Backpacking/life lessons!

This is the end of the road, for now. We have spent almost a year in South America, working and traveling. I am so happy we ended the trip in Colombia because it is truly one of the most diverse and gorgeous countries on the planet. I know I will be back here because places this beautiful and inviting are a rarity.

So as I say goodbye to South America and my new favorite country, Colombia, I am reflecting on the last year and all that backpacking and being a vagabound has taught me. I am so excited to go home and get back to reality, but at the same time I want to integrate backpacker culture into my everyday life.

Beyond getting to see amazing places, learning about new cultures and gaining new perspectives, I feel that traveling has taught me some highly practical lessons that I am hopefully going to keep on using. Here are some of the lessons learned over the last year of travel:

1. Shower the people you love with love!
Travel has given me an even greater appreciation of my loved ones than I even thought was possible. I already knew how much my family meant to me, but being so far away has made me realize how important it is to show my loved ones as much appreciation as often as possible. I would not have been able to go to all these amazing places or live out this adventure without all the love and support I have gotten, and continue to get, from my wonderful family and my friends. Being far away from the people I love has made me feel incredibly lucky to have so much love in my life, and to be friends with so many people worth missing. I am very fortunate and grateful to have parents that will pick my butt up from LAX every few months and forgive me for missing their Birthdays. Thanks Mom and Dad, and Carly and Crawford, I love you guys and appreciate you all so much.

2. Getting dirty is not a sin.
Sometimes in my super sanitary, antibacterial world full of clorox and wet wipes, I forget how liberating it is to get a little grimy and stinky. Often on this trip when my clothes were muddy and my hair was a little greasy I was having the best time. Initially this was really difficult for me to get used to, but in reality getting sweaty and dirty and having Bob Marley rasta hair really was half the fun. I realize now that looking like a hobo means adventure, you are letting loose and enjoying life. It is okay to get smelly and not use antibacterial gel every 30 seconds. I plan on incorporating this new found love of getting dirty into my normal life, within reason.

3. Sticking to a daily budget is frickin´ $!
While traveling, budgeting is a serious necesity. There is no way around it. I had to stick to a gnarly budget while traveling because even if the country seems inexpensive, those dollars can add up very quickly my friends. The better you manage your spending, and the more of a tight wad you are, the longer you can travel. While traveling the daily budget I was on was really meager, between 15-20 dollars per day. It became a real exciting challenge for me to see how well I could stick to the amount I gave myself per day. I had to tell myself no--quite often--but it was not really that hard to do, and I ended up not buying unnecessary crap that I did not need in the first place. If I could keep myself on this kind of daily monetary leash at home I would be one money savvy lady. Suzie Orman eat your heart out!

4. Be a turtle!
I have way too much junk! It is ridiculous how much stuff one person can accumulate at only 24 years-of-age. When you are backpacking everything you bring or purchase you have to carry. The lighter your pack is the happier you are; I had to learn this the hard way. Almost every trip I packed way too much stuff and ended up giving stuff away. Backpacking has shown me that it is possible to live without very much stuff. It is amazing that the fact that you will have to carry something on your back will totally discourage you from buying it. This has made me think about my closet at home and the horrendous amount of crap I have and will probably never use. Moral of the story: I need to keep myself in-check and ask myself before I purchase something ¨Would I still buy this if I had to carry it in my backpack?¨

5. People are the best resource.
I usually hate small-talking and chit-chatting with people just for the sake of it. I had to get over this, in a big way. If you do not use the people around you for information, you will miss out on great places and experiences. I had to get over my fear of talking to random people. I realized that I am not too cool for small-talk and that sometimes it is actually nice. Sometimes talking to someone I had just met would really brighten my day, and I was surprised at how helpful people can be if you take an interest in them or give them a smile and a friendly ¨Hola.¨

Obviously, these are just a handful of the practical lessons I have learned thus far. Traveling has taught me so much about the world and the people that live in it, but mostly it has taught me a great deal about myself. In reality this is the end of one trip, but the real journey is just beginning. I know it sounds majorly cheesy, but it is so true.