How to Always be a Happy Traveller

You’ve been waiting for months, and the big day has finally come. Full of adrenaline you make your way to the airport, have a few celebration drinks and board your plane. But once you arrive at your destination, the adrenaline is gone, and you feel tired and jet-lagged. You can’t believe it. It was the ‘trip of the year’, and you feel drained and irritable! And surprisingly, you are not enjoying your ‘trip of a lifetime’ as much as you thought you should. And you are not a happy traveller!

That’s just one scenario, but isn’t it strange to have a bad day when you are travelling? You are on holiday. You expect happiness every day, right? And usually, it is the case! But unfortunately, you find that sometimes you are not a happy traveller. Perhaps times when you feel tired, jet-lagged or hungry. Or possibly you have travelled without allowing time for rest, and you have seen too many attractions. But it also could be that sometimes being happy takes practice and thought. And just because you are have gone somewhere exciting, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a happy time.

So we’ve written these tips on how to always be a happy traveller. These are our golden rules of travel to make sure you always have a happy and fantastic time.

How to Always be a Happy Traveller

Baggage Issues

It all starts with preparations before you leave home. Pack Light! If you are backpacking with 44 pounds on your back, it makes travel harder. You may have a sore back. Same goes with suitcases, but we always travel with backpacks for the portability. 

Travel with less! It’s all about what’s around you, not how you look. You don’t need five pairs of shoes. But maybe you do! So, you have to do your research on what you need for your destination, and be prepared to make sacrifices. 

Packing lighter makes you a happy traveller. We’ve travelled with 44 pounds and 22 pounds on our back. With 22 pounds we ran off a train and started our adventure as we walked cheerfully to our accommodation. With 44 pounds we looked for a lift to go down to the ground floor and then looked for a costly taxi to take us to our room. We then had to drag our baggage up five flights of stairs.

Further, if you are travelling and moving every few days, it will also be easier to pack when you leave each destination. Plus, if you feel you need something, you can always buy it and bring a souvenir home.

It’s All About The Preparation 

What type of traveller are you? Who are your travelling companions? You may find you are unhappy if you love museums and galleries, but spend your days chasing waterfalls with your friends who love them. It’s important to consider what you want from a holiday. You need to discuss this beforehand with your travel companions and make sure you all get to do what you want. 

If there are certain things you love doing, plan ahead of time to make sure the trip is what you expect. If you are travelling in high season, it pays to plan and book certain things like accommodation or popular activities. Or you may find you miss out on doing the things you love. Also, if you prefer going with the flow when you travel, maybe you should consider low season travel or a less touristy destination.

A little preparation will go a long way in ensuring you are a happy traveller. Plus, the anticipation during the planning stage is also joyful. 

Be Healthy

No matter how happy you are and how beautiful everything is, you will be unhappy if you are sick. So again, do your preparations before you leave home. Get your doctors check-ups, organize any medicines you need and don’t forget a stash of vitamins. Get fit, get healthy and then go out to explore the world happy.

Further, make sure you don’t get sick while you are travelling. And no time is more important to preach than now – wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer.

Can you drink the water or eat the street food? Look at the warnings in the country that you are in and follow them. Spending two days on the toilet is not a happy occasion.

And most importantly, don’t forget to keep hydrated and eat well.

Make staying healthy while travelling a priority.
Read last week’s post for our most useful tips on
How to Stay Healthy While Travelling.

Be Fit 

We walk everywhere. Not only does it save us money, but it also is a great way to see a city. But most importantly, it is an exercise that contributes to us staying healthy while we travel. Whether you love swimming, hiking or going to the gym, take part in these activities during your trip. Plus, exercise produces feel-good endorphins, consequently making you happy.

Further, hiking is a great way to exercise. You can often get to places that a vehicle can not take you. And getting out into nature is another way to make you happy.

And don’t forget the added benefits to your health and wellbeing when taking part in yoga, meditation and dancing. Additionally, dancing offers the opportunity to meet people while releasing the feel-good endorphins that come from music and dance.

People Make the Occasion

Meeting and connecting with other travellers is often a highlight of our trips. Though, sometimes it’s hard to meet other people. We’ve even heard travellers say they go to a destination to experience different cultures, and they don’t care about meeting other travellers. We, ourselves, would rather travel in the low season as we prefer travelling without the crowds. However, when we meet people and share the experience, it makes it more valuable. People enhance the experience. Therefore, they make you happier. 

And Mostly it’s About the Local People

It’s surprising how many travellers stay in a resort and don’t go out to meet local people except for ones they meet in the service industry. Go out of your way to meet locals. Explore the local markets, eat where locals eat and don’t be shy to chat to people on the streets. Talk to the local people. Usually, they are eager to hear about your life too. 

If you find it hard to start conversations, a simple smile will go a long way. One time we smiled at a man on a train in China. And then, the next thing we know, we are sharing noodles with the family. We didn’t understand a word they said, and they didn’t understand us, but everyone was laughing. And they taught us how to use chopsticks correctly. 

