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The Art of Wanderlust Tr i c k s o f T h e Tr a d e b y a n E t e r n a l Tr a v e l B u g.

50 useful travel tips from a full time vagabond

Wallflower Diaries w w w. w a l l f l o w e r- d i a r i e s. c o m

Contents 1: Introduction 16 Life Changing Benefits of Traveling Makings of a Savvy Budget Traveller

2: Tips The Essentials The Do’s

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Introduction

“Twenty years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

”~ Mark Twain

The art of wanderlust is a controversial subject. To some it’s a means for lost souls to escape ‘reality’ and roam irresponsibly around the world doing as they please. To others (usually the open minded individuals who have pushed past their comfort zones to travel) immersing yourself in a foreign culture with new interesting company is the most memorable and rewarding life experience humanly possible. Yes at first it’s scary, but like everything practice makes perfect! Leaving home with an open mind, heart and no expectations is key to reaping the life changing internal rewards.

The time traveling allows for self discovery, quality life experience, personal growth and primary learning development is beyond any education taught in school. If I could give one piece of life advice to anyone it would be to think less, travel more!

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16 Life Changing Benefits of Traveling 1.

TO G RO W I M M E A S U R A B LY A S A P E R S O N

“The best investment you will ever make is in yourself. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you.” ~ Robin S. Sharma 2.

TO C R E AT E D E F I N E D M E M O R I E S W I T H FA M I LY A N D F R I E N D S

YO U ’ L L S H A R E F O R E V E R

“Tired of losing your kids attention to the screen? Traveling provides a unique opportunity to create fun, exciting and heartwarming connection that will last a lifetime.” ~ The Sundance Family 3.

F O R U LT I M AT E F R E E D O M

“There is only one success, to be able to spend your life your own way.” ~ Christopher Marley 4.

TO L I V E W I T H N O R E G R E T S

“The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt 5.

TO C R E AT E L I F E T I M E F R I E N D S H I P S W I T H P E O P L E F RO M A L L OV E R

THE WORLD

“Don’t waste your time chasing people. Attract them. The people who are meant to be in your life will gravitate towards you without hesitation” ~ Reyna Biddy “A journey is best measured in friends, not miles” ~ Tim Cahill

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6.

T H E O P P O RT U N I T Y TO D I S C O N N E C T F RO M T H E ‘ R E A L’ W O R L D A N D

A N Y N E G AT I V E V I B E S

“Life has no limitations except the ones you make” ~ Les Brown 7.

TO B E T H E I N S P I R I N G ‘C O O L G R A N D M A’ W I T H YO U R A M A Z I N G

A DV E N T U R E S TO R I E S !

Imagine sitting with your grand children under a clear sky of stars sharing your adventures with them. They’ll be inspired by you to travel & take on the world. Now that’s bliss!

8.

TO TA S T E D I F F E R E N T C U I S I N E S

Tacos and margaritas in Mexico, Green Thai Curry and $1 beers in Thailand, Tapas and Sangria in Spain - who doesn’t love dabbling in amazing food and beverages around the world?!

9.

TO C O N T I N U O U S LY L E A R N F I R S T H A N D A B O U T T H E W O R L D A RO U N D

YO U

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” ~ Mark Twain 10.

TO G A I N I N S I G H T TO T H E B I G G E R P I C T U R E

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” ~ Saint Augustine 11.

F O R I N S P I R AT I O N

Inspiration comes everyday while traveling. From the diverse people you meet, strange and beautiful destinations or even a bus trip gazing out the window getting your creativity flowing.

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12.

F O R S E L F D I S C OV E R Y, L I F E P U R P O S E & I N D E P E N D E N C E

“To travel is to take a journey into yourself’ ~ Danny Kaye 13.

TO D I S C OV E R & D E V E LO P N E W S K I L L S O R H O B B I E S

“When people are placed in positions slightly above what they expect, they are apt to excel.” ~ Richard Branson 14.

F O R LO N G -T E R M H A P P I N E S S

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”~ Anonymous Collect memories, not attachment to materialistic objects!

15.

TO L I V E L I F E TO T H E F U L L E S T

“You have exactly one life to do everything you’ll ever do. Act accordingly.” ~ Colin Wright 16.

N O W I S T H E B E S T T I M E TO TA K E AC T I O N

You’ll be saying next year how you should have started now. There’s no time like the present so get planning!

