Your Mother Was Right: Lessons Learned on the Road

If you’re like us, you didn’t always listen to your mother as much as you should have when you were growing up. Which is too bad, for all of us: it turns out that she was right about pretty much everything, including travel. So we present here, mid-way between Mothering Sunday in the UK (March 10) and Mother’s Day in the U.S. (May 12), a small recompense to our mother(s), and mothers everywhere, offering the best present ever: admitting that she was right all along.

Behaving Like a Big Boy or Girl

• Use the bathroom, whenever you find one. You never know when you’ll find the next one. (Or what it will be like.)
• Hydrate more than you think you should. (Which leads directly to the previous…)
• Take a hat, put on sunscreen, and bring a jacket, ideally with cleansing wipes and tissues in the pocket.
• Go play outside, even if the weather isn’t all that great.
• Keep regular hours: it’s usually not a great idea to stay up past your bedtime. And staying up all night is never a great idea (this one becomes truer the older you get!)
• Eat your vegetables – unless you’re in a country with dodgy water, in which case you should still eat your vegetables, but make sure they’re good and boiled (but not over-boiled) first. See too our post on healthy habits on the road.
• Are you sure you don’t have to go to the bathroom?

Playing with Others

• Time passes quickly; find a way to notice the really good moments. (This doesn’t have to be photographs: sometimes they get in the way of being in the moment.)
• Smiling will get you far, especially if you don’t know the language.
• Sharing is good. Even with people you don’t like that much.
• Leave things better than you find them; find a way to make other people feel good.
• A little soap and water never killed anybody, even you.
• You’re only bored if you’re boring.
• A lot can be fixed with a hot cup of tea, soup, or coffee.

Being in the World

• Keep it in perspective: most things that happen are not that serious, even when they are bad.
• Technology is always reliable, until it isn’t. If it’s important, have a backup plan.
• Money does not grow on trees. Conserve and reuse where you can. This goes double for plastic: think about what you throw away (even if you recycle it).
• If you’re worried you’re going to forget, maybe you should make a list?
• Make your bed. This small accomplishment can set you up for the rest of the day.

What good advice from your mother did you ignore?

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