5 tips and tricks to survive traveling 3rd world

Having lived in a few different countries I have felt my own variations of homesickness. I mean lets face it, life outside of the USofA is different. So to combat I have come up with a few tricks to keep that homesickness at bay.

1. Bring your favorite treat (gummies, popcorn, gum, chocolate etc). chances are they wont have it or it tastes different. Even though I have found my favorite treats in each country, after a time you start craving that one thing and it helps just to have a little taste of home to keep you from going crazy.

2. After travelling and at times sweating in places that aren't up to Americas standard of clean, I start feeling like crap... for whatever reason taking some time to really "pamper" myself makes me feel better. Whether that is washing clothes, shaving my legs, putting lotion on those said legs, or going somewhere nice that requires you to ditch the traveling clothes and dress up.

3. Take a rest day and do something "American" like going to a movie, taking a nap, reading a book, finding an American restaurant.

4. Before you leave pack something you enjoy (food, a book, music, clothes, products for great hair) and when you hit those days where you start wondering what you were thinking in going abroad, pull out your "sanity pack".

5. When you first arrive, write down the things that amaze you and that you find fascinating. When you start having days when you cant remember what you liked about travelling pull out that list. Be candid when writing it.

No Shame in stopping at the Krispy Kreme for a donut every time we went thru Bangkok

Thailand offered great, cheap smoothies



Loved the gate art in India





Every now and then we come up with crazy ideas that provide many laughs and stress relief

My favorite thing to watch at big sites is everyone posing, when you don't have the
perspective their photographer does, people look hilarious.

Take a step back and watch all those people..

Sometimes if you just remember the magical feeling of arriving in your dream destination it is enough

Everywhere has a heart warming moment if you look

Watching how excited everyone gets (adults and kids) when they see the magic come alive

What tricks do you have when travelling?

Taj Mahal, another World Wonder down, 4 to go…

A dream come true, I have wanted to go to the Taj Mahal ever since I can remember. I don't remember a time when I didn't want to go to India. Call me crazy but I love this country. We arrived very early in the morning on the overnight bus, the bus had flat beds but no A/C so we kept the windows open all night. There is nothing quite like the lullaby of traffic and honking.

Once we arrived in Agra we walked down the road and found a hotel that would let us store our luggage with them and also let us use their bathroom to freshen up. No amount of freshening up can take away our time on the bus. Finally it came time for the Taj Mahal to open, we entered from the western gates and it was a beautiful site to see. The sunrise was just ending so the sky still had colors of purple and pink, with it being the low tourist season and given the early hour we were able to experience it with very few people around. We got pictures with just us & the Taj Mahal.

Sometimes early mornings pay off

Once we got to the end of the pools we removed our shoes or as they call them in India we removed our "slippers" and walked up to and thru this monument. What people don't tell you is that there are 2 beautiful buildings to either side of the Taj Mahal as well. *Note if you have a foot/germ phobia then the platform of the Taj Mahal is defiantly not for you.* After we spent quite a bit of time soaking in the beauty we determined it was time for food. The place we stored our luggage had a rooftop restaurant with good food and a great view of the Taj Mahal.

We didn't have much time to explore Agra, but from the bit we did see it seemed the Taj Mahal is pretty much it for this small town in India. The only place we saw souvenirs was in the market as we left the Taj Mahal.
We left soon after taking a taxi to Delhi, I am pretty sure everyone slept the whole way there ( I know I did)

** to note the Taj Mahal is closed every Friday and is open from sunrise to sunset.**

Looking back at the gate to the Taj Mahal

This nice older guy came up as I was taking selfies
and asked if I wanted a photo with the Taj in my eye.
I think he has done this before.. But it is a cool idea

"10 most disappointing travel destinations".. really?