*For a more detailed version visit my blog at w w w.w a l l f l o w e r - d i a r i e s . c o m

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Makings of a Savvy Budget Traveller…

S o w h a t m a ke s yo u a s av v y t rave l l e r ?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Having a friendly, positive & open-minded attitude towards any situation (someone that everyone wants to be around) Being flexible and adaptable to change (especially when things don’t go to plan) Making the most of every opportunity Being organized Having common-sense and being street smart

-The EssentialsLike any other skill, being a good traveller comes with time, experience and practice. You have to go through the fails and mistakes to learn lessons on what works and doesn’t work for you. The good news is… I’m here to speed up the process & help! Take note of the following points and learn from my many mistakes over the years.

B R I N G . . .

Yo u r C o m m o n S e n s e - and don’t be afraid to use it! Trust your gut feeling about situations / people, be open to strangers but keep your guard up.

Pa s s p o r t (keep in ziplock bag for water resistance), international license, credit/debit card, keep it all inside a travel wallet- Make paper & electric copy’s of all your important documents, email the electronic to yourself or have them on a USB

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Trave l I n s u ra n c e - I M P O RTA N T. A quick Google search will provide a million and one companies selling travel insurance. I recommend always getting Unlimited medical/ health, a low excess, and high compensation for stolen electronic goods. CitiBank and Travel Insuranz have worked well for me in the past. Always keep your electronic receipts and make copies of them to have on your email file in case something happens. i P h o n e & C a m e ra - iPhone’s are great for easy wifi access and taking notes. Camera is a must (I use Canon DSLR & GoPro) for taking copious amount of photos to reminisce on!

B a c k u p b a n k c a r d & e m e r g e n c y c a s h - if you withdraw lump sums of money, take only what you need with you and leave the rest in your travel wallet. Let your bank know you’re leaving the country or they’ll block your card (trust me its not ideal) N e c k p i l l o w w i t h a h o o k t o h a n g o n yo u r b a c k p a c k - handy for long haul traveling 2 x b a g g a g e l o c k s - for security of your belongings, a bike lock is good for locking your large backpack to your bed in large dorm rooms. Always secure your stuff!

E a r p l u g s , h e a d p h o n e s + s l e e p i n g eye m a s k - you’ll be thanking me when old mate above you is snoring at 90 decibels…or making sweet love to his new lady friend S p a r e p l a s t i c b a g s a n d z i p l o c k b a g s - you’d be surprised how they come in handy!

S a r o n g s i n s t e a d o f c h u n k y t o w e l s - save space in your bag for more important things like bikinis i Pa d o r K i n d l e - they take up less space than books + you can download any book easily D e c k o f c a r d s - for drinking games obviously P r o b i o t i c s a n d v i t a m i n s - recommended if you’re going on a long trip to a third world country

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M i n i f i r s t a i d k i t w i t h s c i s s o r s + t w e e z e r s , n a t u ra l s u n s c r e e n H e a d t o r c h - useful for camping, reading, rummaging through your belongings for your toothbrush when you get home from the pub at 3am etc E x t ra V i r g i n C o l d P r e s s e d C o c o n u t O i l - all in one product useful for body moisturizer, hair treatment, after sun care, oil pulling. Less products to carry around!

-Do’sB r i n g a s t u r d y d a r k s u i t c a s e / b a c k p a c k a n d o n e s m a l l e r d ay b a g Pa c k l i g h t a n d t o s u i t t h e c l i m a t e - bringing 1 jacket never hurts! Especially useful for plane and bus jounryes when they’re pumping the air conditioning!

S t ay a t H o s t e l s - best place to meet people and enjoy the cheap food & bar beverages.

I use hostelworld.com agoda.com or booking.com Tr e a t yo’ s e l f - sneak into a resort and sip cocktails by a pool every now and again U t i l i z e t h e h o s t e l / h o s t e l s f r e e s t u f f - city walking tours, yoga classes, breakfast, sunrise / sunset tours etc. Avoid sleeping all day, it’s a waste!

We a r t h o n g s ( f l i p f l o p s ) i n t h e s h o w e r - and bring a spare pair, mine always seem to go walkabout M a s t e r t h e b a r t e r i n g s y s t e m - (usually used in Asia / Central & South America) many countries use haggling as a way of sales. I usually start at half their starting price and negotiate from there in a friendly cheeky manner. Don’t be rude, and remember the currency conversion. If it’s only a dollar or two it may be helping them feed their family a lot…

Lo o k b o t h w ay s o n t h e s t r e e t - different countries different rules, watch your back!

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Le a r n b a s i c n a t i ve l a n g u a g e p h ra s e s - the locals love when you make an effort!

