To kick off our travel hack series our very own Becki Bowen gives us the low down on how to get through those dreaded and oh so long journeys we will all inevitably face when we head off travelling....
I used to think that an hour’s train ride was long until I decided to venture out to the other side of the world. 27 hours, 4 meals, 3 movies, a whole album, 1 book, 3 poor attempts at cross words, and numerous cheeky people-watching sessions later and my life had changed forever. An hour journey was never feel too long again!
Maybe you are about to embark on your first ever road trip, or endure a painstaking 14 hour bus journey with a drippy air con, squashed up next to a stranger who clearly hasn’t had shower in well over a week. Or maybe you have to catch an overnight train and you are worried you won’t sleep?
Don’t panic! I’ve been there and got the T shirt, and it isn’t as bad as you think! You just need to come prepared! Here are our top ten tips travel hacks for surviving a long journey.
You may stop somewhere selling street food, or may be at a bus station which charges for toilet use. You never know when it may come in handy.
Quite often bus drivers can be pretty ruthless when it comes to the heating controls. Whether they are blasting the air conditioning or just not turning it on at all, you do not want to find yourself freezing/melting. So bring layers.
Sleep is healing. Bring some ear plugs to block out all unwanted noise, grab your travel pillow and try and get some snoozing in.
If travelling by bus, the middle is always a safe bet. It is far less bumpy than the back and you won’t be blinded by the traffic lights from up front. I always tend to go for a seat with nobody next to it when travelling solo in the hope I will have more space. This can be a risky move however as you don’t know who is waiting to get on at a later stop so best to pick from the options you can already see.
Write a blog or a story. Jot down everything you observe around you, the little things that catch your eye, the smells, and the scenery. When you look back in a few years, you may have forgotten all these little moments. It is great to be able to re-live it.
Lastly, a sense of humour is crucial to this experience. The thing to remember is that this journey WILL come to an end and in the grand scheme of things, it will seem so small afterwards and be SO worth it. Laugh it off and enjoy all the unfamiliar surroundings, you will carry these experiences with you for a lifetime.
Words By Becki
Photography: Nathan Dundovic
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