You become a master at talking with your hands. Don’t know the language? No problem! Watch me order 2 beers using only hand gestures and taking r e a l l y slowly.
Your standards have slipped. After a long time sleeping in dorms you do get used to peoples smelly socks on the floor and them staggering in at 3am. It’s when a hairdryer and a hot shower become luxury instead of necessary – you know you’ve officially evolved into a ‘traveller’.
You could win a medal for your packing skills. Watching these amateurs take an hour to repack their bags every night and smiling knowing you’d have that down in 7 minutes. It might help that you only actually own 5 items of clothing now.
You’ve got the shower routine down to a tee. You remembered your conditioner but forgot your pants one to many times to not have this one perfected. Body wash, shampoo, towel, underwear & clothes – check.
You’ve got the Mary Poppins bag everyone wants. Sorry what, some people don’t have a toilet roll, sanitiser and change in 7 different currencies in the bottom of their bag? And what about a bottle opener in their pocket? How are they ever gonna make friends?
You navigate the ladders like a boss. Climbing up on a bunk bed, in the pitch black, in a strange room after one too many rum buckets; is no problem for you. Even better, the beds where there’s no ladder. Who needs a gym to work on those triceps?
Your friends think you work for Expedia. ‘Oh I need a cheap flight, you know where to find them don’t you’, ‘how do I plan a route here’ ‘what’s the best way to do that’ HAVE YOU NEVER HEARD OF GOOGLE?
NO journey is too long for you. You’re used to shabby public transport. You can keep yourself occupied on the 12-hour bus they promised you would only take 8 hours, and you’ve got used to the stranger kicking the back of your chair repeatedly.
