3 things I learnt from travelling

Recently I have been taking new challenges in my life - weddings, cities, jobs... And I'm not going to lie, each and everyone strikes a little bit of fear within me. Will I like this, should I do it, will I be any good at it?

But then I think back to the lessons that I have learnt from travelling. There's actually a pretty good quote about travel and I'm not sure who it's buy, but it's very true. Travel educates you in so many ways, you wouldn't believe and here's mine:

Kindness exisits 

When exploring New York and Brooklyn, we were made to believe that New Yorkers were cold and harsh people who wouldn't give it a second thought if you ran down the street on fire. But this was not the case at ALL. 

Whilst sightseeing around city at least 3 busy office workers - presumably on thier lunch break - stopped to show us how to get to places or to take our photos. But the kindest and most generous thing came when a couple from up state New York gave us free $250 tickets to a Yankees game. As me and my fiancée queued in the "nose bleed" seat line, the couple approached us and asked if we would like free tickets. The only "down side" was that we would have to sit with them because two of their friends had dropped out. They wouldn't even except a beer as a thank you and were simply grateful for the company. 

Trust in people

When arriving into an overly humid New Orleans airport, we were told to get a bus into the French Quarter and walk to our hotel from the bus stop. We could have taken a cab, but we were on a tight budget and so whilst waiting at the bus stop a white BMW pulled up. It was a local man in his late 40s asking us where we were going. At first I was a little skeptical, but as we spoke more and more to him, he became Ralph. The hilarious local man who lived in New Orleans and had just dropped off a friend at the airport and was heading back into town. 

Now I just want to state that I'm not saying "jump into cars with strangers", I probably wouldn't do this on my own. Use your own instinct and gut feeling. 

But we got in his car and he drove us back into town, highlighting all of the local landmarks and telling us about the best cafes and bars to visit - he even took phone calls from his wife telling him dinner was ready. It turned out that Ralph was just a really nice guy, who I'm glad we trusted. 

Explore, explore explore

Once again, don't go down dark alley ways late at night, assess your surrounding - but always explore explore explore! 

If I didn't explore in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, which I had heard was a suspicious place through numerous people, then we never would have discovered the hidden Gaudi artwork within the buildings. 

Also, we would never have found the most beautiful cocktail bar that was build into a cave. It was also, without a doubt, the best cocktail that I have ever had in my life!