This weeks Things I Know For Sure is dedicated to traveling, and all that I have learned through endless hours on planes, trains, and automobiles...
1. Patience is a g*ddamn virtue, and not enough people have figured that out yet.
By this day and age anyone who is traveling and not expecting a line has clearly not traveled before. Let's just all make each other's lives easier and be patient and happy when waiting in them, yelling and being rude will not make it go any faster. (This sometimes is a rule I apply to myself...)
2. If there is anyway possible to get an EU passport (including paying off the consulate), do it. It will make your life exponentially easier when traveling. I don't know if it is because EU citizens are more trustworthy than us Americans, but it takes us about 10 times longer to pass through customs...
3. Overnight train = overdose on Zzquil.
You will be asked every hour throughout the night for your ticket, you will have pains in your neck and back, and you will not sleep without the help of meds. Do yourself a favor and pop a few pills to make life a little easier.
4. Always carry on.
If I have learned one thing from this traveling is that I always overpack, but given a limited budget and a camping backpack...anything is possible. 10 days to Paris, London, and Ireland in a carry on? Easy. I will never check a bag again. Mark my words.
5. I am lucky.
Above all, the thing that I know for sure after 2 months of traveling is that I am immensely fortunate to have the opportunities to see the world. All joking aside, traveling is something that very, very few get to do in this world, and despite the long lines, security checks, and hassle of getting from point A to B, I would not change it for the world.
Ciao, for now,
M