In no particular order, I present to you 28 things you learn while traveling.

1. You need waaay less than you think

Trust me. You don’t need 5 pairs of yoga pants. LESS IS MORE PEOPLE. The less you own and have to carry, the happier and lighter you will be (physically and mentally). Remember: all mass has energy. Be conscious of what you have around you!

2. You learn to be kind to your body and mind

You take rest days when you need them (usually). You eat when you’re hungry and drink enough water throughout the day. You’ll start doing little rituals like Self Care Sunday and you learn to take a few extra moments for your well-being.

3. You learn your limits (and how to push them)

You will bring yourself to the point of complete mind and body exhaustion more than once. And you will learn to charge right through it. Traveling is not all sunshine and rainbows, and you will see your true colors shine when challenge after challenge arises.

The hustle and bustle is a real out there. Going from a chaotic schedule to traveling or vacationing can be a serious adjustment. Learning to relax, breathe, and be at peace with the present moment is a serious skill. When you travel long term you encounter different and sometimes stressful paces. Bouncing around from hostel to hostel, country to country is physically and mentally draining. You learn to become adaptable, go with the flow, and relax.

5. You learn how to unlearn

Learn. Unlearn. Relearn. Repeat. Everything you thought you knew might be up for question one day. You will encounter thought provoking people who force you to question your core beliefs. It is uncomfortable. It can be unpleasant. But I promise you it’s worth it.

6. You learn to appreciate your past

Both where you come from and what you’ve been through. It might be as simple as using a skill you learned long ago. It might be appreciating the taste of clean tap water back home. You will learn to love strange and marvelous things about where you come from and where you’ve been.

7. You learn new skills

Surfing, yoga, languages, the art of bullshitting, how to find local hotspots, how to ride a bike with no brakes, how to survive the desert heat, the list goes on and on. You could write an impressive resume just on the skills you acquire while traveling!

You learn to put down the damn technology and experience what’s going on around you. You’ll learn to see and feel beauty in a new way, like it is part of you and you are part of it. You’ll watch countless sunsets fade over the horizon and it will begin to move you in new ways. You learn to breathe in to this. moment. right. here.

9. You learn that stress is everywhere

Yes even the dreamiest of trips can come with an ample dose of suckage. Travel stresses are completely real and suck just like any other type of life-induced stress. You also begin to recognize that these little stresses won’t matter in a few days or weeks. So you learn to let it go.

10. You learn that nothing really matters

Take it from Queen. At the end of the day, nothing really matters. Our own temporary existence somehow becomes beautifully clear while out in the world. You learn to roll with the ups and ride out the lows. This is just temporary, guys. All of it.

11. You learn that STREET FOOD IS LIFE

No joke, THE BEST food is served on the street. Trust the street. Love the street.

12. You learn your spice tolerance. And how to exceed it.

Mexico had some of the spiciest food I had ever tasted. After 6 months there I found myself drowning tacos in the sauce I could tolerate only drops of before. Things change. Your body builds up tolerance to strange things. And hot sauce will run in your veins before too long.

13. You learn to play unintentional games with the world

Some of my favorite unintentional games include, puddle or pothole? (Best played while biking after a rainstorm) Another favorite, will this toilet flush? Or even better – is this food going to fuck me up later? Such unintentional fun to be had!

Be that a story or banana bread or a blanket on a cold bus or a hug (hugs also double as a bartering tool if you’re short a few bucks. Just ask my friend George Salt). You also learn that shared food tastes better. Sharing moments and memories with new friends are some of the greatest joys you will experience while traveling.

15. You learn that you are not alone

Before I set out on my last big travel, I had people at home questioning what I was doing. Why do you want to sell your stuff and travel? Don’t you want to settle down someday? Aren’t you afraid of going alone? I felt like I had to continuously explain myself and why I wanted to pursue these things. When you’re actually out there, doing the things you want to be doing with your time, you find that you are not alone. There are like minded people in like minded places. I no longer had to explain myself and I was blown away time and time again by stories of people who had been traveling full time for years on end. If you feel like you haven’t found your tribe yet, don’t give up. Maybe you’re just looking in the wrong places.

16. You learn how to budget your money

You learn how to get pretty crafty with saving money. You’ll also learn how to blow through your monthly budget in one week and not feel too bad about it. Remember that money will always come and go – but you can never buy a moment back.

17. You learn to be a real life fruit samurai

Cutting exotic fruits that you learned how to pronounce last week becomes daily practice before you know it! You also learn the best fruit trees in the neighborhood and how to spot freshly fallen ground score mangos from the side of the road. #winning.

Not only in words, but the language of love, of gratitude, appreciation, happiness, and the unique languages within your own vast body and soul. You also get really good at acting things out when you literally can’t speak the language.

19. You learn to listen to your body

While traveling long term, you will probably encounter some of the sickest moments and healthiest periods of your entire existence. It’s part of the journey. You learn to listen to what works for your body, what doesn’t, and everything in between. Self awareness is a big one folks, that takes practice and experimentation.

20. You learn how to kill mosquitos like a mf ninja

Hiyaa! When you’re in a place where the mosquitoes carry nasty diseases, you won’t think twice before karate-ing the shit out of these little buggers.

21. You learn who you miss. And who isn’t missing

When you’re out in the world, traveling alone, you learn who your real friends are. You learn who really matters, and who’s better left in the past. This is a powerful lesson in life, love, and loss. We’ve all got to stumble through those teaching moments from time to time.

You learn to trust your gut and listen to yourself. You don’t second guess your instincts because they may just save your life. Read this book if you’d like a serious dose of reality about it.

23. You learn to cook food you can’t pronounce

You’ll learn new foods and flavors that your tongue never dreamt of. Maybe a traditional dish from the country, or maybe a Greek dish that your Canadian friend learned from a German girl in Guatemala. You never know what flavors await!

24. You learn how to lean in to your fears

Remember that fear you had? The open ocean or heights or spiders? You may just find yourself face to face with a shark while scuba diving, your toes dangling out of a plane before skydiving, or a spider the size of a small child sitting outside your window. Getting out of your comfort zone will grow your spirit and soul in ways you can’t even imagine.

25. You learn that you know nothing

All the things that you thought mattered in life will take a radical shift when you travel. Your problems become so small that you don’t recognize them when you return. You thought you had it allll figured out. Until you realize that your plans have changed. Your passions are different in practice than in thought. And you are not who you thought you were. Powerful stuff.

26. You learn to get creative

You will do laundry in the shower with you, you cook meals with three random ingredients, you sleep in bizarre places, you hitchhike. You’ll take a trip from A to B in anything but a straight line. Inevitably you become much more flexible and easy going as you are forced to think (and live) outside the box.

27. You will learn to love your bare face

For those of you who wear makeup every day, you will learn to love that flaw-full bare naked face. You will appreciate all the little freckles and spots that you normally cover up. You will learn how to rock your confidence as your best asset and you will feel like a total fox when you sweep on mascara for those random special occasions.

Quite possibly the best side effect of traveling is learning to love and appreciate yourself. You will peel back so many layers while on the road. It will be good, bad, and ugly, but oh so worth it! Learning to appreciate your unique habits and quirks will make life so much easier. Laughing at yourself is one of the best qualities a human can possess, because life is too short to be taken seriously. Laugh a lot, love deeply, and pursue your wildest dreams. You’ve got one chance. And the time is now.

There you have it! 28 Things you learn while traveling. What lessons have you learned on the road? Comment with your favorite!