Travel Goals

1. Climb to Everest Base Camp.
2. Climb Mt Kilimanjaro.
3. Learn to Scuba Dive.
4. Visit every continent.
5. See the Galapagos Islands.
6. Sail down the Amazon River.
7. Climb Ayer's Rock.
8. Ride the Trans-Siberian.
9. Go into space.
10. Go wild at La Tomintina.
11. See the sunrise from Mt. Fuji.
12. Gaze at Borobudor.
13. Visit the Pyramids
14. Safari in East Africa.
15. Go to the World Cup!
16. See Machu Picchu.
17. Join the Century Club.
18. Visit Antarctica.
19. Do development work.
20. See Petra Jordan.
21. Backpack the Eastern Block.
22. See the Northern Lights.
23. Vegas Baby! Vegas!
24. Greek Island hop.
25. Cycle Tuscany.
26. Visit India.
27. Lounge in the Seychelles.
28. See Morocco.
29. Oktoberfest!
30. Caravan across the Sahara.
31. Visit Tibet.
32. Fly first class.
33. Go to Israel.
34. Carnival!!!!
35. Mardi Gras!
36. Cannes Film Festival.
37. Sundance Film Festival.
38. Eat a sushi meal at NOBU
39. Pacific Island hop.
40. Spend a night in the Ice Hotel.
41. See Glacier National Park.

Learn a Foreign Language

Are you planning to travel around Europe? Why not learn Italian or French before you go to maximize your experience.

Book Your Travel Here!!

The Skills You Need to Travel

June 16, 2008

Skills you need for travel I recently received an e-mail I answered in the Ask Me! section that I think deserves more attention than the few lines I gave it. The person had asked me:

“Have you noticed a particular set of skills that come in handy abroad? What should I learn to best prepare myself for living, working, and traveling overseas?”

It’s a great question because travel, especially solo travel, requires a lot of skills. So when I was asked this question, a few traits came to mind but one more than any other: adaptability. It is the most important trait I think a traveler needs to have. You can suck at reading a map, have dietary restrictions that keep you eating only lettuce, and the ability of a dog to learn a language but if you can not adapt to new situations, you won’t make it.

People are scared to travel sometimes. They might dream of spending their days roaming the world, exploring ancient ruins, and lounging on the beach but they don’t. The world isn’t full of nomads- it is full of worker bees. Why? A lot of the reason why people don’t travel is that they don’t make it a priority. They keep the dream in their head. But another major reason is that they don’t feel they have the traits to do so. They feel they won’t make it. They’ll get lonely, mugged, bored- the list goes on. But one thing they always feel is that they won’t be able to adjust to their new surroundings.

Without the ability to deal with the unexpected, you’ll fail. But you can learn this trait. You can do it. You don’t need to have this ability before you go. You can learn it on the road. In fact, the longer you are gone, the more you learn to deal with unexpected situations. If there is one constant in travel, it is that eventually, something goes wrong. You break down in Australia, get lost in a jungle, lose your camera, miss a flight, get sick, or stuck somewhere where no one speaks English- something will happen to you. It’s Matt’s Law- the longer you are on the road, the more likely it is that something goes wrong. Falling into the ocean with my camera wasn’t on my list of travel goals. Neither was breaking down in Australia. Likewise about my travel companions taking me a different way then I had expected.

But I got over it. Because I learned to adapt. It took me awhile to become totally comfortable with that. When I first set off on the road, I was rigid. I stayed in my box. But the more I traveled, the longer I went, the more unexpected things that happen, the more comfortable I got. I found beauty in the happy accidents of travel.

You need to know thy self though. In my tip for new travelers, I gave a list of things I’d tell a new traveler. If I had to add another, it would be start at your comfort level. Know your self. Maybe jumping head first isn’t the best idea. Maybe you don’t want to see just how adaptable you are. Well, that shouldn’t stop you from traveling. There’s a lot of alternatives so you can dip slowly into the pool of travel. Maybe a tour group is good or maybe travel with friends. But whatever it is, you need to get out on the road first! Adaptability is a skill you can learn and traveling is a great way to learn it.

