Four Lessons Learned While Traveling In Thailand and Malaysia
Have you ever done something so crazy and thought about how it was possible?
For me, this meant traveling to Thailand and Malaysia out of the blue. My friends and I initially met up for a day of job applications, but we instead booked our flights.
By no means do I encourage anyone to do this if they are not in the best situation, but this taught me to trust myself because things will always work out. I was wrapping up a job and getting ready to move out of our apartment with no job or new apartment lined up, but a flight was already booked to the Dominican Republic. Then, just three short days after returning from the DR, I was moving out of my apartment and traveling to the other side of the world.
This was a crazy time between packing for DR, packing to put a whole apartment’s worth of stuff in storage, and traveling across the country for two weeks with no job. Despite what could’ve been a disaster, I have no regrets, and I’m glad I got to experience this trip with my best friends and now roommates.
Here are five lessons this trip taught me:
1. Be patient
Throughout most of this time, I had to keep grounding myself because I was stressing that I didn’t have a job, I didn’t have a consistent income, and I was racking up credit card debt. Little did I know I’d be doing interviews while on this trip and returning to multiple offers. In a society that pushes working endlessly and deems this as the only productive use of our time. I choose to remind you and myself that rest is productive. Traveling is productive. Seeing the world and making new memories with people you love is productive. Work is always going to be there, so we must be patient with ourselves, trust the process, and enjoy the ups and downs of life.
2. Be open to new experiences
This includes trying new foods for my picky eaters (me included), seeing new sites—in this case, temples—climbing mountains, and seeing beautiful views surrounded by monkeys. It was freeing to experience a new culture and try things I hadn’t done before, like kayaking by myself, swimming with hundreds of fish, and singing my heart out in front of strangers after my friends convinced me to perform. This trip reminded me to live in the present moment because it’s all we have.
3. Breathe
Living in NYC, everything is so fast-paced that you can barely catch your breath. This is why I’m intentional about the time I spend alone and why I enjoy starting my day with meditation and a daily devotional. While in Thailand, this was the first place I’ve visited where I felt a sense of peace. This could’ve been partly due to the hotel we stayed in, which curated a very intentional and peaceful atmosphere. Nonetheless, it felt nice to go on vacation and balance exploring and getting rest. I had no job to come back to; I didn’t need to think about what projects were waiting for me from work, so I tried to enjoy the moment for what it was.
4. Always be kind
Traveling to the other side of the world opened my eyes to the fact that many Americans don’t travel that far out, as several people took pictures of us because they hadn’t seen people that looked like us. In addition, this may have been their first or one of the first interactions they had with “Black and Caribbean Americans.” When you treat people kindly, oftentimes they’ll reciprocate this energy. While in Thailand, we formed a connection with the resort staff, and by the time it was time to leave, we felt as if they were family because of how they treated us. In Malaysia, we formed a connection with employees at a coffee shop. Being kind is free 99 and improves your experience when traveling. You attract the right people and experiences. Lastly, we interacted with many folks in the hospitality and service industry, and in Thailand and Malaysia, it’s not customary to tip. We did tip everywhere, and I want to encourage you to do the same. Not only when traveling but also while in your home city.
Traveling opens your eyes to so much more if you have the chance to explore somewhere new. You don’t have to go as far as Thailand and Malaysia; maybe start with a nearby state or country and go from there. Having the privilege of seeing the world is something I’ll never take for granted.
