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Be the Person You WANT to Be While Traveling

  • Million Mile Secrets

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    Million Mile Secrets team member Joseph is re-reading one of his favorite books: Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, by Rolf Potts.  Most of our readers are NOT long-term travelers, but I asked him to write down any useful ideas our readers might appreciate.

    Joseph:   Ever since my first solo trip, I’ve really enjoyed the anonymity that comes with travel.

    It’s liberating to go somewhere you’re completely unknown!  You can act like the person you wish you were back home without anyone challenging or teasing you.

    Making New Friends and Acquaintances Means You Get a Fresh Start!

    You can freely practice good habits.  And grow as a person!

    Be Your Better Self When Traveling

    It can be hard to improve yourself when you’re surrounded by people that know you and expect you to be a certain way!

    But when you travel, nobody has any preconceptions about you.  They are waiting for you to show them what kind of person you are.  Leave your vices and shortcomings at home, and practice being the person you want to be.

    If you’re lazy, greedy, or short-tempered, take this opportunity to act differently.  If you are a shy person, use your travels to overcome it!  Nobody knows you’re shy, so be the outgoing person you wish you were with everyone you meet!

    Say Yes to Sitting on a Park Bench Atop a Boulder With a Barbadian Local

    A great way to do this is to say “yes” as often as you can.

    Say yes to the local who offers to show you around.  Say yes if a stranger in a small town pub asks you to dinner at their house.  And say yes to your own (legal) impulses!

    You can return home a different, and more complete, person than when you left.  As Jennifer of Jetsetter’s Homestead said in her blog interview, traveling can bolster your confidence in areas of life far beyond travel.

    Bottom Line

    Traveling gives you something you don’t find very often in life – a clean slate!  Be the person you aspire to be, and demonstrate the characteristics you wish you were known for back home.

    Leave your shyness with the old you.  And when an opportunity presents itself, try to say yes as often as possible!  You might return home a much different person.

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)