The Travel Life on Social Media is Fake
It is hard to open any social media app these days without seeing an array of beautiful and intriguing posts about traveling (#traveltok #travelgram). The beautiful beaches, unique food, and endless adventures are beyond intriguing, and those travelers are so incredibly lucky. Every day for them but like a vacation…right? ….Wrong!
We know that not everything on social media is as perfect as it is made out to be, but if we are being honest, it is hard not to be swept up in the romance of it all. Wanderlust is a part of you and you can’t help but dream about all the mesmerizing views and interesting people that are out there. While traveling does provide an array of amazing experiences it can also be scary, frustrating, and difficult. Here are the top 5 most difficult things about traveling that no one talks about.
1. Healthcare- healthcare around the world varies in quality and in price. Getting sick in different countries can be scary for a number of reasons, first, your insurance may charge you an exorbitant amount of money for any procedure outside of your home country. Second- language barriers can be extra difficult when you are not feeling good. Lastly- there may be hospitals that just are not equipped enough to save lives. In one hospital I visited in the Dominican Republic a man in his early forties died of a heart attack because their defibrillator wasn’t working.
2. Traffic- I thought the traffic in NYC was the absolute worst in the world. While it is definitely no picnic to be stuck in NYC traffic, in general people follow the rules of transit, this is not always the case in different countries. In my travels throughout Latin America, I have seen that transit laws can almost be more of a suggestion rather than a concrete law. Defensive, alert driving is a must, especially when you are in an unfamiliar place.
3. Period Problems- I never imagined that buying tampons would become a difficult quest while traveling. What I did not know is that in some countries tampons can be seen as taboo. One woman told me buying tampons is admitting to the world that you are not a virgin. In fact, many stores do not carry them. When they do have them, the brands are limited, and the prices are often much higher than they are at home.
4. Punctuality- In the hyper-productive lifestyle of U.S. Americans we are often taught that being on time is being 15 minutes early. However in more relaxed places, I have visited, especially islands, the rhythm of life is slower. A start time of 7:00 could actually be more like 7:15 or 7:30. Being patient and being able to go with the flow is important, for type A personalities it can be quite stressful.
5. Heartbreak- The more time you spend abroad, the more intense friendships you make. The people that support you while you are away from the culture you grew up in and help guide you as you face new challenges quickly become best friends, family maybe even lovers. Now the circle of people that are important to you widens, and unfortunately for us, teleportation still does not exist. So often I am conflicted about where to go on holidays or vacations because the people I love are spread out all over the world. It is oftentimes heartbreaking to go years without seeing people I value and cherish so much.
Traveling outside of the United States and living abroad has offered me the most amazing and the most difficult experiences of my life. Remember that the next time you see that post about someone’s perfect travel experience, the reality actually lies somewhere in between.