How travel skills are transferable to your career

For most people travel is a break from the pressures of daily life, a way to de-stress and get away from it all.  However when it comes to taking a significant break from work in order to travel, it’s commonly perceived as detrimental to your career aspirations. In my experience, I’ve found that travelling can be beneficial to your career, since you’re acquiring valuable skills that help you grow both professionally and as a person.

Here are just some of the ways that travel has positively impacted my career:

Open-mindedness – Travel allows you to see things done in a completely different way. Meeting new people, seeing new places and trying new experiences all work to modify your perspective – it changes how you look at things. Travelling opens you up to a whole world of new possibilities and ideas, encouraging you to start thinking outside the box.

Planning and decision-making – A trip requires a lot of research, planning and budgeting. You have to know what you want to do, what you want to see and research how to make it happen. Teaching you how to weigh your options and make informed decisions that help you accomplish your goals.

Adaptability – Despite all your preparations, you will constantly find yourself facing unexpected situations while travelling. These situations force you to learn how to adapt to change, think on your feet, handle stressful situations and overcome new challenges. Continuously preparing you for the ever-changing fast paced business world.

Communication –The ability to communicate with individuals who don’t share the same culture, language or birthplace as you is an essential skill in today’s business world and one you get to practice every day while travelling. You become more in tune with body language, a better listener and more capable of understanding others.

Independence - Travelling forces you to find your way, learn new languages, and perform tasks on your own. You learn to think independently, become more self-sufficient, assertive and confident acting on your own accord.

Travelling on a Budget

A lot of people have been asking how we've been able to financially afford travelling the world for 14+ months. So I thought I would share some tips and maybe help demonstrate that we are not in fact rich just savvy travellers ;)

Choose your destinations wisely 
Spend time in countries where your money goes further. The biggest secret to why we were able to travel so long is because we spent 9 months in Southeast Asia where you get great value for your money (less than $20 for a hotel rooms, $1-2 per a meal, etc.). 

Based on my traveling experience if you want to stretch your budget then Asia and Latin America are the ways to go.

• Southeast Asia - Cheap accommodations, food, transportation and excursions for the most part
• South/Central America - Cheap accommodations, food, transportation and excursions for the most part
• Africa - To do it on a budget, volunteer with an inexpensive charity and stay in a home-stay. Land travel is cheap but if you try independent backpacking, accommodations and food can get expensive.  Excursions in Africa tend to be pricey.
• Europe - Work while travelling or really save up, otherwise you will watch your money disappear before your eyes. Your money will go further in Eastern Europe. 

Travel with someone 
Having someone to share the cost of accommodations, taxis and tuk tuk rides helps cut everything in half. 

Time and flexibility
Having no time limits gave us the flexibility to take 8 hour buses instead of expensive flights (plus you don't spend much money when you're stuck on a bus all day). It also meant whenever we did see cheap flights we could book accordingly. With no time constraints it also allowed us to just settle down  whenever we found a cheap place that we liked (you can save a lot when you decide to spend a week in a $5/night beach bungalow). 

Prioritize big ticket excursions
As much as we wanted to do everything we can't afford to and had to be selective. For example we limited our scuba diving to special locations and treated ourselves to only a few high cost excursions.

Save up!
Despite how well you save during your trip it's important to remember that the trip is only half the equation. Equally (if not more) important is saving up beforehand. We spent over a year steadily putting our money away so we would be able to enjoy all the big ticket items we prioritized on our trip, such as visiting the Mountain Gorillas in Uganda.

To help put it in prospective we have actually spent less money travelling the world than we would have spent living in Toronto for a year! If you're planning your first trip, a year is probably longer than you're going to be comfortable travelling abroad. My suggestion would be to save a couple thousand (around $5k) and spend a few months in Southeast Asia. It's a wonderful introduction to travel due to it's safety, ease of transportation, and price / value ratio. I will warn you however, once you catch a case of wanderlust you will never stop planning your next trip!

Happy travels :)

La Paz

The one thing I have learned about myself while traveling is that I'm not actually a big fan of big cities in South America. They are all transportation hubs, so you have to visit them in order to get anywhere but they are not usually somewhere I want to spend a lot of time. La Paz however was an exception, I'm not sure what it was but I really liked La Paz and it was my favorite of all the big cities we have been to.

