The Lessons I have Learned

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I am at my last port of call: London England. I fly home tomorrow! I thought it would be fun to put together all the lessons I have learned from this trip.
Cheers
Bria

What I have learned:

-Not spicy does not always guarentee that your mouth won't be burning by the end of the meal. Spicy is subjective, not objective.

-Malaria pills don't actuallly prevent malaria they just delay it and make it less severe. No worries I was told this, I didn't learn it from experience.

-Charcol pills are miracle workers on stomachs. Again I did not learn from experience.

-A glass of Coco Cola can really help ease stomach aches. This one I learned from experience.

-Always pack the night before. You never know when your alarm will fail you. I learned the importance of this in Vietnam where I recieved a 5:30am call wondering why I wasn't on the bus. I was very happy that I packed the night before.

-Piece of mind: priceless. Always chose piece of mind over money. If I hadn't booked a hotel close to the airport while in Bangkok for my last night I probably would have been stuck in the city centre amidst the massive protests and missed my flight.

-Don't clean your ears with a q-tip

-A Kindle is a travellers best friend. Over twenty novels (1500 books allowed) packed into less than a pound means you don't have to worry about your lugguage allowance when traveling with Ryanair or Wizzair.

-You don't really appreciate your luggauge until its lost. Recieving and opening up my lugguage in Seoul at 3:30am was a religious experience.

-European architecture continues to blow my mind with its beauty. In Prague, there were normal apartment buildings which had Greek God statues holding up the balconies.

-A Kindle is a great conversation starter

-Tintin and the Smurfs were started in Belgium

-French people, or at least French women, really care about dental care. I watched a few brush their teeth at the hostel in Avignon - holy crap! During the time it took them to brush their teeth I managed to wash my face, brush my own teeth and get in at least one contact lense.

-Peace Corps is not a part of the US army or associated with Greenpeace. Its a volunteer program

-French cuisine is pretty damn amazing. More specifically their pastries....pain chocolat...mouthwatering

-You get what you pay for. Three cheap purses have broke under the travel pressure so I dished out more than 10 dollars worth to buy a better one.

-Research, plan, reserve...and expect half of it to change

-Research, plan, budget...and expect to spend at least $500 more

-Cemeteries can be, and tend to be, beautiful (at least in Europe)

-The French like to strike. Must be the revolutonary spirit inside of them

-Go with your gut...or at least your interests. I was told Brugges is boring and I won't need more than an afternoon. I loved Brugges and the two full days that I spent there.

-Always have an eye mask and ear plugs when staying at a hostel

-An attraction or monuments appeal can be so greatly influenced by how busy it is. Mont St. Michel was a disappointment...but that is partially because you can hardly move around the streets

-Always research when schools, at the destinations you are visiting, are having their school holidays

-Never say never

-My cheese eating spectrum has been too limited. There are so many great cheeses out there and the Brits have some damn good ones

-British lingo is extensive. We speak the same language but it doesn't always feel like that

-Primark is the best clothing store out there

-England is not as rainy as everyone thinks it is

-I am a Weaver. I stayed with my aunt and realized how similar I am to her and that I am a true cheese eating, tea drinking Weaver

-Dorthy was right: there is no place like home

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Comments

[Mom]

Coutning the hours now
Invaluable and insightful lessons you've learned here. Can't wait to hear more!