Lessons learned after 5 months on the road

Written by:  Colin

​After 5 months of traveling around North and South America, here are some bullet point words of wisdom for anybody traveling overseas! ​

Travel notes

• Cherish good quality hand washings.
• Cold beverages and hot showers are special treats.
• Pamper your feet – they get a lot of use.
• Be humble about your travels, help other folks with travel ideas and recommendations, don’t gloat.
• Fast wifi is very rare – soak it up when you can and learn how to download offline Google maps, Netflix episodes, and podcasts for use offline.
• Air conditioning and heat often costs extra.
• Coins are generally terrible so avoid them and use them up as quickly as possible.
• ATMs shell out big bills but very few people like to break the big bills. Try to break big bills everywhere you can.
• If you find fun people on the road, stick with them for a few cities and adventures.
• Overestimate travel time and cushion your ETAs. Doubling your estimated travel time is not unreasonable in some areas.
• Bring your own toilet paper.
• You can trust most ice in drinks.
• But don’t brush your teeth with tap water.
• Bring your own favorite hot sauce.
• Every country seems to have their own cheap beer that tastes like Bud Light. It may not be on the menu but they have it in the fridge.
• Always have a couple snacks stashed away.
• Drinking more water fixes most things.
• Sunscreen and bug spray are worth their weight in gold, expensive on the road, and make you quite popular.
• If somebody has to be pushy or hard sell their service or product, it likely means there are better options. Don’t go with the 1st or 2nd person to come up to you; wait for the 3rd or 4th.