Witch Market

 

One of the first things we noticed was the difference in costs. Bolivia is the poorest country in South America and while the prices are cheap in Ecuador and Peru, they were REALLY cheap in Bolivia. This is the place where you want to do all your souvenir shopping (if you have room in your bag). There are streets covered in shops selling pretty much everything you could buy in Peru but for half the price.  They also have a witch market that was pretty interesting and contained lots of alpaca fetuses. Apparently you are suppose to bury the fetus under the porch of your house for good luck but I didn't think anyone back home would appreciate that as a gift nor do I want to touch one.

Zebra patrol

Similar to most cities in South America the traffic is crazy and pedestrians do not have the right of way, so you learn to be very wary when crossing streets. But we were really surprised one morning when we noticed a person dressed up as a Zebra suit directing traffic outside our hostel one day. At first we wondered if this was a traffic officer having some fun but on sequential days we noticed Zebras in other locations also directing traffic. We later found out that it's a volunteer program, young people between 16-24 volunteer to dress up as Zebras and help direct traffic at busy intersections in La Paz, to help encourage drivers to follow road rules and help pedestrians get safely across the street. 

Can he fit anymore on his car?

Bolivia is pretty much an adventurers paradise with tons of activities to do and for very little money. So our fist day was just spent deciding what activities we wanted to do...which was pretty much everything!

Ice Cream Creation

We heard a lot of complaints about the food in Bolivia but if you like carbs then you should be fine.  Bolivia was my breaking point for french fries and I got to the point were I couldn't eat them anymore but we found if you ate at a nice restaurants the food was quite good and still really cheap. And if you are in La Paz you have to go to Dumbo or Brosso for dessert...it's amazing and just thinking of it makes my mouth water.

La Paz is also the place to party. If you are looking for a party hostel Wild Rover and Loki definitely live up to their reputation. One place we kept hearing about, although we didn't go was Route 35. It's suppose to be this bar that has paid off all the cops, only lets foreigners in and  serves lines of cocaine to customers.

Journey from Peru to Bolivia

From Puno you can take a bus that will take you directly over the boarder to Copacabana in Bolivia. There are a number of buses that do this route and they all leave at the same time - 7:30am. This means that at the boarder crossing you are waiting in line with people from 4 different buses, all doing the same trip as you. But regardless of this it still seemed to go pretty quickly and only took us about an hour to get through Peru and Bolivian customs.

The bus dropped us off at the Peru boarder where we waited at the police check for them to stamp our immigration card, then head next door to the immigration office where they collect the immigration card and stamped our passport. After that we walked over the boarder to the Bolivian side where we got our entry stamp into Bolivia and re-boarded our bus.

Our plan was to go straight from Puno to La Paz and not stop in Copacabana since we had  done Lake Titicaca on the Peru side. We  had also read  that there was no bank machines in Cocpacabana, which would have been an issue for us since we had no Bolivian money and  little Peruvian money left. Although we did learn that you should have a little Bolivian money when crossing the boarder. Thankfully Trevor had to go to the washroom at the boarder, so he got change from our Peruvian money in Bolivian dollars, which we needed since each person has to pay $1 Bolivian dollar just to pass into Copacabana.

We also discovered that even if you buy a ticket to La Paz all the buses stop for 1.5 hrs in Copacabana before combining everyone into the same bus to head La Paz.  This is actually quite nice because you can pretty much walk around all of Copacabana in this time and it's worthwhile to visit the church during this time. We also discovered that even though we had bought a ticket to La Paz for that day we still could have stayed overnight in Copacabana and just taken the bus onwards on another day.

We did find out that there is a bank machine in Copacabana but the one thing we learned in Bolivia is that our bank cards/credit cards would only work in half their machines. At the bank machine in Copacabana there were 5 of us in line and the machine only worked for 2 of us - and I wasn't one of them, so this just reinforced that we should continue to head to La Paz. So 1.5 hours later we boarded the bus to La Paz and while on route we were actually surprised when we had to get off and board a tiny little boat to cross 100 meter of water and pay $1.50 Bolivians each for the boat. So again we were glad we had a little money and after we crossed we watched as our boat travelled across on it's own platform before re boarding and continuing our journey

Upon arriving in La Paz we expected to be dropped off at the bus station which was actually really close to our hostel but instead they dropped us off on a street downtown. Having just arrived we had no idea where we were at the time so thankfully we were able to find a bank machine that would accept our card and grab a cab to our hostel.

