If you’re a traveller or you enjoy travelling, I’m sure you’ll have your own opinions on some of these subjects!

I’ve been travelling full-time for over 1 year and these are my travel opinions, you may agree or disagree with me. Either way, I’d like to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Without further ado…

1. It’s okay to relax while you’re travelling, you don’t have to be on the go all the time.

Relaxing, for me, is an important part of travelling. If I’m not fully rested and feeling good, I might not enjoy exploring a new place very much. Taking time to relax is also a good opportunity to reflect on what you’ve already seen on your journey so far.

Collect your thoughts, relax and refresh your mind and body.

Travelling can be exhausting sometimes! Be kind to yourself 😄

2. Blitzing through a whole continent, like Europe, in 2 weeks is too fast.

When you travel, less is more! Stay for longer and enjoy a city or a country properly. Travelling is not a box-ticking activity. Be present in the moment and accept that you can’t see it all. There is just too much to see.

Enjoy what you can and remember that most people live their whole lives without the luxury of travel. Take your time and savour every moment.

3. Count experiences rather than countries and continents.

As I said, travelling is not a box-ticking activity. It’s not something that you can complete and be done with. Rather than counting countries, count experiences.

Count the moments when you feel alive, excited, and in awe. Those are the experiences that will stay with you for a lifetime.

Also, I cannot stress enough — keep a travel journal! One day you might want to look back and reminisce on your travelling days. Journals capture a moment in time and keep it safe in their pages for you.

4. Travelling is just as important as going to university, in my eyes.

You might not ‘find yourself’ or have the soul-enriching experience you set out for, but you will definitely become a more open-minded, educated and empathetic person by travelling to different countries.

Learning about different cultures, customs, languages and people are some of the best kinds of educational experiences you can have.

5. Everyone who travels is a tourist.

Often travellers will complain that a place is full of tourists and that puts them off going there. I hold my hands up and admit that I too have had this opinion before. However, we are all tourists if we are not in our home country.

We all need to respect each other and realise that we are all there for the same reason — to explore and enjoy a new destination.

6. It’s okay to visit the same place more than once.

Often we will visit a place and fall head over heels in love with it. This happened to my boyfriend and I when we travelled to Bali in 2019. We still dream of returning to this beautiful island as soon as we can.

There is nothing wrong with revisiting somewhere that you really like. On your second or third trip, you have more time to explore different areas, try new experiences and learn more about a country.

7. Having ‘no itinerary’ is overrated.

Having no itinerary for a trip can lead to lots of missed opportunities and expensive mistakes. I believe it’s important to plan to a certain extent, leaving room to rearrange plans later down the line.

I always like to travel with a rough itinerary in mind, knowing how much it will cost me to get from place to place. I prefer to plan longer stays earlier in advance too, in order to get the best deal possible.

8. No matter what country you travel to, you are basically an ambassador of your country.

When travelling you will inevitably meet people from different countries and spark up conversations with them. It’s important that we all behave respectfully towards others.

Especially as a British person, Brits can sometimes be stereotyped as being loud, drunk and pretty rude (particularly in popular party destinations). I always try to make sure people know that we’re not all like that by behaving kindly and respectfully!

9. Search a little harder for the best food places, they’re worth the extra mile.

Don’t stop and eat at the first place you see, do your research before you go so you can find the best eateries in town. Make sure to read the reviews and get recommendations from your hotel/hostel or host — locals know best!

Some of the best places I’ve eaten at were tiny little restaurants hidden away in the most unassuming streets. You wouldn’t find them unless you were looking for them!

10. Touristy spots are worth seeing.

They are tourist spots for a reason! Historically important landmarks, natural beauty spots, and immense skyscrapers are all busy tourist spots because they are magnificent, each in their own way.

Admittedly, tourist spots can be overcrowded, especially in peak season but in my experience, they are usually worth visiting.

What are your thoughts on these travel opinions? What are your travel opinions? Let me know in the comments, I’m eager to know!

If you enjoyed this blog, be sure to check out my other travel diaries here!