If You Could Leave One Piece Of Advice
It's striking how often travellers arrive at similar lessons through completely different experiences.
During my travels, I've spent countless hours in hostel common rooms, kitchens, cafés and co-working spaces.
People come and go every day, often staying for only a night or two, but many leave behind ideas, stories and lessons that stay with you long after they've checked out.
So I started wondering:
If travellers could pin one piece of advice to a hostel noticeboard for the next person arriving, what would it say?
Over the course of my travels, I asked ten fellow travellers what message they would pin to a hostel noticeboard.
Here are their answers.
Sofia, 26, Spain
"Stop waiting for the perfect time."
You'll always find a reason to delay something. At some point you simply have to begin.
Liam, 34, Australia
"Talk to strangers."
Some of the best experiences of my life started with a conversation I almost didn't have.
Hanna, 58, Germany
"Take the longer route."
The detours usually become the stories you remember.
Daniel, 24, England
"You don't need to know what's next."
Travelling taught me that uncertainty isn't always something to fear.
Maria, 42, Brazil
"Spend less. Stay longer."
I've learned more from spending two weeks in one place than rushing through five countries.
Jin-woo, 25, South Korea
"Collect moments, not souvenirs."
Most of the things I bought are forgotten. The memories aren't.
Chloe, 29, Canada
"Put your phone away occasionally."
The world becomes much more interesting when you look up.
Mikkel, 37, Denmark
"Don't compare your journey to someone else's."
Everybody's timeline is different.
Anika, 23, Netherlands
"Say yes more often."
Some of my favourite memories came from plans I nearly turned down.
John, 61, England
"Life is shorter than you think."
If there's something you've always wanted to do, don't keep moving it further down the list.
Looking at these messages together, it's striking how often travellers arrive at similar lessons through completely different experiences.
Some talk about courage.
Some about slowing down.
Some about embracing uncertainty.
Maybe that's the beauty of travel.
The destinations may be different, but the lessons often overlap.
So if you had one empty space left on the hostel noticeboard, what message would you leave for the next traveller arriving?
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