We've all had life-lesson experiences, where we learned something so valuable that we're reminded often how important a lesson it was. I'm sure for many of you, some of those lessons came while traveling. Here's one of mine:

On one of my first trips overseas, I spent some time in Paris by myself - it was the first time I'd spent alone since leaving home. I was staying with relatives, so my "solo" time was limited, but during the workday my cousins were busy and I had two choices - either I could sit in their lovely apartment all day and wait for them to return and show me around, or I could go out and explore the city that was just outside the door. I chose the latter.

More than once, I got what I feared was hopelessly lost. I didn't speak the language (except for a few minor pleasantries), and hadn't yet negotiated the Metro system without the aid of friends and/or family. On one particular solo outing, I emerged from what I thought was the right Metro station to find that I wasn't at all close to where I thought I was. Much to my surprise, I didn't panic (I'm a bit panic-prone) - and I eventually found where I was and got back on track.

The lesson I learned then, a lesson that has served me in both travel-related and non-travel-related situations, is that the definition of "lost" isn't what I'd always thought it was. Sure, I wasn't where I wanted to be, but I could always get there from here - it just might take me a little longer...

What lessons have you learned while traveling that have served you in your "normal" life? What have your biggest "ah-ha!" moments been out on the road? Share them here!

I've learned many things through travel. The most recent was in Tokyo at a traditional Japanese tea ceremony: Every human encounter is a unique and singular experience that will never recur in the same exact manner again. Thus, every encounter (and tea ceremony) should be savored for what it gives each participant. I think that's a very beautiful way to think of life, don't you?

Good one.

The first thing that comes to mind is faith in humanity. With all the negatives we hear about the world (our countries and city's included) it's easy to forget just how good and beautiful people are, everywhere.

Some others are - Confidence and self reliance. Fully standing up for myself. I really don't like to hurt other people's feelings or insult others, so I usually bite my tongue. I think India tought me that one, it was either get ripped off or stick up for yourself. It's carried over into other aspects of life as well.

Doing what you truely want is very, very rewarding too (I found that out first hand). As long as you're not negetively effecting someone else's life in the process.

Good topic...

Yes, the people factor, being it the friendly locals yourself or some people you would rather do without.

I was suffering early symptons of some food poisoning and with a dicky motorbike riding thru Vietnam and some local people quite warmly accepted this huge brazen foreigner into their home, but maybe I had not given them much choice!, and another time with motorbike again, my wallet had flipped out of breast pocket and got returned by an islander fully intact.

Next time in Europe it flipped out of an inside breast pocket courtesy of some snitch in Rome airport.

And yes take your time in travel, make time to chat with some locals, and you can find some older people with such good memories and if not their native tongue but having an ability not oft used they are so keen to speak with native english speakers.

Yes Jess, ain't that metro something - the trick on any of them is to know the names of staions in the direction of the one that you want to head to, so as you can get on the right side of the track.

• The journey is half the fun
• Hillbillies are hillbillies no matter what country you are in
• Regardless of what country I’m in, I still like to log into BnA
• Full page visas in your passport in a foreign language are fun to look at for years
• Traveling alone is better than as a group…but hook up with other travelers along the way as you see fit
• Living in a country is much more rewarding than ‘doing’ a country
• If they’ve got a Canadian flag on their pack, they are fair game for ‘blame canada’ jokes
• UK immigration is staffed by goblins from the Mines of Moria
• The best times are to be had in the smallest towns
• Travel is like sex: everyone is a fucking expert (point being: do what works for you)
• Hotels are and restaurant in guide books lose the allure the moment the book is published
• Bring twice as many socks and underwear than you think you need
• Backup your pictures at every opportunity
• Expect to loose or damage everything you bring with you
• No matter how much you have travelled, someone else has done more. Relax. Get over it.
• If you meet a guy on your travels named ‘Stu’ then you should buy him a beer

don't forget to live in the moment and appreicate where you are, try not to think of the train, or flight that is next and what your doing tomorrow. right now is the most important, stop look around and absorb and feel where you are. instead of trying to look at everything you can, try to see whats actually there.

if i had been doing this longer i would feel a little more enriched. ka kite.

Faith in humanity, disgust with humanity, patience, tolerance, how insignificant our little place in the universe is, how most of our troubles are really nothing, beer is the universal conversation starter, and, um, I smoke a lot when I travel.

http://blogs.bootsnall.com/Chuck/

I've learned that while blending in can make your life eaier most of the time, sometimes it's still a good idea to play the dumb American card.