Puno & Floating Islands

Our final stop in Peru was Puno, to see the floating islands. We took the bus during the day and the scenery was beautiful. Once we arrived we heading out to explore the town and find our way back to the bus station to buy our bus ticket to Bolivia. While exploring the markets I was excited to see pumpkins  because in Arequipa I had tried pumpkin soup and really loved it and was excited to try it again. The difference with the pumpkins here thought is that they're  green, so I was quite shocked when I had it and was served a green soup but it was better then our pumpkin soup back home.

That night we arranged our floating island tour with our hostel, it was at this point we found out about the 2 day option which we probably would have done but we had already bought our bus ticket for the following day and were running out of time, so we opted for the full day tour which visited the floating islands in the morning and Taquile island in the afternoon.

The floating islands were very fascinating and another one of those moment where you can't believe that people actually live like this. It's make up of  70 man-made islands which are in effect huge rafts of bundled reed located on Lake Tickitaca (the highest navigable lake in the world). The Uros people originally started building the islands here to hide and prevent attaches from the Incas and Collas but they have continued to live here because they can't afford the $4,000-5,000 it would cost to buy land.

Each Island has roughly 5-10  families with 18 people living on the island we visited. Each island has a self appointed president who is responsible for communicating with the other islands.  They have a primary school on one of the islands, where the kids are boated to school however for high school they need to travel to Puno to attend school. As for washrooms, they don't actually have one on the island and instead have an island with bathroom facilities, so the water doesn't get contaminated. So if you have to go to the washroom that means you need to get in your boat and rowing across.

On the island each family has a tiny one room house that are made of the dried reeds. The government has also recently supplied them with solar panels which they use to help power their TVs. We learned that in Peru and Ecuador the government has actually started to supply poor families with TVs in an effort to counter poverty. Apparently by providing them with TV it provided them with entertainment so they didn't feel the need to just keep having kids and inspired them towards a better life and apparently they have been having success with this imitative.










It takes about a year to build one of the islands and as you can imagine the ground is not solid and actually quite squishy. They need to keep layering the ground with new reed to stop any water from coming through. Because of this, arthritis in the knees is a common problem for them and pneumonia from the cold. Each island also has a boat created from reeds which we got to take a ride on, Trevor even helped with the rowing. It appears that all their money is essentially made from tourism.


The second island we visited I was actually disappointed with and I would recommend just doing the half day trip to the floating island and skip Taquile. It took us  2 hours to get there (it was the slowest boat we've been on) and even longer coming back, although we did get some nice sunbathing in.  We only spent two hours on the island where we had lunch, saw a traditional dance and walked up to the top of the island.

Arequipa & Canon Del Colca

Arequipa (the second largest city in Peru) was the next stop on our journey. We took an overnight bus from Cuzco which got us in at 5am in the morning. Thankfully our hostel let us check in right away and we just passed out until 11am before walking around to explore the city.

The city itself is nice with whitewashed colonial buildings built from volcanic rock and surrounded by majestic snow capped mountains. However if you are just going to visit the city and not Canon Del Colca then I would recommend you save yourself the trip. This maybe just because we have seen a lot of South American cities and Arequipa wasn't exceptionally better than any other cities we've seen.

One thing I need to mention is the Pigeons, if you think we have a lot of them back in North America then you need to come to South America. The parks here are swarming with them but we discovered it was because they actually feed the pigeons here, there are often people selling bird seed and the pigeons are not at all afraid of you. We actually watched a little boy at the plaza pick up one of the pigeons.     

From Arequipa we organized a 2 day trip through our hostel. The trip was super cheap

 if you step foot in Canon del Colca then you have to get a tourist pass which ended up costing 70 soles, the same price we paid for our 2 day trip. 

On the first day we  drove through the mountains surrounding Arequipa and saw fields full of vicunas, llamas and alpacas. That night they took us to a restaurant where we got to see Peruvian dances. They did four traditional dances and for two of them they selected someone from the audience to dance...and of course I was the one selected each time. The first time one of the guys selected me it was a pretty typical South American dance with spins however the  second dance was the most interesting. Trevor also got selected this time and part of the dance consisted of the guys lying on the floor with the girls whipping them, then the guys throws you over their shoulder and starts bumping all the girls together. I wasn't a big fan of the second dance, first because I don't like being picked up and especially not after a huge meal and by a guy that is smaller than me, but it was an interesting experience.

