#1 RELAX The World is not something to be conquered or seen but to be enjoyed. Don’t expect to see and understand a country by going to every cathedral, souvenir shop and museum and then going home saying that you have “seen” it. The biggest part of a country is the people and the way that they live, so take it easy and enjoy life like the locals are (in a café or strolling down the waterfront)--makes you realize that it is the small things in life that make a difference.

#2 ENJOY THE DIFFERENCES: Speaking of difference that is why we travel after all, right? Get out of your comfort zone, taste new things, challenge yourself physically, sleep in places you normally wouldn’t, hang out with people that are different than you. Most of all, don’t compare it to America!!!! You are coming from the richest nation in the world so to constantly point out that things are better in America seems a little redundant. Don’t complain about the little things, and be flexible. If you want a controlled environment, trains that run on time, ice in your water, cold beer and people who bathe every day… stay home. I swear that the reason that Americans have such a bad reputation around the world is the people who are representing us abroad. If you are traveling to reaffirm in your mind that We are superior in every way to all other people’s then once again stay home….don’t waste your money and make everyone who is traveling with you miserable.  And For gods sakes don’t eat at McDonalds all the time.

#3 BE FLEXIBLE: Seriously, things are going to go wrong. In fact sometimes EVERYTHING goes wrong…and those times make the best stories and will make you laugh for years to come. I ended up one morning in Hungary instead of the Czech Republic...loved it. Got chased by cows in India, Attacked by monkeys in Malaysia, Struck with some Brazilian Death virus when I drank the water after a long night out; Had to ride in the trunk of a car in Cuba to avoid the authorities; got stopped by authorities in Heathrow airport because I forgot a backpack with a shoebox in it (when I went to pick it up they had already called in the bomb team and were not happy with me) the list goes on. Basically the more things that go wrong the more stories that you have…roll with it.

#4 MAXIMIZE YOUR TIME: You only have a few days in each of these countries, You can’t possibly do everything that there is to do so focus on a few key things and enjoy them. If you do decide to go between areas travel sensibly. I saved many hours by traveling at night on the trains and getting a couchette. It saves on hotel and when you wake up you are there. I would plan my itinerary around the night trains, at first it is kind of hard to sleep but when you get home you will actually miss it. Plus you meet so many other cool people (as well as stinky weird people) that will be sleeping in your compartment that night.

#5 DON’T TRAVEL FOR THE PRESTIGE: What I mean by this is don’t travel for the pictures and being able to cause your friends envy back home, travel for the experience. Trust me when you get home most of your friends will want to tell you about what happened while you were gone and not look and seven different angles of the Eiffel Tower. Don’t spend great amounts of money to go see the man-made landmarks that travel brochures tout. The Eiffel Tower is just a tower, the Taj Mahal is just a building, don’t spend all your time getting to or from these things or you will be broke and disappointed. The really cool things that I’ve experienced traveling have all either been in nature or in interacting with other people. The tourist joints leave you feeling tired and jaded.

#6 TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES: I have passed many boring nights cheering myself up by looking at the places that I have been. Take pictures of people and not just land and buildings. Your friends will flip through a 100 pictures of a safari without commenting and then come to a picture of you and a friend, stare at it for a while and then ask “who’s that”. Take pictures for yourself and not other people…most people will want to hear about your trip for an average of 4 minutes.  Your friends will be the fondest memories that you have of your travels so make sure that you take tons of pictures just hanging out with them…they will be your favorite ones when you get home. I would recommend that at least 90% of your pictures have a person in them.

#7 TRAVEL SAFE: I know this might seem contradictory with all of the things I have said about living on the edge and outside of your comfort zone but nothing can upset your travel plans more, I should know…my best friend died while we were swimming in a lake in Austria. Short of death…you don’t want to get robbed, or if you do you want to minimize your losses. Always, Always, Always wear your moneybelt. Did I Mention Always. It might be uncomfortable but it will save you a lot of problems. Make copies of your passport, airline tickets etc and leave one set at home with you family and carry one set separate from the original copies, this will make replacing them a lot easier. Oh, and don’t put anything valuable under your pillow while you sleep…its the first place a thief will look. I always wear a daypack that has a waist strap and shoulder straps so its not easily stripped from you. The camera bags that Lowe Alpine and Mountain Hardwear make are nice because they go over your shoulder and around your waist. I usually have at least a couple of those mini padlocks to put on the zippers. If you are carrying your backpack on a train take a little chain or cable lock  and lock your backpack to the luggage rack. This trick has foiled thieves in India, Vietnam, and all over Europe, in India I woke up to see a guy reaching for my backpack, he yanked a bunch and then realized it wasn’t going anywhere and moved on to the next sucker. A good rule of thumb is don’t take anything with you that you can’t bear to lose or easily replace.

#8 PACK LIGHT: This should be every travelers mantra. Pack really light, then lay out everything that you thought you would need and cut it in half. You can always buy toothpaste, swimsuits etc somewhere along the way if you lose something or run out. It will usually be for a cheaper price too. If you pack light you will not regret it, and you can laugh at the person struggling with all their crap as you move to the front of the line. This leaves lots of room for souvenirs.

#9 DON’T BUY SOUVENIRS: I am not saying don’t buy things to remember your trip by but a six foot replica of the Eiffel tower is annoying and useless. I always try to buy stuff that I can wear, listen to, eat, or decorate my apartment with. Usually if you can find it in a souvenir shop….you don’t want it. Do your shopping all at once, I traveled Europefor three weeks with a girl whose only mission was to get postcards and souvenirs for her family…..she didn’t really see Europe or enjoy herself all that much and she drove me crazy.

#10 KILL THE HOMESICKNESS: Really, everyone misses home at some point or another but don’t spend hours pining away for somewhere that you can’t be at the moment but will probably be the rest of your life. Live in the moment, I have seen people spend their entire time abroad talk about missing home and then when they got home they realized how much they missed being abroad. The grass is greener syndrome is also annoying.

#11 PREPARE FOR CULTURE SHOCK: Most people will think that this is going to apply to going to other countries but the worst culture shock will be on re-entry to your home. You realize upon coming home that you have witnessed a whole new way of life and you will be different forever. You have lived for the last couple of months with sensory overload and now you are coming back to the mundane….that you friends and family never left and don’t realize that it is mundane. Prepare for this before you go and have a plan for how to deal with it.

#12 NEVER STOP EXPLORING: I know this sound cheesy but when you come home you will never be the same. Find the adventure everyday and continue to surprise yourself and experience new things. HAVE FUN!