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Travel Regrets

 

Travel regrets

They say in life you should never regret a thing. A life lived with regrets is a life half lived, and all that jazz. Of course I believe in this to an extent but I think it is totally normal to have some, erm let’s say ‘niggles’ over the way you spent your last travel trip.

You can never do everything you want to do when you travel. There will always be some restaurant you didn’t get the time to visit, some exhibition you had to skip or some town that was just too far out of your budget or schedule to explore.

These travel ‘regrets’ are one of the reasons we pack up our backpack time and time again in order to tick off as much as we can. It is also why during the following trips we explore differently by using the knowledge we’ve learnt from the previous trip.

I’ve been working on edits for my second novel Destination India (out in March - just FYI!) and have loved being transported back to this mystical and magical country once more. The sights, smells and sensations that India gave me have been like no other place I’ve ever visited. I got to see and do a lot of cool things whilst I was there but there were of course things I missed out on. This country is enormous for one thing so it would probably take a good few years to get around and ‘do’ it properly, at which point you’d need to start again as there would be a whole host of new things to explore.

One thing that I do regret not experiencing when I was in India is taking a sleeper train. I will admit that as I was travelling on my own I wimped out at spending a night riding the rails. I heard a lot of stories about women travellers being at risk during these journeys and stupidly believed the hype. If/when I get to revisit India I will grow a pair and book a bunk on a long train journey as I’m sure that any cons are outweighed by the many pros.

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Another thing I ‘regret’ during my travels is missing out on photo opportunities. My hard drive is full of thousands of incredible images (mostly taken on my knackered mobile phone) but there were so many shots I could have captured had I been bolder to get out my camera lens and snap away. I don’t know if it is being British or worrying that I will offend someone by acting like a paparazzi but I wish I’d had the courage not to think what others thought and documented more of my travels. I have often pondered about creating a travel vlog but again my stupid conscience kicks in telling me that I’ll look stupid chatting to myself and filming my sweaty sunburnt face in the middle of some packed foreign street market.

Well no more. I’m going to put these travel niggles in their place and act more confident in situations even if I don’t feel it. After all, who’s going to be able to tell the difference?

Of course the greatest regret anyone can have is missing out on opportunities in the first place. Say yes, jump in feet first and see where the adventure takes you. If that means working on just seeing or doing the highlights a country has to offer then just do that. You can always go back to right these ‘regrets’, that’s what I’m planning on doing!

I’d love to hear from you… have you ever missed out on things because of fear and kicked yourself later on for not being bolder?

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  • I would have spent less time behind the camera and more time experiencing the sights around me. I love the photos I have, but I know I missed out on some even better experiences.

    As I am headed back to Scotland this summer, that is one thing I will be doing differently.

  • Robert Sealey

    Katy,

    An observation and a comment.

    Nothing is ever perfect, because we aren’t perfect. We all have to make decisions and, while it’s unlikely we’ll always make the worst choices, we’re unlikely to make the very best ones either. You chose not to ride a sleeper train in India, on account of the dangers you’d heard about, which is a choice you now regret. But supposing you’d chosen to ignore the risks and something bad had happened; I’m sure you’d now be regretting that choice too. As we all know, hindsight is 20/20. And always remember: you were in a situation where you had to make that choice, which is more than most people will ever be able to say.

    For me, by far my biggest regret is that I didn’t travel more when I was younger. There was no real reason for me not to: I didn’t have family commitments, or anything like that. But, while appealing, it also seemed very daunting and I didn’t know where to start. Then, in my early thirties, I emigrated to the US. Holidays here are much shorter - ten days a year is typical - while I felt obligated to spend much of what time off I did have with family & friends in the UK. So my travel plans became a case of always next year. Only next year never came and I am now in my fifties. As a result, my advice to any young person thinking of travelling is always the same: do it; you’ll never regret it. I also regret not finding your blog sooner. A year, or so, ago I was out of work but, happily, not short of money. Reading your adventures might have prompted me to buy a backpack (you’ve got to start somewhere!) and start planning and packing.

    But regrets can be addressed. You say you’re going to go back to India and ride that sleeper train. Inspired in no small part by your blog, I am now seriously thinking about that round-the-world trip. I’ve not long started a new job, which is not a good time to be thinking about such things, but after two years here I’m eligible for a year’s unpaid sabbatical, albeit at the discretion of my manager. However, if that permission is not forthcoming, I’m simply going to quit - I call it “pulling the plug” - and go. I’m sure I will be by far the oldest backpacker out there, but so what? I remember the blog article you wrote about the Victorian women who travelled to faraway places, when that was not at all the done thing for ladies. In the meantime, I’m going to try visiting a few exotic locales, subject to the constraints of my holiday time. See you in Tahiti, perhaps?

    And a piece of advice about your concerns as to how you will appear when taking pictures, or making a vlog while holding a selfie stick: go ahead. No-one will notice and your inhibitions will soon go away.

    Finally, please keep on blogging: I really look forward to your posts.

  • Kristin

    I regret not taking more pictures but I also regret not just soaking in the sights and sounds and smells while I’m behind the camera. Its a really hard balance to find I think.

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