Little League Travel Advice List

---

The 2 month mark of being in the nomad world is approaching, and I’m honestly not sure whether it’s all gone by too fast or too slow. I KEEP getting stuck on the whole perception of time, it’s never felt quite this skewed to me before. It seriously feels like my days fly by and crawl by at the same time, like how does that make any sense?! Previously, I felt I had an idea of what time was, but now I couldn’t understand it any less!! I used to place so much importance and weight on it since I felt like I didn’t really own it all; my work and other responsibilities claimed much of it. Anyways, I think I really need to stop trying to analyze the idea of time though since I really don’t need to worry about it ha ha. Since being at Pause, I have never had more of time on my hands which is probably why I can’t stop trying to dissect it! Spending 5 weeks in the town of the “Go Slow” slogan has been like living in a parallel universe compared to my old life. My ass has gotten a lot of hammock action that’s for sure; napping, kitty cuddling, reading, listening to tunes, or just plain doing absolutely nada in it! I realized I should embrace this chill time since I may not have this opportunity again to do nothing, and I’m sure millions of people in the world would give anything to just do nothing for 2 months, so I best express some gratitude!



With all these leisure moments on my hands I have thought of many things I’ve either learned and/or observed and compiled a ‘little league travel advice list’:



1. If you resist the urge to scratch a mosquito bite the itchiness will be lessened and fade quicker than if you had scratched initially!



It took me a long, itchy as hell period of time to figure this out, but once I did it rocked my world! The itchiness lasts for maybe 5 minutes and then *poof* it disappears; hallelujah! Now this does NOT work for sand fly bites, those things are a bitch!! I have never been itchier in my life than when those decide to go to town on your ankles and legs! I actually contemplated setting my legs on fire to ease my suffering! My all natural bug repellant (consisting of citronella oil, lemongrass oil and peppermint oil) doesn’t hold a candle to the DEET laden OFF bug repellant, which I may have to bite the bullet and purchase in the near future when I go on jungle adventures In South America. For now I found that coconut oil and my natural bug repellant in unison work alright.



2. Humidity, so far, has not gotten any easier to deal with.



Myself and many other travellers I have met come to the same agreement, it SUCKS! I found it to be more tolerable here in Caye Caulker than Mexico though thankfully, but still no fun!



3. Be a social butterfly.



This is an obvious, 'goes without saying' tip. There are wonderful people all over the world just waiting for you to meet. This goes for anywhere you are, but really assists you while you’re travelling, especially solo. Sometimes it’s a little hard for me since I can be pretty shy at times, especially depending on the energy I pick up from certain people or situations. You got to just force putting yourself out there, there’s no better time than when you’re already putting yourself out into the world, literally!



4. Friends are waiting around every corner (or island, town, city, country…)



This ties into #3, but deserves its own category! I have met several people so far that I became very close with, in a surprisingly short period of time, potential best friends. I find when you’re travelling solo and meet other solo travellers their usually like-minded and just as friendly as you. There’s no point in being inauthentic and anything other than exactly who you really are at your core when you’re travelling. If people aren’t receptive to that then oh well, not every person you meet will be your friend, but many will. I have had some memorable conversations with some individuals involving the bearing of souls at times, something that happened too seldom back home, it has been extremely refreshing to say the least!!! And this isn’t limited to just humans, friends can come in the furry form as well, ha ha, I have a large number of those here at Pause Animal Sanctuary….. 😉



5. Some friends back home will drift, some farther than others.



You’re not going to keep in touch with every one of your friends on a constant basis. Some friends will fade quicker than others and it doesn’t take long to realize which ones will be permanent. And for some of those permanent one’s, you may not speak as often as you would like or what you used to, they are allowed to have lives too lol! But you know who the ones are that will stick with ya! 😊



6. Life back home will go on without you.



You will miss friends having babies, getting married (I would’ve been the maid of honor in my girl Kaela’s wedding), funerals (unfortunately, RIP Cherie you beautiful soul you), sister graduating from social work program….but you will have so many monumental moments in your own life that makes missing these moments a little easier to deal with.



7. If you’re going to volunteer with animals you’re probably going to get pissed on…..



And/or scratched, bitten, used as a ladder, jumped on out of bloody nowhere. And that’s just with cats, I’m just dying with anticipation to see what occurs when I move on to the monkeys or manatees. I feel like feces will definitely be a factor….woo hoo 😉



8. If you get a heat rash, which can surface in all forms, (and mine appears like pimples on my shoulders and back, lucky meeeee), for god’s sake DO NOT pick at them.



