barcelona for the first time. Arriving from Southwestern France I'd had a hell of a day, the street was incredibly busy and I was completely lost.

I thought, *Screw it I'll just get a taxi to my hostel.*But as it turned out, the taxis were on strike.

Feeling slightly overwhelmed, I contemplated this for about 15 minutes, and I asked a bus driver to point me in the direction of my hostel.

It worked like a charm.

The point is, when you’re lost or in need of advice about anything local, find your nearest bus driver and your “problems” will usually be solved.

Hand Drawn Map

Last September I had finished up a surf session at Balangan on the Bukit Peninsula, and met an Australian expat who happened to live in Canggu. Since I planned on going there, and knew nothing about it, I asked him a few questions about the place and he suggested he would draw me a map.

The following month, there I was in Canggu, standing by the rooftop pool at Pondok Nyoman Resort, picking out each reef along the beach with that very same map.

When in doubt, have someone in the know draw you a map. There isn’t always a printed one sitting around, but a roughly sketched map is often just as useful, and at times even better.

Contact List

The benefits of my travel contact list, especially as I continue to travel, keep getting better. For example, I used it to connect with a graphic designer friend that I met in the Mentawais, and he designed the logo for this blog.

Again I used it when I traveled to Spain last year and two separate individuals I met in Bali opened up their homes, and graciously hosted me for 4 nights each. The Spanish really do have incredible hospitality.

One of them told me I could stay as long as I wanted, because he enjoyed working on his English, and I guess I was pretty decent company.

Live and die by your contact list. Treat it like gold. Build it and use it to keep in touch with all of the interesting souls you meet, because you never know when or where you might cross their paths in the future.

Expect the Gringo Tax

Yes, the gringo tax exists. It is alive and well. In many places in the World, peoples’ eyes will inevitably light up with dollar signs the moment you step out of the airport, off the train or off the bus.

The first and most important step to take after you’ve acknowledged the existence of the gringo tax is to plan for it. Know before a trip that you will likely encounter this extra tax somewhere along the way, and prepare accordingly.

These situations are due to the simple fact that many people make their living off of tourism and people like us. They have much less than we do and our monetary contributions have a significant impact in their lives.

You should still haggle and avoid being outrageously taxed, but when you can’t avoid it, at least the thought of that person’s family experiencing some small, unexpected luxury can ease your worries.

Include these habits in your travels and you will be better off. If you have other great travel habits to share, I would love to discuss them via email or in the comments below.