This post will be updates periodically as I learn more things along the way, so keep coming back and checking on it!

1. I Hate Luggage

I did know this already. Even at home, if I can go out without a bag I will. I dislike carrying things. I’ll take as little as possible out with me, putting my bank card in my phone case and my keys, with no keyrings, in my pocket and off I go. Whenever I’ve gone away before, I’ve always taken only hand luggage (after my first 2 trips and learning that I do not need to pack for every possibility). I like being able to get off the plane and just walk out of the airport without having to wait another 40 minutes in my bag arriving too.

But having actual luggage on this trip has made me more aware or why I hate luggage. It’s more than just the inconvenience of having to wait for it. Firstly, I don’t trust the airlines to look after it well. Every time it gets taken away from me at the airport, I watch it go and say, “bye bag, be safe!”. So far it has always come back.

Secondly, I have to take care of it. If I get to the airport early, I have to wait with it until I can check it is as it’s too big and too heavy to be wandering around carrying. My bag is 19.5kg at the start of the trip. For 5 months worth of stuff, some people think that’s pretty impressive. Other, more experienced, travellers agree that it’s slightly too much. I can manage the bag fine. I can pick it up and put it on and take it off all on my own. I can walk about half a mile in it before it starts to become uncomfortable for me. I can manage it, it I don’t like it.

Which brings us to point 3 of hating luggage. While I’m wearing it, that extra weight makes me feel so vulnerable. I can’t run with it on. I’m slow even walking. I’m clumsy getting on and off of buses or trains or going up and down stairs. If someone were to push me, I’d topple over and struggle to get myself up again. I’d have to untangle from the bag first. It also paints a giant target on me. I am quite clearly a tourist; I have a fuck tonne of stuff, some of which is bound to be valuable; and I have obviously just arrived and don’t know where I am.

Short version: Having luggage is inconvenient and makes me feel unsafe.

2. I Miss My Hairdryer

The luxury item I miss the most from home is my hairdryer. This was a bit of a surprise, actually, but I think it makes sense. Our appearances are part of our identity. Everything we choose to wear, from the colour of the shirt to the way we do our makeup and the accessories we use are an expression of who we are. For me, having nice hair is part of my image of myself and here, it is a bit of a mess. It waves, but only in the under layer so not enough for it to look nice. And it’s being a bit abused. I have travel shampoo and leave in conditioner and spending time in the sun and at the beach is damaging it. I bought an oil, so that helps keep it moisturised, but without the hairdryer I feel a little like the people I meet don’t get to see the proper me. It sounds silly, doesn’t it? But there you go. I miss having nice hair.

3. There Comes a Point in Travelling Where You Miss Being Naked

Other people have confirmed this, so it’s not just me. There comes a point during your travelling that you just want to get out of the shower and chill for a bit. Instead, you have to try and get dried and dressed straight away in a shared bathroom that almost always has no ventilation, so is humid and wet. Other than when you are actually showering. You are always at least partially dressed, usually under a tower or changing your bra under your t-shirt because there are 7 other people in your room. I think we all take for granted the privilege of being naked when we want to be.

4. I Need a Travel Yoga Mat

While I haven’t managed to settle into a good workout routine while travelling yet, I have done a tonne of walking! That, along with sitting on airplanes and at airports leaves a body tight and stiff. Finding somewhere to do yoga in a hostel isn’t always easy, but a travel yoga mat would help a lot. I have done some yoga just in the room, on the floor and it was find. I may have gotten some funny looks from the girl who woke up while I was stretching, but hey. I gotta stretch! If I’d had a mat, I could have taken it to the park or the beach or the roof and has some cool yoga experiences. I’m now investigating which mat is a good one, but will also fit into my bag without taking too much space or adding too much weight.