Don’t date a girl or guy who travels, don’t be best friends with travelers and don’t under any circumstances let yourself get surrounded by travelers who love nothing more than to talk about their experiences. You will never see them in new fashionable clothes. They think they don’t have to care about their appearance because they are a backpacker. They hang around with backpackers and travelers in this clique that you are not a part of and will probably never understand unless you are constantly traveling with them. They will have harsh brown skin that is old before its time, hammered by the constant outdoors, lacking key vitamins from the lack of regular food, irregular hours and dehydration.
You’ll recognize travelers because they are overly enthusiastic about the little things around them but then move on to the next “experience” They think everything is exciting and amazing but don’t stick around long enough to really get a deeper understanding of them. To them, it’s one superficial experience after another.
A traveler thinks they are appreciating life but in reality, it’s a form of escapism from something they can’t explain. They say they won’t judge you, and they probably believe they want too, but honestly, they are judging you all the time and expecting you to live up to their lifestyle. They will have no tolerance for those that don’t accept or adhere to it, they are judgmental of a society that wants to work 9 to 5, pay the mortgage and live on credit. They will think because they have “seen” things they know them, they will think they feel empathy with the less fortunate of the world, before returning to their highly paid job and doing their best to avoid taxes.
When they meet other travelers they will immediately get competitive over what they have seen, what they did, how brave they were. They will share stories about the usual tourist trips and talk a few phrases they have learned in a desperate attempt to be the most traveled or the most knowledgeable.
Traveling is amazing, fulfilling and enriching the experience and unique to everyone. The problem with travelers is that they go to the same places, follow the same tours and do it in large groups meeting other travelers on the way. Khao San road, Angkor Wat, The Killing Fields, The Chu Chi tunnels, all great places to see and amazing experiences, but don’t do them on a guided bus tour surrounded by other 20 or 30 somethings.
Do it for yourself in your own unique way, you don’t have to do it all in the same holiday. Enjoy the experience for what it is, not just to say you’ve “done it” Meet some of the locals, not just people who are in your hostel or on your bus.
Travel is individual, do it for yourself, not to fit in with some transient crowd.
Happy Travels