5 things about traveling they don't teach you in school

1. You don't have to plan out everything single thing. 

I am a bit of a perfectionist. At the same time, I'm a ludicrous improv artist.  When it comes to travelling, I become the head of planning every single detail from morning till night because I am a firm believer of the words: to break the rules, you'll have to first learn the rules. I remember this clear as day: I was upset about being unable to continue my studies in Lasalle's Acting course and I took a few hours to spill the beans to my closest cousin - and without warning we had two tickets to Taipei and had to disembark on our first non-family impromptu trip in less than a week. 

I recall being exasperated because I didn't have enough time on my hand to plan out places to go, only being able to snag a pretty delightful airbnb space just a day or two before our flight. I found out that I was pretty resourceful even when everything else felt as if it were falling apart. We found ourselves in a foreign place, (in a foreign language because my Chinese is terrible) and we found that sometimes the best plan is having no plan.

I was nervous. Terrified. Excited. I had butterflies in my stomach half the time I was there - but everything turned out amazing. Going with the flow found ourselves with new incredible food, instagrammable walls and left us feeling bright eyed with adventure. Nevertheless, we almost got scammed but it was all part and parcel of the journey. Rolling with the punches and taking small risks are worth it, because experience is worth much more than material goods. Memories are always more valuable than any money of cash. 

2. People are kind. 

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Mom always tells me not to talk to strangers, but sometimes when you are overseas, you'll have to. There were so many #faithinhumanityrestored moments whilst travelling - from patient taxi drivers who did not speak English, to lovely shopkeepers who radiate warmth and friendliness by allowing you to take shelter in their small space without much of a complaint. Yes you and I will probably run into the occasional surly cab uncle with no time for our foreign nonsense, but most people will genuinely lend a hand as you do the same. 

3. The world isn't terrifying. 

I've been barred from going to Bangkok with a small group countless of times. Afterall, Thailand has been ranked as 20 of the most dangerous countries in the world. One might insinuate that most are afraid of the world beyond their door, but I suppose the concern my parents had for my first ever Bangkok trip was the fact that I was going to bring my little brother along. 

It was the most stressful trip of all. Once more, faced with a foreign place with a foreign language - none of my travel buddies had ever stepped foot in Bangkok - I was once more nominated leader of the pack because it was my idea to go to Bangkok in the first place.

I learnt in my University that the media likes to sensationalize news, and from just the news, Bangkok's terrorist attacks, rape, scams, kidnappings and more, it sure seemed as if Thailand should be renamed as  'Land of Snarls'. However, it was a whole different experience for me. I can't express it in words but I'll do my best: the  culture, the art, the lovely people, the FOOD; everything about Bangkok was truly and utterly magical. I've never felt more at place in anywhere in the world. 

Stereotypes are created from what we see on television. When you travel, you'll realise there's so much MORE to a place, an entire race than what you previously boxed them into. Our families told us to take a tuk-tuk inside of a cab because they were afraid that we would get kidnapped. I, however, took the risk, and found out that cabs were so much cheaper - tuk-tuks were scamming us. 

So banish those stereotypes. The world isn't that terrifying afterall.

4. It’s okay to be horrible at directions, just make sure you have someone that can help;

GPS. Also you little brother. I am completely useless when it comes to directions, that why I have my brother. In Bangkok, we tried to save a little by walking more instead of cabbing to different areas and by golly - with my directions - we were mostly lost. Thankfully, we had googles maps and an amazing map-reader. Still, as we walked around aimlessly, we found many things like hidden cafes, delightfully adorable road-side stalls and beautiful abandoned homes.

At the same time, we were making mental notes of landmarks, training ourselves to map out the area and surprising ourselves that we were able to. Most famous parts aren't always the best. Maybe it's good to get lost, contrary to popular belief, but not that lost. 

5. Always have a medic

Whilst the most are rambling of philosophies, here's some proper advice. Get a medicine kit, or learn a little bit of first aid yourself. Falling sick during your travels is the worst part - I can assure you, worse off than getting lost, getting shrieked at, paranoia at people or being unprepared. Getting injured or falling ill means you have had your adventure cut short. Prevention is always better than the cure. Water bottles up, vitamin pills ready, make sure you are dressed appropriately and these are the 5 things they don't teach you in school.