That night we slept in the town of Chivay. We actually found the town of Chivay very interesting because it was a real Peruvian town. At our hotel we ended up climbing up to the roof. I think the hotel owner thought we wanted a picture of the surrounding mountains but really we were more interested in seeing the surrounding houses and how the people lived. Sitting on the roof looking at the houses, I had one of those humbling moments where I really realized how spoiled I am. These people and their entire family live in these tiny shacks the size of a garage. They have a dirt or cement floor, dirt brick walls and hardly any possessions. Originally we had thought people had garbage on their roofs but we soon discovered that bricks, tires, etc. were actually placed on the roof to help keep the tin roofs in place. Seeing this really made me grateful for what I have and gave me a new level of respect for the people that live so contently this way.

The next day we got up early and continued our trip by visiting a couple villages (Yanque & Maca)  where we saw locals in their typical dress. We then continued  to Colca Canyon, which is the deepest canyon in the world (Grand Canyon is the widest) and while there saw lots of Condors flying through the canyon. To finish off the day we then went to the hot springs where we spend a couple hours relaxing in the various pools.

Tips for the Inca Trail

Here are some tips from our experience doing the Inca Trail: 

Ask your hostel for a scale - If you are using a porter and need to know how much your bag weights just ask your hostel for a scale. Most hostel or hotels have a scale you can use to measure the weight of your bag.

Rent a trekking pole - I recommend getting one walking stick for the trek. I had two and found two kind of awqward at times but would definitely recommend having at least one. Even my brother who was opposed to having one used his. And if you shop around, you can rent one cheaper then renting it through your trekking company.

Buy coca candies and leafs - One the way to the trail they stopped at a store where you can buy stuff for the trek. I recommend buying coca candies and leafs to help with the altitude particularly on the second day. The guides will show you how to chew the coca leafs properly and they do help with  altitude.

Keep a pair of dry clothes - Make sure you have a set of dry clothes you can change into at the end of the day. Each day our clothes were all soaked from the rain and changing into some dry warm clothes was the only thing that would keep me warm. This includes a dry pair of shoes. I petty much wore  the same wet clothes each day to ensure I had a dry pair of clothes for the end of the day. 

Buy a rain poncho - If you are doing the trail during the rainy season you will need this. My mom made me pack a rain poncho which I was sure I would never use and on the Inka Trail I pretty much lived in it. No matter how waterproof your jacket is supposed to be,  they will get soaked after 6 hours of walking in the rain. A rain poncho is the only way I could keep my clothes and backpack dry and I was really grateful I had one. Half our group wore them and those that didn't have one wished they did.

Bring extra plastic bags - Your stuff is going to get wet so you are going to want bags to seperate your wet from dry clothes. I also found putting small plastic bags around my feet under my shoes helped keep my feet dry.

Don't expect to sleep well - No matter how tired you are from the trek don't expect that you will sleep well.  Even with the mat, you still feel like you are sleeping on the ground.


No hot shower or place to charge your battery - During our briefing we were told you could pay for a hot shower and charge your camera battery on the third night...this is not true. The place where you used to be able to shower and charge your electronics is currently closed down so save some battery life and if you want, you can have a freezing cold shower which I did and despite the cold - it was worth it.

Hire a porter - The porters are supercreatures. I don't know how they do it but they manage to carry 25kg on their back while running up the same path we are struggling up with only our small knapsack. You can just hire one for the second day (the toughest day) if you want to save money.  Everyone in our group hired a porter to carry their stuff.

Headlamp required - Good luck finding your way around camp or going to the washroom without a headlamp/flashlight.

Visit Manchu Picchu in the afternoon - All the groups arrive in the morning and all the tours seems to take place in  the morning so stay past 1pm if you want to see it with less of a crowd. Manchu Picchu tend to be cloudy in the morning clearing up around 10 so if you are just visiting it don't feel rushed to get there first thing in the morning. We actaully prefered it after 1pm when it was all sunny and most of the people had left,  just sitting on the hilltop admiring it.


Book 4 days/4 nights for more time at Manchu Picchu - If you want to spend more then just the morning at Manchu Picchu book 4 nights, so you spend the last night in Aguas Calientes. We were really happy we did this because we could stay at Manchu Picchu as long as we wanted. Otherwise you arrive, have a tour and then only 2 hours on your own to enjoy it before getting the bus back to Aguas Calientes.