I've learned so much whilst travelling... it's definately helped me grow as a person but the 2 main things i take with me everywhere is approach new things with an open mind and trust must first instinct!

* That scary/strange/uncomfortable/start to a horror movie portion of the journey will make for great storytelling once I return. What - you already heard the story about the time I -----? Too bad! I'm telling you again!

* Getting lost is always fun.

* While sitting on the 3rd floor people watching on the street below, I noticed that few people ever look up as they walk - just doggedly at the ground. I try to look up as much as possible.

* If you take the wrong train and end up in in Bourdeaux at 6:30 in the morning with $3 to your name, a conductor will take pity on you and write a long note on the back of your ticket that is a free pass to all of the destinations necessary to end up where you need to be. (And many others along the way.)

* People like to help - just ask. If they say no, ask again with a bigger smile. If they still say no, offer to buy them a beer. The third time is a charm. Or maybe it is a free beer?

*If someone helps you, get their address. Send them a postcard when you get home. It keeps the karma happy.

* If a stranger asks, 'Would you like to join me for a drink at this cafe?' Always answer yes.

* While I accept that I may never taste all of the beers of the world, that doesn't mean I won't give it a good effort anyway.

* You can feed the animals. Just do it from your car. Make sure the battery doesn't die when you attempt to get away. (Be prepared!)

* Take notes along your travels. Your memory is not as good as you think that it is.

* Photo, photo, photo.

* Certain food items are not intended for road trips. 40 pounds of roasted chilis poorly packaged in ziplock bags will make your car reek for weeks after driving 350 miles. You will regret this - even though you will make awesome salsa for months. Same goes for lake caught fish. And brown bananas.

I found that respect for the culture of a foreign land is one solution to "good travelin'".

Reduce expectations that things "should be" like...(fill in the blank).

Rather than schedule 40, 000K of travel, schedule say 400k and immerse yourself more into local cultures.

And, last and certainly not least...

Wherever you go, there you are!

I have learned that if you're little chubby you shouldn't jump in to the waterfall even though local kids do this and they're like 5 years old.
I was after 3 years of living in Chicago ( miss that pizza damn it)and overjoyed in Mexico feeling so free and close to the nature I jumped in to the waterfall but rocks were to big and I couldn't climb on them. 40 minutes later I was pulled out by 3 mexican men with one of them trying to push up my big ass. I felt like a big whale being rescued by green peace.

The best things in life are free:
-photos
-friends
-kindness
-libraries
-parks
-drawing
-reading
-pick-up sports
-walking
-vistas, views, panoramas, etc.
-sunny days
-even more photos

One of the most important things that I have learned from travel is to never listen to what CNN, the government or other people say about people, religions and countries.

From my experiences traveling I now know that:

From traveling in: South Africa and Iraq
-That South Africans are not all racist, they are actually well traveled and cool people.

From traveling in: Indonesia
-That poverty is 10,000 people living in houses made with trash sleeping in there own filth wile people drive by in Rolls Royces, not people who live in government condos who eat everyday.

From traveling in: Iraq
-That violence is sometimes the only means to create peace.

From traveling in: Iraq, Jordan, Indonesia, UAE, Bahrain, Malaysia, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
-That Muslims are not all terrorists, they are just like me and you (good and bad)

From traveling in: Everywhere
-Contrary to what my mother told me, some people are just bad

From traveling in: Everywhere
-Contrary to what I used to think, some people are truly good.

From traveling in: Palestine
-Palestinians do want peace

From traveling in: Israel
-Israelis do want peace

From traveling in: Australia
-Australian surfer gals are hot and make me feel a little faint

From traveling in: China
-Communists don’t want to take over the world, they want a big house and a BMW

From traveling in: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia and Philippines
-S/E Asia is not one big go-go bar (dammit...)

From traveling in: France
-The French are only rude to people who arrogantly think that people should speak English in non-English speaking countries.

From traveling in: Everywhere
-Not everyone wants to live in the west, most people would never give up there nationality

From traveling in: Mexico
-That an incompetent government combined with widespread poverty has more to do with so many Mexicans crossing the border than America being such a great place to live.

From traveling in: S. Korea and Japan
-Not everyone in central Asia knows Kung-Fu

From traveling in: UK, France, The Netherlands and South America
-Football is played with a round ball, not an oblong one

From traveling in: Amsterdam, Netherlands
-Do not eat the “brownies”

From traveling in: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
-Do not eat the “Happy Pizza”

As you can see I was pretty arrogant and naive before I started to travel

Every time I travel I always think about this quote from Mark Twain:

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.

What a wonderful post. Thanks for writing that.