Things I have learned from Exploring Most

by Devina Gunawan

1. Routine is gone. We can’t explore and travel forever. This is something that is done out of work. Or, for someone who travels for money, well, this is what you have everyday. But there is no specific time of waking up or clocking in the office because while exploring and traveling, there is no office or office hour.
2. One day can be the longest thing there is. One day! One day goes on forever! I guess this is what happens when you’re out of routine. There is no definite lunch hour, no agenda, no usual time keeping events. A day, which is enjoyed per second, can host many events.
3. So many things can happen in a day. It goes hand in hand with the point before.
4. If food is present. Food is all I need. Maybe it is the experiencing new and different things that just triggers the hunger, but I am usually starving during lunch and dinner. It’s like, “Give me food, damn it!” after I’m done visiting some historical monument or something.
5. Cute outfits < comfortable outfits. It is important to look presentable in photos of travels that you want to remember forever (plus, you’ll be showing these photos to your friends), but it is more important to be comfortable. You do not want to be walking 10miles in high heels. I did that once, and my feet still remember.
6. Only needed stuff will make it to your bag. Once I carried my laptop in my bag and I walked around for few hours, kind of hoping that I would find a coffee shop to stop by so I could check some e-mails from work. My shoulder died. And I decided to just not worry too much about work. I just make sure nowadays that I have my money and phone with me.
7. Water has never tasted so good. I wouldn’t even complain about not having coffee. If there’s H2O, I want it.
8. Perfume won’t last. Let me repeat, it won’t. You will smell like the sun. You will smell like the zoo. You will smell like the old museums and dusts. It doesn’t matter how much perfume you sprayed on yourself this morning, it wouldn’t last anyway.
9. High heels will survive, but your feet won’t. Just don’t do this. It hurts more than I can say.
10. Time doesn’t always fly. It doesn’t. You will go around a bird cage in what seems to be an hour, only to find out that it’s been only ten minutes. It’s like, “How is time not moving?”
11. Posting photos on social media isn’t really worth going around for wifi for. Yea, those days of, “Hey what’s the password to the wifi?” at cafes during break time are over. Now it’s just, “That’s a freaking cafe! Two iced coffees and a table for two!”
12. Good camera is necessary. Camera, not a phone. It’s something you’ll print out and frame later on. Not something you’ll post on Instagram.
13. Sunblock is your best friend. Enough said.
14. Transportation is a sleeping station. It’s the moment you reach the bus and the first thing you do is snore. Because finally, my back can rest and so can my eyes.
15. You can sit on anything. We don’t need comfy couches or chairs. A “Think we can sit here” place is definitely doable.
16. Routine isn’t always a bad thing. Routine is deadly, yes, but in a way, it provides us with security. We have things we do, we have our interest, and we have our life. That is the security that routine provides. In a way, it’s like a home.
17. Sleep is the most luxurious thing one can have. It’s the “Thank God” moment when you reach the bed.