10 Brutally Honest Truths About World Travel

10 brutally honest truths I’ve learned from 20+ years of world travel. These unpopular travel opinions might sting - but they’re true.

***
✈️ TRAVEL RESOURCES ✈️

Please note that some of the product links are affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, we'll receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support our channel and allows us to continue providing valuable travel content.

***
⏰ Timecodes ⏰
00:00 Brutally Honest and Unpopular Truths About Travel
00:12 Brutal Truth #1
01:15 Brutal Truth #2
02:19 Brutal Truth #3
03:30 Brutal Truth #4
04:35 Brutal Truth #5
05:46 Brutal Truth #6
07:07 Brutal Truth #7
07:44 Brutal Truth #8
08:41 Brutal Truth #9
09:31 Brutal Truth #10

[awaytogether]

What’s your unpopular travel opinion? P.S. Don't judge the Philippines based on my story. It was mostly a timing issue. Beautiful place and we made great friends.

[leewilliams]

If you expect world travel to be like home, perhaps you should stay home.

[jaunt]

1. Locals are not the same as the government.

2. There's a backpacker subculture to traveler/tourist. They're mostly smellier and wear those balloon pants with too many bracelets.

3. Anyone can travel. You just have to prioritize it. It doesn't have to break the bank either. I met a family of four from South Korea in a hostel in Cape town. They had two small children with them and spoke close to no English. They made it work.

4. Your travel memories will be worth more than any of your material possessions.

[Randilynn]

I actually love to hear about my friends travels. I love to hear about what other people like to do, where they like to eat, etc. I guess that is why I love watching travel videos.

[christineshields]

All valid points. I learned a long time ago that people really don't want to know much about our trip or see pictures from our trips. Unless they ask questions, I try not to share more than they are willing to take in. Another point, not all people enjoy or want to travel. That's okay too.

[DonnitaParker]

"Things didn't go as planned" almost always equals a great and memorable story.

[janethunt]

"Nobody back home cares about your trip." YOU NAILED I've learned that for most people, I need a one liner that summarizes my trip. For example, "We had a great time in Paris, and then explored some beautiful chateaus in the Loire Valley and saw Mont Saint Michel." Maybe someone will follow up with specific questions after that, but probably not.

[ibcybermon]

Great insights. After living overseas for years I have come to the realization that very few people really want to hear about it in great detail. Keeping it to a sound bite of 30 sec is about all they want to hear.

[slowmads]

Once I realized that the only person who cared if I wore the same clothes every day was me, I cut WAY back. It’s remarkable how often I wear the same white blouse or black merino sweater (with different scarves to mix it up).

[jayonebullet]

People who follow you care about your trips .. you inspire them to travel, you inspire them to do better, you're just inspiring everybody. I have followers telling me ''thank you for sharing it's almost like i traveled with you''. I wish youtube could still show the thumb down count

[stephenwust]

I use neither traveller nor tourist. I like to call myself a visitor. I think it shows respect for your hosts while maintaining a curiosity to experience a place. As part of that, one of my travel tips is always be ready to ditch the agenda. Some of my best experiences have been when my wife and I spontaneously checked out an obscure museum (Lock & Key Museum in Paris) or memorial (Westernmost point on the continent of Europe in Portugal) that we had neither planned on or knew anything about when we arrived. Like you said, open mind.

[cute]

I love the 10 truths you shared and I completely agree.
Usually people are being polite when they ask about your travels. Don’t bore them with every detail; just share a few funny stories and keep it moving.

[andreasissons]

"Nobody back home cares about your trip" that's what I feel like commenting on FB when my friends post 100s of bad photos of sunsets, food etc.

[bernardmccabe]

The "no one cares about your trip" is the most important point people need to learn😂 i never bring up travels anymore because you'd quickly see peoples eyes glaze over. Sometimes it feels a little unfair because you are expected to sit through endless conversations about their kids but it is what it is😃

[jayareaaaa]

I agree with the comment about shared experience. I’m Filipino but I’ve been living in Cali since 1993. When my family went back to the Philippines in 2006, we got stuck in our home for a week with a leaky roof, no running water or electricity because of a typhoon. The days of travel between islands were also chaotic and lots of my family got carsick. My cousins and I look back at the chaos with even better memories than when we went to a resort

[MaoTheMage]

I've been saying this for years about camping, but it applies to travel too:

"A bad time now makes for a good story later" 😂

[scantron]

I hate when people rag on the hop on hop off busses… I try to do them every time I go to a new country/city… it’s a great way to get a quick overview of the place I’m visiting and it gives me an idea of where everything is located which helps when the bus tour is over and I gotta take public transport everywhere… I now have an idea of where I need to go and where I need to get off

[GlennBanach]

We have appreciated and benefited from your videos! We feel that the advice is very practical.
I appreciated this video especially. I’m one that would rather avoid the “tourist traps” and just experience the culture. We went to Italy a little over a year ago for the first time. It was basically to see where my grandparents were born and grew up (Abruzzo and Sicilia). We did not go to Roma, Pisa, Firenze, or Venezia. I owe my wife a return trip.😅
Keep up the good work!

[SharperMind]

Agree, I don’t want to hear much about other people’s trips unless I’m planning to go to that location and I need some information. OVERALL, we are all selfish that way.

[WealthyChronicle]

I had to learn the hard way about overpacking. Now I'm a carry-on only kind of traveler and it's so liberating!