10 Tips & Tricks For Travelling Drifters

Maybe it’s your first time travelling alone, maybe it’s your first time travelling, ever! It can be quite daunting in the beginning, trust me, I’ve experienced it! But with a few little tips and tricks, you’ll surely start to feel a little more at ease when taking the travelling leap!

1. Research The Country
I don’t know about you, but deciding where you want to go can be so difficult when really, you want to travel everywhere! But once you’ve picked your destination, one of the best parts about planning your trip is researching the country. Learn the customs, the traditions, the hidden spots, the more you know about a place the more at ease you’ll feel when you arrive! Use the ‘Places’ feature in Search on Instagram to see what everyone else has experienced in that country.

2. Make A List
Lists aren’t for everyone but hey, they help. Whether it be a packing list, or a list of things you want to do/see when you’re away, I guarantee it WILL help! I always create a packing list so I can have peace of mind I haven’t forgotten anything…

3. Half Your Clothing & Double Your Money
Sometimes we get a little carried away when packing for a holiday am I right? “Five pairs of shoes is nothing right?”, “I might just take 3 in the different colours, just in case”, “Hmm, I’ll pack it anyways, you never know…” Yeah, we need to stop that. Hola girl, you’re going to a foreign country. Why pass up the opportunity of purchasing unique goods from overseas!? A general rule, half your clothing and double your money. Learn to mix and match so you can fill your suitcase with treasured goods! 

4. Make Friends
When you’re away, I personally think you become your full potential 100% more than when you’re at home. Talking to strangers becomes easier and socially there’s more to talk about with other fellow travellers because you’re all living the same amazing travel-filled life, duh! I’ve made some incredible friends whilst travelling and we now share some of the craziest most adventurous stories that will never grow old. As long as you feel comfortable in your surroundings, don’t be shy to say hello to someone while travelling, compliment people, share YOUR stories with them, I promise you’ll uncover some friendships you never expected.

5. Walk With Confidence
On that note, the best thing you can wear is your smile. Yes it attracts other happy people, but, god forbid you ever end up in a sticky situation, I’ve found if you walk with a glow of confidence, you’ll resist unwanted attention. Another little tip for heeding off those pesky people while travelling is to constantly act like you’re busy. Whether it’s reading a magazine/book, writing a letter, reading a text message, if you look occupied, chances are you’ll be left alone! 

6. Write Things Down
Those precious memoirs from a trip are quite valuable until you uh, forget what happened? It happens to all of us, especially when so many exciting things happen, it’s honestly hard to recall everything. "Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." - Benjamin Disraeli. So in saying that, write things down as you go! You don’t have to write a novel as you go although some people do, just keep it short and sweet with dot points. One day you’ll look back and really appreciate yourself for writing those little memories down.

7. Take Too Many Photos
Do it! Photos are a time capsule for life and with all the cool little gadgets about these days like GoPro’s and Polaroids you can have so much fun capturing your adventures! Don’t be shy in asking someone to take a photo for you either, most people are happy to and who knows maybe you can return the favour for them!

8. But, Enjoy The Moment
Take your photos but I also plead that you take a few moments to stop and take in everywhere you go too. Looking through a camera lens is completely different to the naked eye. So don’t forget to take a few photos with your eyes too, being in the moment outshines anything else.

9. Collect A Special Something
One of my favourite things to do while away is collect a little something from each place I’ve been to. For me, I’ve collected bohemian bags, little souvenir coins you create in coin machines and receipts/tickets, well, basically ALL the little pieces of paper that have helped me get to places or shaped my adventures. If you’re going to hoard anything while travelling, I think those are the best things!

10. Never Stop Sharing Your Stories
When you come back home, you’re never the same, you’ve gained a lot of life experience, you’ve created new friends and you have incredible stories to tell your friends and family. While some people may not travel like you do, and may not quite ever understand the thrill of it, NEVER stop sharing your stories. When you talk about things you love, you come alive and people will love you for that. I already love talking, but when I get to talk about travel, my enthusiasm bumps up 1000 times more and then good luck to everyone, because sometimes one story leads to another and you could basically be here listening to me all day. It’s so completely healthy to talk about your experiences and it’ll basically keep them alive for a lifetime, so share away and live away!



Keep on dreaming,

A x

Alice lives in: Brisbane, Australia. She's a story teller & Photo-taker having travelled to 29 countries & counting! Check out Alice Pye's Instagram feed here for travel inspo:
https://www.instagram.com/alicepye

All photos submitted by Alice Pye.