Qualities You Must Have To Be A Good Traveller

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As a world traveller there are really no special course you have to go on, no tests to take and you don’t need any real background groundwork. That’s the beauty of being a traveller, you don’t have to do anything before you go, you just have to go.

But while anyone can be a traveller, there are a few qualities that you must have to be a good traveller.

You like the unexpected

You are always going to be surprised when travelling to a new place, it could be exactly how you imagined it, it could be totally different and it could be somewhere in the middle.

It doesn’t matter what it is, you need to like the unexpected, otherwise you will end up not liking anything about your travel adventure.

You have the ability to cope with the unexpected.

You’re on the road a lot; you are travelling around to other parts of the world where you don’t know what’s going on or what’s happening.

If you don’t know how to cope with the unexpected and shocking then you really shouldn’t be travelling, because most of the time you are going from one extreme emotion to the other.

You are a tiny bit bipolar

You will permanently be on a roller coaster of emotions and different feelings, if you are usually a person with extreme emotions than this can only help you when you travel.

In one day on the road you could see the most magnificent tourist site that you have longed to see for years. Then later that day be stuck in a bus going somewhere you don’t know because you have lost your map and don’t speak the language.

You are always somewhat prepared

It doesn’t mean you have to be a boy scout manic, but having at least a basic first aid kit and a few little personal knick knacks with you at all time is a good way to stay out of trouble.

There are a lot of lists out there of all the gadgets you can and should take with you to stay prepared, but the best list is what you figure out you need on the road, rather than what everyone else thinks you need.

You have the ability to adapt to any situation quickly

You have just walked down the road and found that your favourite ice cream place is now gone and there is another one down the street. But you can’t walk down there because the roaming gangs are looking at you a bit oddly; you now have to slowly walk away without causing a bad situation to come on yourself.

That’s adapting quickly, that thought process would have to be about two seconds in your brain.

You have the ability to think quickly and be aware

You are a tourist to some extent even in the most tourist friendly cities you are still a sitting duck, you need to know how to think quickly and you always need to be aware of your surroundings. Doesn’t matter what time of the day it is.

You actually have to enjoy travelling

If you want to be a good traveller, you actually have to enjoy travelling or what the hell are you doing wasting your time reading this?

You enjoy waiting and the other less advertised aspects that come with travelling

Travelling means a lot of waiting, you have to expect that and if not enjoy it, know how to tolerate it. Because unless you are in Europe there is a lot of wait time between visiting a good lot of tourist attractions.

You have to have a good working knowledge of geography

You can’t travel if you don’t know where you came from or where you’re going. How to do you even know that you want to travel when you don’t even know where you are?

Unless you don’t want to know where everything is and want to just get lost, if that’s your plan all along then please don’t let me stop you.

You at the very least tolerate every different type of culture there is in the world

You are a guest. If you remember nothing else in this article remember that, it doesn’t matter who you think you are, where you come from, or where you are. You are a guest.

You are a guest in their country, in their home and you should treat it accordingly, you would moan and complain about any tourist that comes over to your country and doesn’t speak your language. But I can almost bet everything I own (this laptop and desk) that you didn’t do the same when you went over to their country.

If you can’t tolerate other cultures and languages then I think you should stay in your hometown and save the rest of the world from your views.

You need to have the ability to negotiate

In Asia practically the only way that they purchase things is by haggling. Haggling involves having good negotiation skills, if you don’t have said skills than you will be in a bit of a pickle. And really not only are negotiation skills a must to being a good traveller these skills can only help you later in life.

You need to have the ability to pack quickly and effectively

You will be living out of a backpack or a suitcase and you need to be able to get on the move quickly. Especially after you have just learnt that the last train out leaves in about five minutes and you are still packing.

If you don’t have at least some of these qualities to start with than perhaps travelling isn’t for you, while I stand by my statement that anyone can travel, it’s just a lot easier if you start with some of these qualities than having to learn them all the hard way on the road.

But perhaps I have missed some good qualities, what qualities do you think that a traveller needs to be a good traveller?