Duolingo App and Google Translate App are helpful.

C o u n t yo u r l a u n d r y i t e m s i n f r o n t o f t h e l a u n d r y p e r s o n n e l t o avo i d l o s t i t e m s - recount when you pick them up so you can find the items straight away S h o p a r o u n d - depending on your budget you can work your trip around the cheapest arrival points. For example you could fly to the cheapest capital city even if it wasn’t your desired arrival location, and catch a cheap train or bus to where you want to go.

RomeToRio.com can tell you the cheapest transportation options in two seconds flat!

S e a r c h i n c o g n i t o - so flight booking sites don’t track your cookies and raise the price R e s e a r c h yo u r d e s t i n a t i o n s e a s o n s b e f o r e yo u b o o k - weather effects everything and can make or break a trip, especially if you’re going to that place for outdoor activities like surfing, diving, wind surfing, golfing, etc R e s e a r c h w h a t t h e r e i s t o d o b e f o r e yo u a r r i ve - this doesn’t have to involve planning your whole trip to the minute, but rather being aware of what a place has to offer. Who knows there may be an exciting festival on the time you’re there!

V i s i t t h e l o c a l t o u r i s m o f f i c e - t h ey h ave f r e e m a p s & t i p s V i s i t t o u r i s m s i t e s d u r i n g l u n c h a n d e a r l y a f t e r n o o n - this is the least busy time usually, you may even have the place to yourself!

B e c o m e f r i e n d s w i t h t h e l o c a l s - thy know the best places to eat, where the fun activities are and its always fun getting to know people from different cultures!

B o o k f l i g h t s o n Tu e s d ay s a n d u s e p o i n t s & m i l e s - this is usually the cheapest day to book online. Shop around on skyscanner.com and googleflights.com see what suits your itinerary and book directly through the airline website to avoid extra charges.

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Booking International flights 3 months in advance is best. Sign up for email flights alerts!

E n s u r e yo u ’ r e p h o n e o r w a t c h i s o n t h e c o r r e c t t i m e z o n e - to avoid missing flights. I manually change mine to the next destinations as soon as I sit on the plane U s e M a p s . M e - M a p s . Me is a fantastic offline Maps app, just download the country when you have wifi and you’re set! Even shows places to eat, sleep, walking tracks etc U s e M e e t u p w e b s i t e o r T i n d e r - to meet outgoing locals in the area D o u b l e c h e c k yo u r r o o m w h e n yo u c h e c k o u t - double check your locker and bed area to avoid losing anything precious! I suggest packing your belongings so they’re ready, if your planning on having a large night Ke e p yo u ’ r e b e l o n g i n g s t o g e t h e r (and organised if possible) to avoid losing possessions Tr y g e t a n o f e e b a n k c a r d a n d c r e d i t c a r d - to avoid unnecessary charges!

U s e f r e e W i f i i n s t e a d o f b u y i n g a S I M - everywhere these days has wifi, use it when you really need it. Disconnect from technology and enjoy your vacation otherwise!

R e f i l l yo u r w a t e r b o t t l e - take advantage of the hotel/hostels free water refilling E xc h a n g i n g m o n ey - Ensure its pristine (especially US in Asian countries). Avoid exchanging at the airport it’s always the worst rate. XE Currency App is useful.

C h e c k v i s a r e q u i r e m e n t s - you may need to apply online a few weeks prior to arriving Tr y g e t t h e w i n d o w s e a t - better bird eye views overlooking mother nature’s best!

D o n’ t b e a f ra i d t o a s k f o r u p g ra d e s - you never know if you don’t try! They have more flexibility the you think, asking in a cheeky joking way works well :)

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G e t v a c c i n e s - in some countries they are mandatory so check online prior to leaving Tr y t h e l o c a l c u i s i n e s - but also cook at your hostel sometimes to save $ E a t a t ex p e n s i ve r e s t a u ra n t s (away from the tourist area for a more authentic experience) a t l u n c h t i m e - they usually have special deals on Avo i d ex p e n s i ve t a x i s & f l i g h t s (wherever possible) - catching buses and trains from A to B is the best way to properly experience and see a country, it’s always an adventure! Not to mention the cheapest option.

And that’s a wrap!

T h a n k yo u f o r d o w n l o a d i n g t h i s E - B o o k !

I r e a l l y h o p e i t h e l p s yo u p r e p a r e f o r yo u r n ex t a d ve n t u r e !

JET SET GO!

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