They say you never forget your first time, and we agree. Your first passport stamp, first foreign festival, and even your first crush on a local hotelier (Just us? Okay). For giggles, we take a look back at some of the things we said, felt, and experienced as a first-time traveller.
#1 The First-Time Passenger Giveaway
The excitement kicks in at the airport; a foreign land in itself. But once you get to the metal detectors, you anxiously make a mental list of everything you’ve learned from airport scenes in movies. Should I place my shoes in a tray? Will my watch set off the alarm? You look around at the crowd and realise you’re looking mighty suspicious, so you try to act aloof instead. It’s going well. You’ve got this, you frequent flier, you.
“Wait, what do you mean I can’t bring liquids over 100ml on board?!”
#3 The Sudden Panic on Flight
Custom forms? Do I need one? I don’t even have a pen! OH MY GOD DID I SIGN UP FOR INTERNATIONAL ROAMING ON MY CELLPHONE? I should not be allowed to adult. But I am allowed to have more of that wine.
“… The wine is free, right?”
#3 The Culture Shock
And so the adventure begins (why did I eat all those hash browns at the hotel’s breakfast buffet?)… Lonely Planet says these are the places to see before you turn 30, and boy are you excited. Wait, what is going on right now? I thought this was the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, so where are my tree-hugging sisters? What’s that guy doi-… OH MY GOD HE’S SLICING HIS TONGUE.
Ed’s note: It is impolite to stare at sunbathers at a nude beach. Sorry, Australia.
#4 Sampling The Local Cuisine
Chicken feet in China? Uhm, can I have the drumstick instead? Frog legs and pigs innards in France, really? So that’s how the French stay skinny. Well, actually, these Korean blood sausages aren’t half bad.
“…Is there a McDonald’s anywhere around here?”
#5 You Talk The Talk, Literally
At first you found the accent hilarious and confusing (“Where a boot? Do you mean ‘about’?”), but then you pick it up full-time. So what if it’s the absolute worst impression of a Canadian accent you’ve ever heard, eh? You just can’t help yourself. Folks at home gonna love this.
# 6 You Get Bitten By The (Love) Bug
The better of bugs to get bitten by abroad, the love bug can cause symptoms such as delusional expectations of the future, an urge to quit your job back at home, and sigh, happiness. But like we said, you’ve got to sample the local cuisine *wink*. And if you need a little help on how to hookup on holiday, we know a thing or two. Well actually, we know seven.
Where was your first wanderlust?
Photo credits: Main, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
