Committing Travel Sins

Confession time: I have committed several travel sins. Here are some of them —

I Don’t Do backpack

The last time I wore a travel backpack, or a hiking backpack, to be exact, was when I was in secondary school. Once I moved to high school, my blue backpack and innocence were neatly packed away.

Ever since I started to travel, I either bring my pink carry-on or my big ass ‘I-can-easily-fit-a-body-in-it’ Samsonite. I cursed myself so much for not having a cool backpack when I had to carry the 40 kilos worth of luggage up three narrow sets of stairs inside a Hutong in China. But did I get a backpack after that? Not really. I still travel with the same luggage.

I Am Constantly On My Phone

The first thing I search for when I reach a new place is the wifi to tell Amma that I am safe and sound. But, unlike travel bloggers who set up a blog to inform their parents, my Amma demands to know immediately when the plane touches down.

It is one of her non-negotiable family rules.

Also, I like to take pictures and make notes when I travel. I am pretty good at ignoring my emails or messages because I don’t want to have ordinary days when I travel, but the notes don’t separate me from my notes.

I Have Never Shared A Room With A Stranger

I have solo travelled and stayed in hostels and at Airbnbs before, but I never shared a room with a stranger in my travels.

The last time I did that was in Uni, with a girl named Tweety who could squeeze me from the upstairs bunk bed. And I don’t even want to experience anything near that ever again.

I don’t mind paying extra for privacy, but I wouldn’t mind sharing a place with strangers if at least one of my friends is there to get the experience.

I Constantly Crave For Asian Food

I claim to be a foodie and am open to trying new things when I travel. I have had eyebrow-raising food and plan to eat my way everywhere, but I can’t go a week without Asian food — at minimum white rice and spicy chilli.

Otherwise, I will be sad. Like sad sad.

I experienced this the first time I went to Europe and had to beg my cousin sis to take me to a Chinese restaurant so I could eat some rice. I was on the brink of tears—it was not pretty.

I Need Bathroom Amnesties

When I travel, I am pretty particular about the toilet. I don’t mind sleeping in a small room, but I cannot do with dirty bathrooms. That is where I draw my line.

I Hardly Make Local Friends

I wish to make local friends in the places I travel to. I am curious to learn how the locals live their lives. But most of the time, I am either shy or just plain awkward or ignorant to put effort into making local friends.

I Don’t Travel For A Long Time

I have never travelled for more than a month in one go before.

When everyone my age was busy taking a gap year and travelling somewhere, I took a gap year for five months. And you know how much I travelled in those five months? Merely five weeks. The budget was a constriction because I wasn’t working back then. And now that I am working leave days have become so precious.

Do I want to travel for a year or more? Very much so! But I don’t think I can do it anytime soon. At least not in the next few years, when I am amid adult-ing.

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