I’m thinking back to this time last year, when I was packing up my apartment and how excited I was to be one step closer to my adventurous life. I’m not wealthy, didn’t have much in the way to sell, and was giving away my furniture just to get it out before my move out deadline. Yeah, I had enough to get started on the trip, but little idea what the whole trip would ultimately entail. Ive had my plans crumble underneath me, and long arranged plans work out beautifully. What made one work and the other collapse? Not the wildest idea, but that’s the beauty of it. Whether I have plans work out so perfectly or fall apart horribly, I have had people in my life that have shared that with. This last year I have seen people from my past that I didn’t know if I was going to see again, some introduced me more amazing people, others have offered closure and I probably wont see them again. But this is where I offer my first Grand Adventure Words of Advice;

What goes around comes around.

Be it Karma, ‘do unto others’, or any other dogma of the same rule, the world is a small place. I have seen first hand karma come back to people who have wronged (and oh, does it taste so sweet. Face it, you know someone you would love karma to come back to.) I’ve also witnessed the good, friends meeting again for the first time in years (and have experienced this a few times), or someone housing me finds money on the ground. (personally, I find this as the universe keeping everything in balance.)

Keep your friends close, and your enemies as far away as you can.

This doesn’t always have to be in the physical sense. No matter where you are, or how far or close someone is, if they do nothing but bring you down, keep them out of your life. This may sound like a big I-never-want-to-speak-to-you-again drama, but its really a lot simpler than you would imagine. Simply live your life. Find the beauty in the people you meet along the way, and if they are really your friend, no amount of time and space will change that. They are the ones that start the Facebook conversation with “where are you now?” and “How do you like it in…?” and “I’m so jealous!”, even after those few months that you havn’t been talking (which really just feels like a few days at most) you pick up right were you left off. They are the ones I offer the couch to crash on in Colorado, or arrange for a drink the next time we meet up (even though neither of us know when or where that may be.) This may not be everyone you meet, but the ones who stick are the ones who count.

There is a difference between packing light and packing efficiently.

I don’t mean the rolling clothes and shoving undies in shoes, (which believe me, it really does save space.) I am talking about having what you need more than what you want. I have gone through my bags a couple times now sending home boxes of clothes and devices that I discovered I really didn’t need. With wither approaching here in the southern hemisphere, there really is only so much I am willing to part with, but find that the concept of ‘light layers’ is the way to go. Sub-note: Forgo the souvenirs. It is way better for you to get a camera, and learn how to get good photos. I have seen some amazing GoPro videos, and have an olypus tough which is the most durable little camera. (Ive taken it exploring in caves, to the great barrier reef, and dropped it off a cliff in Ireland. It still goes strong) I also shoot with a DSLR Nikon, but this is usually the EXPENSIVE option. I’ve had a love of photography since I was 13, and decided it was worth it to me. (Coming soon, excerpt from my travel photography how-to book I am writing.)

There will be days you stress out. Ride them out.

Almost every backpacker I have met has had at least one day when they freak out. Be it strapped on cash, flight cancelled, something stolen, its happened before. Before calling your trip a bust because something bad has happened, learn to deal with it. it may be harsh, but its true. To this day I winge about my jean jacket being stolen, and that was my first week in the hostel during this trip. I’ve had other things nicked along the way, but I will never forget that first thing or that first time something bad happened while backpacking. Ask any backpacker when they were in a sticky situation. There is a good chance that they remember.  Add that experience to your ‘stories-to-tell-at-the-bar’ list, and move on. And from this I use a phrase my mum taught me from a young age “If everything always worked out, then we wouldn’t have adventures.”

Next time: The people you meet: An introduction to a correlation between ages and the reasons they travel.