This WILL prolong it and leave lovely scars as a reminder to not pick at them!!! There ain’t nothing pretty about it either! Also, if going outside in the blaring sun whilst still having a heat rash, DO use sunscreen!



9. Be in the moment.



We hear this statement time and time again, and it’s easier said than done many times. Especially when I have sooooo many exciting adventures ahead of me; Spanish School in Guatemala, Wildtracks in Sarteneja, backpacking South America, freakin Machu Pichu and too much more! It’s difficult not to constantly daydream about all that and miss the moments occurring right in front of me! It’s been said that if you’re depressed you’re living in the past and if you’re anxious you’re living in the future, which I find to be quite accurate. I have been trying to execute this piece of advice for many months now, and it’s still a struggle for me. When I do achieve this state of mindfulness, it makes the daily struggle worth it! To be fully present in any moment of your day and to feel the world fall away is an interesting ecstasy!



10. Try everything and anything (to a reasonable, non-life threatening point).



Open up to the world and the world will open up to you! Get yourself out of your damn comfort zone to see what the hell you’re made of and what you can really do! There may be parts of yourself that you never knew were there. I feel as though I can honestly face anything that comes my way, I have always had a strength within me, but only now do I realize the magnitude of it! I’m so excited to continue opening myself up to things that come my way and to continue learning what I’m capable of and what new wisdom I can integrate as a result! I have many decades ahead of me to learn and grow!



11. Pack less!



I was told before I had even left the country that “If you have to think about if you’ll need it, don’t pack it” by a fellow travelling friend….and it turns out he was correct! I for sure packed too much, about double of what I have actually used. Who needs 2 pair of shoes in the Caribbean?! And 2 journals when I have a laptop?! You should double check that you have everything you need as well before departure! I made a great decision of not doing this a wound up forgetting my rain jacket at my sisters, which would have come in handy in the hurricane season I’m currently in! I should have just bought a backpack, since now I’m going to be backpacking South America in the near future anyways…..oh well live and learn they always say!



12. When homesick try listening to your favorite music!



I haven’t experienced being homesick that often so far thankfully, living this way is exactly what I never knew I needed! When I have though, and I haven’t been able to get ahold of friends or family, I turn on my tunes and it instantly melts away. I’m not sure if this would apply to everyone, but it sure does for me since I’ve always had a very deep connection to music where it feels like a best friend to! This does not apply when you get ill with food poisoning, which has now happened to me twice in Belize, nothing can alleviate feeling homesick when you’re actually sick in a 10 bed dorm room! Hurray for not puking all over the place though! 😉



13. Embrace being alone!



This is something I had already done living back in Canada. I lived on my own for collectively about 3 years and absolutely loved it and highly recommend it. Travelling alone is, of course, a different variation of this. You get the sense of empowerment and confidence the same as living alone, but in a much stronger, exhilarating way! As soon as I landed in Mexico City that first night away from my country, I was a mix of terrified and stirred all at once! I knew I had to navigate from the mostly Spanish speaking airport at midnight to my hotel, alone. In a situation such as this you grow balls quickly! It’s an adrenaline rush in its own right. I love feeling it with every, new to me, piece of land I set foot on! I have spent quite a few days here at Pause just hanging out by myself, and enjoy myself immensely! Going for a kayak, swim, soaking in the rays of the sun on the dock while blaring tunes, and chillin in a hammock all by your lonesome can be a blast! It can be the same caliber of fun as doing it with people! You are the one and only thing that you can depend on from your birth to your death in this lifetime, you might as well learn to enjoy who you’re stuck with eternally!



14.Be positive in every way, especially the thoughts you think!



I cannot miss an opportunity to mention this life-changing piece of advice! Your reality is your perception of the world, consisting of the thoughts you think and your beliefs about yourself and the rest of the world! Now this applies to absolutely every one on the planet! I have lived this to the positive and to the negative in my time on this earth, and have embodied the destruction of living this in the negative and have felt the bliss of living this to the positive! If I were to die tomorrow this would be the legacy I would want to leave, it takes a hell of a lot of constant, daily work to live this way but god damn are the results worth it! Trust me!



15. Plans for long-term travelling are never written in stone.



I have relayed my travel plans to numerous other travellers and nearly unanimously they have all responded that plans ALWAYS change! I understand that now, as mine have changed several times! Who knows in the next month what else will be altered! But I’m open to anything at this point, so we’ll see what could happen!

---