I recently read a list of the most disappointing travel places, I was surprised to see that the Pyramids of Giza, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Stonehenge, Pompeii, Naples Italy, and Athens Greece made the list. I have been to each of those places and while Pompeii was not my favorite stop I've made, it was not at all disappointing.
If I had gone to see if the places looked like their photo I would have been sorely disappointed… because they do indeed match their pictures. There is no "magic" that the camera takes away. Other then the feel of the place, seeing people from all over the world

However pictures don't allow you to feel the heat of the day with sounds of arabic on the wind as you get your ticket to go inside the Great Pyramid

Pictures don't let you feel the chill in your bones from a cloudy English day as you meet a Warlock at Stonehedge. But so glad you got a glimpse of Blue sky for a minute. 

Pictures don't let you sit under the learning tower of Pisa and marvel as you eat a piece of European chocolate, just glad you got to see it considering you hopped on the wrong bus and saw all of residential Pisa. 

Pictures don't let you make memories in the ruins in Naples, or stuff yourself with one last Pizza before headed home. They certainly don't let you feel the air off the sea as you look across the bay, or let you have a moment of awe as you admire the upside down tree. 

Pictures most certainly won't let you grumble about seeing another broken building or pathway or entombed object as you are walking about the ruins of Pompeii in the heat. 

Pictures hold moments, it is up to us to create the memory. 

Life Lessons & Motto

As one of my roommates pointed out, I live a cultured life. Sometimes it feels like the life of a Fairytales or a Dream. I mean who is Crazy enough (as well as so blessed to have time and opportunity) to leave  their own country, take time and money to go learn and experience various lifestyles and cultures around the world.

One word.. Me. Call me a dreamer, eccentric, unrealistic, childish, spoiled or whatever else you like.  It doesn't change who I am, and how I follow my heart. In life all that I am passionate about comes down to two things 1. Helping others feel their true value. Everyone has something to offer. Every. Single. Person. On. This. Earth! *Yes, that without a doubt certainly means YOU!!!

2. I LOVE loving everyone, and helping others to come to a greater understanding of what the power of open minds and hearts can yield.
I once read a quote via Pinterest or Instagram (follow me @shleyw)

'nough said.

In school, I always struggled knowing what to study, and gain a degree in. I enjoyed so many things, but not one thing did I love enough to stick with it for 4 years, much less a lifetime. Then as I took time off after completing my Associates Degree, I began to discover who I am, and what I want to do with my life. It started making sense this path I was on. Sure it's hard going against the norm, but for me it is worth every second. 

In the area I live most everyone is either finishing their undergrad, going on and getting a Masters or PhD, getting married and starting families, or beginning their career. I felt so isolated at times because I wasn't continuing traditional education, and I wasn't working a job in my 'career' path. 

I continued to choose life experience, and travel, its the only thing that continually felt right. Every time I stopped to consider school, it never felt like the right path for me, even though I longed to be at school, learning from others and their experiences in new and exciting subjects. 

It has only been the last few months that I have come to terms with doing things 'my way', and realizing its for a purpose. I have been exposed to so many cultures, and people. I have witnessed many joyful and tragic events. My heart has been left in so many places that it will never be at comfortably in one piece again. 

I have realized, thanks to my roommates, that the knowledge I have is in fact a usable knowledge. I am striving to make this knowledge available to many throughout the world. It seems like an impossible task to spread love and understanding to all the world, but if I can make a difference to one person, my life is worthwhile and complete. 

In the bible it says men's hearts shall wax cold and they shall love things more then people. I see so much of this happening in the world around. But I also see so much good as well. We see what we choose to see. If we focus on the negative, that is what we will find in life even amidst the good. If you choose to see the beauty and positivity in life, you will find that, even amidst the bad. 

Why do we see, or even meet, one person and judge a whole group based off that one person?? Most people are searching for good and try to live their lives the best they know how. Who are we to judge them? The biggest lesson I have learned is to 'live the life you were born to lead.'

Follow your heart. Your inner voice. Your Jimminy cricket. Your gut feeling. Your conscious. The Spirit. However you want to recognize "that" feeling, it's there for a reason.