Many things will happen to you while you travel- some good, some bad, some in between. No matter what though, if you aren’t open to the experience, you will always been longing for home. You’ll have a miserable time and won’t be able to enjoy the cultures you are in. So if there is one thing I think you need when you travel, it’s the ability to adapt. The road is constantly changing, you just need to learn to adapt to it!

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Posted by NomadicMatt | Filed Under Travel Advice

Comments

18 Responses to “The Skills You Need to Travel”

Cuckoo on June 16th, 2008 6:05 pm

Matt,
It’s an eye opener for newbies. I am glad that you could take out this pt.
Quickroute on June 16th, 2008 6:41 pm

Good post - I would add ‘patience’ as a must have quality. Good things happen to those that are prepared to wait!
Tanya on June 16th, 2008 7:45 pm

Hey Matt, love the new look of the site!
Christine Gilbert on June 17th, 2008 12:23 am

Matt, I love that picture on the top, hysterical. You guys look like you’re having fun!
backpakker on June 17th, 2008 7:59 am

Its a very interesting piece..I have started thinking what skills I have and those I dont..I still have to overcome certain fears and hangups
Lakshmi
Debo Hobo on June 17th, 2008 12:43 pm

Being a collector of elephant figurines I really love this photo.
travelphilippines on June 17th, 2008 1:29 pm

well no celebration actually as we spend the day on the road hehe.
NomadicMatt on June 17th, 2008 2:04 pm

@quickroute: Patience is a good quality to have, especially when you get stuck in a train station for hours!

@tanya: thanks!

@backpakker: what skills do you have?

@debo: well, you are in luck- there are more elephant pictures to come.
Travel Betty on June 17th, 2008 3:28 pm

Great post, Matt! Adaptability IS the key. Otherwise, you’re just fighting against a force stronger than yourself. And that’s no fun!

I also agree that the number one way to travel more is to make it a priority. People always ask me how I can travel so often. A lot of people even seem annoyed or angry when I say I’m off on another adventure. They feel like I’m cheating the system somehow. But really, I’d just decided that now I work to travel and so any opportunity that comes up to do so, I take it.

btw, thanks for including me in your list of travel links. I really appreciate it!
sforshner on June 17th, 2008 11:54 pm

those are some invaluable skills that transcend travel
Julie on June 18th, 2008 12:04 am

The best travel skills transcend travel.

In addition to adaptability, I’d add the skill of developing curiosity and wonder. Rather than imposing our own perceptions and prejudices on the situations we encounter, how about approaching everything with wonder?
backpakker on June 18th, 2008 8:45 am

Ah ! thats a post in itself..

Lakshmi
NomadicMatt on June 18th, 2008 2:20 pm

@sfroshner and julie: You are right! The best skills can be used anywhere in life and I think the ability the learn to adapt can help not only in the travel world but in the “real world.” You can take those skills with you in the workplace, into relationships- anywhere!!

@julie- I think there are plenty of skills you need when to travel and approaching everything with wonder if one of them!
trang on June 19th, 2008 12:02 pm

matt, this is very beautifully said.
Motivating Yourself to Travel : Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site on June 30th, 2008 4:05 pm

[...] Travel teaches you how to adapt to sudden and unknown changes in situations. It teaches you how to be versatile. In the business [...]
Rita on August 13th, 2008 8:41 pm

A thought-provoking post! It is said “travelling broadens one’s horizon”. There’s some truth in it.
I met a few people on the road who were always complaining because they expected standards the trip/country couldn’t offer to them. If they compare foreign countries with home, they’ll never be happy on a trip.
The greatest challenge I had to adapt to, was travelling the Australian Outback with a broken arm. It happened on the first day of the trip. But I never thought of going home.
Another Travel Skill You Need | Nomadic Matt's Travel Site on August 19th, 2008 1:26 pm

[...] ago, I responded to an email about what I thought was the most important skill a traveler needed. I said adaptability. Without the ability to adapt to the constantly changing conditions of the road, a traveler is not [...]
Another Travel Skill You Need « A Guy and A Gal in The World! Will We Survive? on August 20th, 2008 7:21 am

[...] ago, I responded to an email about what I thought was the most important skill a traveler needed. I said adaptability. Without the ability to adapt to the constantly changing conditions of the road, a traveler is not [...]