You need to prepare before a trip, and there are two types of preparation possible: material preparation and mental preparation. In this article, I will explain what I do or have done for my mental preparation for my trip around the world in 2009 and my next one in 2014.
Preparation for my long trip in 2009
For me, mental preparation is much more important than material preparation. The goal of this mental preparation is to become comfortable as quickly as possible during trivial events that can put you in difficulty.
- Talking and socializing with new people is one of the simplest and also the most difficult things: making friends quickly when you stay in a city for a few days. Whether you travel alone or accompanied, you must be open enough for people to want to talk to you or stay and chat with you. What I did to improve: go to an event in France where I knew no one and start socializing: I notably used the site onvasortir.com where you can find anyone to do something with.
- Speaking a foreign language, when you travel you will inevitably go to a country where there will be French people but the country will be foreign. It is always easier to travel with someone who masters languages but they will not always be there for you. Not talking with locals or living like a local really means missing part of your trip. What I did to compensate for one of my flaws: I went to polyglot meetings to speak English and Chinese. It also allowed me to improve the first point and also to lose my shyness and dare more in foreign languages.
- Knowing how to manage your budget is one of the most important things to know and many travelers who have not traveled much quickly find themselves broke because they wanted to enjoy too much. The greater your comfort, the more money you will spend. My preparation: I had my student apartment for 1 year which allowed me to manage on my own, then I did a shared flat which allowed me to live in community with a new person. You also have to set a budget and stick to it, so during all my student outings, I rarely spent more than 30 euros per evening.
- Not being limited for certain tasks, the more things you can do, the more chances you have to find work, make friends, open various opportunities. This can encompass the three previous points. Alongside other tasks, I trained myself in life by first reading many books on personal development and now it is a leitmotif I have in my head: improve to compensate for certain flaws but some take years to improve.
Preparation for my 2014 trip around the world
The preparation is roughly the same as for my first long trip, here are some points:
- Financing your trip, I think everyone would go on a trip if they could finance all or part of their trip. You find people who say “I’m not leaving because I don’t have money.” For this problem, I developed my internet business to, first: have the possibility to work around the world and second to finance my trip or save enough to travel without financial stress. I have achieved this goal for a year now, I can currently finance all my trips and I also have the budget to leave for a year without working.
- Speaking the local language, I have always wanted to do South America since I was young (the Andes mountain range, Machu Picchu, Rio de Janeiro, etc.). The problem is that I don’t speak Spanish, too bad for me although I already speak 4 languages! I will register at the start of the school year in a language school to start Spanish for one year and after a few months, I will train at polyglot meetings to solidify my basics. I also plan to live a few months in a South American city (maybe Lima, Mexico, or Guatemala).
- Developing other skills, one of the problems of my first long trip was that I did not have a driver’s license and it closed a lot of doors for me. This year, I am preparing my driver’s license and I hope to have it before leaving. It is really a black spot in my goals and I think it will be the most difficult to fulfill.
- Building a network around the world is a difficult thing to do that requires a lot of traveling and a lot of socializing. I have been developing my network for years through traveling. When you travel, you often meet people with the same passion as you, so it is easier. Currently, I know that if I go to Australia, Burma, Thailand, Japan, Chile, USA, Canada, and Europe, etc., I will have people to rely on because I have created bonds with them. I have even met friends again in China, London, the USA, Dubai during my previous trips and they also came to see me. The network is maintained over time!
Ps: Known in Thailand, the girls are Dutch, one lives in Burma, the boy is Canadian and currently lives in Mexico. He came to visit me in Paris.
I think that for the rest to do, my future trips will help me improve more and more knowing that I have at least three trips planned before 2014.
And you, do you prepare this way? If yes, what do you do?
