30 Things Travel Has Taught Me About Life, Independence, and Myself
- Maddie Luchsinger
- Jul 7
- 4 min read
Note: This post may contain affiliate links.
As I approached my 30th birthday, I decided to look back on what travel has taught me. Here are the lessons I learned traveling solo.
Growing up, I used to regularly anguish over how small my life was, which seems like a dramatic sentence to write, but if you knew me then, you knew I had big feelings about it. I grew up in a small(ish) city in East Tennessee, and as an adult, I realize now that some of those big feeling probably stemmed from feeling like I didn't quite fit in.
I knew I wanted a big life: a big career, a big city, long flights — but a large part of me feared I'd never leave the city I grew up in. I tried, a few times, but in addition to being afraid of never doing something I was also afraid to actually do something.
As I approached my 30th birthday, I started thinking about how proud my younger self would be of where I'm at today, and how excited she'd be that I'm writing about it. So to honor the 15-year-old girl who worried herself to tears about her future, here are 30 life lessons I've learned from traveling.
On knowing and trusting yourself:
When you're in a city that isn't your home and you have to rely on yourself, you learn a lot about who you are, what you want, and what you're capable of.
Sometimes you think you're ready. You're not. That's ok.
Sometimes you think you aren't ready. You are. That's ok, too.
The only way to figure out if you fall into one of the above categories is to go for it regardless.
"When fear arrives, something is about to happen." (I have to credit Leigh Bardugo for that one.)
Have strong opinions. Change them sometimes.
When people look to you, you'll feel like they're looking to the wrong person. They're not.
The only thing that's actually "uncool" is labeling things as "uncool."
On letting go and moving forward:
Things don't always go as planned when you're on the road, and that's ok. Sometimes, you have to move on.
If it's time to give something up but you won't let go, life will do it for you. When life does it, it hurts more.
Walk away the first time.
With time, it all becomes neutral. Your experiences shape you, but don't let them create something jagged.
You'll put yourself in a box. That box will break. Don't find a new box.
Nothing matters! Doesn't that feel freeing?
Yes, a vision board works.
On other people:
When you finally get out of your small part of the world, you realize that what other people think matters less, and that we're all just people who want to connect with other people.
People's criticisms say more about themselves than they do you.
Your judgment of others is judgment of yourself.
You can appreciate what someone has been through without accepting mistreatment.
Everyone has an opinion about what you should want. It doesn't mean you should (or shouldn't) want those things.
You'll have to learn things the hard way. You'll have to watch your friends learn things the hard way. Be there for each other when it doesn't work out.
Embrace the block button.
On showing up and taking up space:
The first time I traveled for work, I was secretly flabbergasted that my company would send me anywhere to talk about anything. Then, I owned the room.
Acting like you belong will get you into rooms you definitely think you don't belong in. Pretend you belong there until you do.
Speak up, even in front of — no, especially in front of — important people.
If doing it for the haters gets it done, joke's on them. You still did it. (Spite is my favorite motivator.)
Demand more than you think you're worth. Don't feel guilty about it.
On life in general:
When you travel while working, you have to learn how to take care of yourself just as well as (if not better than) you would at home. Here's what travel has taught me about life in general.
Drinking water does actually help.
Sleep is important. Don't let things keep you up at night.
Touch grass. Things feel way less overwhelming when you've been outside.
Stop scrolling your phone in bed in the morning. Put it in a drawer and splash some water on your face.
If you think you'll regret missing out at the age of retirement, do it. If you won't remember it in 5 years, it's ok to skip.
Buy yourself one nice thing in your mid-20s (like a solo trip) just to prove to yourself that you can.
The answer is more often "a little bit of both" then it is "this or that."
I know I am not the most well-traveled person on the internet, and I also know that my ability to travel is a great privilege. As I head into the next decade of my life, I can't wait for the next 10, 20 or 30 lessons I'll learn from the great, big world I finally found myself brave enough to explore.
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