Travel puts life into perspective. It forces you to adjust with situations around you. It makes you realize how much we take for granted in our own lives. Living in America, we tend to think we are entitled to everything we have or want. Traveling abroad and seeing how other people live allows you to see how easy life comes for most of us.
Now, I’m not talking about the ‘big’ things like owning a phone or laptop. Or being able to drive to work or even attending grade school for free. I’m talking about the little daily things that we don’t think twice about. The things we feel like we are just supposed to have, as if it’s the norm. I’m talking about very simple things, like the free glass of water we get when we go to a restaurant. I’m referring to being able to use the public restroom without paying a fee.
In Italy, you must pay for water at a restaurant. At the same time, you can get free drinkable water from a fountain outside. In India (and some European countries), you have to pay a mandatory small fee to use a public restroom. Majority of the time, these restrooms are far from clean! We fail to notice or be thankful for these little things that are readily available to us. It isn’t until we travel somewhere where the ‘norm’ isn’t the norm that we notice them.
What else?
Nomader Collapsible Water Bottle – Leak Proof, BPA Free, 22 oz
Water Bottle 1L
**To work around the water dilemma in the restaurants, we all had water with us in different containers. My sister carried around her 12 oz glass water bottle. I carried a plastic bottle that I bought from a supermarket. My friend’s choice of a collapsible water bottle, similar to this one I found on Amazon, worked the best. She was able to refill it at the water fountains and hook it onto her backpack. When it wasn’t being used, it was folded and tucked away, taking up less space. Another great one is this fold-able, flexible and slightly cheaper Vapur Element water bottle.
For a list of other travel essentials and a full on gift guide, check out the Travel Must Haves post!
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