That was pre-mobile phone days, and we used body language to communicate. Now communicating is more accessible with translation apps.

Be welcoming. Be open to opportunities to learn about other cultures. Travel can open our minds and hearts. These experiences will make you a happy traveller.

Be Rested

It’s a holiday, not a marathon. Are you one of those people who wants to see everything at your destination? Don’t get exhausted and grumpy. Allow your body time to recover from the daily activities. Make sure to get lots of of sleep and lots of rest.

Take days off from the touring and relax away from the crowds. Whether that is a day at a scenic reserve or relaxing by the hotel pool, spend some time simply enjoying your surroundings.

Treat Yourself

We are budget travellers. It is how we can afford to travel for longer. Depending on where we are, we will save money by buying bread, cheese and vegetables to eat for lunch. We save money by not going into every costly tourist attraction.

However, we always make sure we splash out on a few things. And while we usually cook for ourselves or eat street food, we make sure we go out at least once for dinner in each new city. It allows us the opportunity to sample the local cuisine. 

If you are on a budget, evaluate what you love and make sure you splash out on those things occasionally. Whether that is buying souvenirs, fancy dinners or entry fees to the things that interest you, reward yourself. 

Quality Time

Don’t forget to make quality time to reconnect with the loved ones you are travelling with on your trip. Happiness begins from the quality time spent together and continues throughout your day.

Equally as good is to have some ‘alone time’ to connect with yourself. ‘Alone time’ allows you to get in touch with your thoughts, feelings and clear your mind. You will appreciate your travel partners more and have happier times when you are together again.

Further, if you are travelling alone, make time to call home and connect with loved ones. Especially if you are away on a long trip, you can sometimes find you are homesick and feel lonely.

Comparison is a Mood Killer

Do not compare the things you see to things in your country. Comparisons are judgements. When you are comparing things and judging, you are not experiencing things. You start thinking about which is better. And if the experience you are having is not better, this makes you unhappy and unthankful.

See different things as a new experience, and be thankful everything is not the same. These differences are what make our travels more exciting.

Live in the Moment

It astounds us how many people we see on holiday staring at their mobile. There is so much stimulation on holiday, and going offline can give you a renewed outlook on life. Plus it can give you a respite from the addiction.

Spend some time on your holiday unplugged from your mobile and other technology and live in the moment.

We have spent hours staring through the bus window as we travelled to a new destination. These are some of the most peaceful and happiest moments of our whole trip.

Further, you are on holiday! Stop checking your work phone in case someone needs you at work. Leave the work at home.

Variety is the Spice

Include many different experiences, especially if it is a long trip. Doing something too many times can make it tedious. For example, ruin fatigue is an issue that travellers have reported. No matter how much you love them, if you see too many ruins, it can make you tired, bored and unhappy if you overdo it.

Look for new experiences you have never done before and awe-inspiring things to do. These will bring you joy.

Keep On With the Hobby

Continue doing what you love. Just because you are travelling the world, your hobbies don’t need to stop. Whether it is photography, blogging, going to the gym or the cinema, you can still do these things while travelling. 

Travelling is an opportunity to find new things you enjoy. It also allows you to reach out and share the things you already love. You can do this by volunteering or helping out others. You may find satisfaction and joy by doing so.

Let Go

These are just some of the things that make you happier. But the main thing is to ‘Let go’. When you are travelling, things often don’t run to plan. It is easy to get anxious, frustrated or stressed. Do not sweat the small stuff. If you see everything as an experience, you will find how to always be a happy traveller is easy. Plus people will work with you to find a solution to your problems if you keep your cool.

Have an open mind and be open to your surroundings. Further, with an open mind and a good attitude, if things don’t go to plan or go wrong, you can turn a negative experience into a bearable one. Or you may learn something, find something to laugh about or have an interesting travel tale to share.

And when all else fails, head to the bar for a pick me up. But don’t tell anyone we told you so. And always drink in moderation.

Bonus – Be Creative

There are different ways to create. Regardless if it is gardening, drawing, volunteering, photography or writing, creating is therapy. And it is a way to find your inner joy.

For us, writing is therapy, as is this blog. Writing allows you to explore your thoughts and feelings and preserve them. It gives you an opportunity for mental clarity and a way to decompress. Many travellers find writing a journal therapeutic while travelling. It can also serve as a diary of your trip and an update for your family and friends.

Whether writing or another way of being creative, find your passion and time for it during your holiday.

Writing makes us happy, and so does knowing that you enjoyed this post. Please leave a short comment if you did.

Thanks for reading. May you be blessed with safe travels and always be a happy traveller

Do you want to start your own travel blog? Starting a blog is easy. It is a great way to share your experience, and it is yours to keep like a photo album. You may even find you love your creation and want to pursue it as a part-time hobby. Or you may decide to continue blogging as a way to help you see the world.

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