The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly of Travel

Now that I’ve been traveling for nearly 3 months, I begun to consider what I do and don’t miss from home. To reflect on my experiences thus far, I have decided to compose a personal list of the good, the bad, and the ugly of travel down in South America. Here it goes….

The Good
This list is made up of all things wonderful about traveling and being away from home.

•  No responsibilities
• Waking up without an alarm (and when I set an alarm, it is to do something that I have chosen to do!)
• Everyday is like Saturday (or Sunday!)
• Not working is pretty great #funemployed
• New friends, new food, new experiences, new places every single day – it’s the best!
• Experiencing new cultures
• Learning something new everyday

The Bad
Even the greatest lovers of travel have those comforts of home that they miss when they’re away. Here are mine:

• Regular meals… I love me my food, and I love it often. I also miss having a fridge with snacks on hand at all times.
• Mary’s Organic crackers. I would kill for some of these. Actually, I would kill for any gluten free cracker option (they really like their wheat down here!).
• Taking baths, and cuddling up in my bathrobe afterwards.
• Caesars
• Wine nights
• My friends and family. Without them, there really wouldn’t be any reason for me to ever return home.

The Ugly
Travel isn’t always pretty… especially in South America. Although I have to admit that I have been pleasantly surprised with the conditions in most places we’ve been so far, there are definitely a few things that I could simply do without.

• Having to watch my bag like a hawk virtually all the time
• Not being able to openly use my phone or iPad in all public spaces (they draw a lot of unwanted attention)
• Not being able to drink the tap water
• Bugs, including big and small ants, cockroaches, spiders, mosquitos, flies…
• Having no clean clothes, and no laundry facilities.
• Gross bathrooms (although I have to admit that they have been better than I expected, and at least 10 times better than bathrooms in SE Asia!!)

I am currently at the point in my travels where I have begun to miss my favourite foods and restaurants from home. Finding yummy and cheap eats may be one of the most difficult tasks that Ryan and I have down in South America (especially with my picky stomach), and I think it’s safe to say that I have eaten some pretty strange meals down here. However, despite the fact that travel has it’s downsides, it wouldn’t be as fun, or rewarding if there weren’t challenges. The people, places, and experiences that I am fortunate enough to have each and every day are worth every downside of being away.