I've been to 100+ countries and have finally been abroad for over 6 months. Here is what I've learned.

My trip began in January 2023 when I bought a one-way ticket to Turkey. I had always wanted to spend consecutive months abroad but found it hard to do so when you have 1 week vacation per month. I'm 32 now and this trip was supposed to be the last big one for me. After months of changing my mind, I finally booked a one-way ticket to Turkey. I spent a month there before going to Egypt. I then returned to Turkey for another month to get my Russian visa. After 24 days in Russia, I went to China then India where I have been for the last 2 months. I felt that at this point I have enough knowledge to share about this trip. I've been to about 100 countries in my lifetime (I'm 32), but this is the first time I've spent a considerable amount abroad. There are some things I learned about myself in the process as well. I'm eloquent on paper so I'm going to go straight into the points. <br><br><br>1. Preparing for a 6-month trip feels like preparing for a 1-week trip. I thought that 6 months would be a lot of luggage but in the end, I took exactly the same amount of luggage I would take for a one-week trip. I packed the essentials.<br><br><br>2. I'm lazy. I thought I would do daily vlogs but then I clicked the record button on my camera. I have decided to do a vlog for every country this trip. I've been to 5 countries so far, and it's been hard work. I still enjoy taking photos.<br><br><br>3. My mental strength is low. I thought that I could deal with anything. This trip has been nerve-wracking and I have been annoyed at little things. I'm working on it.<br><br><br>4. The best way to travel is slowly. I've never spent more than 4 weeks in a country and I felt that was long. When I was in Turkey for 6 weeks, I finally felt like I was traveling slowly. In India where I've been for 2 months now, I can talk to locals more freely and feel more at home.<br><br><br>5. I'm more environmentally conscious. I was never a fan of disposable plastic water bottles but on this trip, I didn't use any. I think it was the thought of living abroad for 6 months that made me feel like I was going to make a difference. I brought my reusable water bottle which is a collapsible one. I-use it the way I would use a plastic water bottle. Pouring water from it to drink from a glass. I would say I use my reusable water bottle about 4-5 times a day. I've been to 5 countries and this might sound weird but this is my exact count of plastic water bottles used. I have been on buses and trains where they didn't have any other option. This might seem insignificant to some but for someone who travels as much as I do, I believe even if I'm saving 1 plastic bottle a day, that is 365 plastic bottles I've saved in a year. That's something.<br><br><br>6.The world is becoming more expensive. I've been to countries I've been to 7 years ago and in my opinion, they've become more expensive. The dollar is strong but at the same time, countries are getting more expensive. This trip has been more expensive than I thought it would be.<br><br><br>7Living abroad is stressful. If anything breaks you have to fix it. In my case, it's mostly my phone. Living abroad is exhausting. Somethings are different and it takes a toll on your mental and physical health. I've been sick 4 times already in just six months.<br><br><br>8.I don't need souvenirs. It's been hard to find decent souvenirs and I'm starting to realize I don't need them. I don't carry any except for this one cross from Russia. I think I'm starting to realize that photos are enough.<br><br><br>9. I don't care about food. I used to care about food but now as long as I'm full, I don't care. I might be getting bored of the food where I am and I might be sick of eating out. I haven't cooked much in the last 6 months. Most of the time it's the same old thing. Rice, curry, and roti. <br><br><br>10. I love my home. Someone once told me that there's no place like home and I couldn't agree more. I feel that there is no place like home. I love coming back home and this might be the last big trip I do. I want to settle down and have kids soon and not travel much.<br><br><br>11. I am 99% sure this is the last trip I do for a long time. I love settling down. I love having the same food every day and eating home-cooked food. After being abroad for 6 months, I'm almost sure that this is the last long trip I'm going to do. <br><br><br>12. Travel isn't everything. I used to think that travel was everything. It wasn't. I love staying at home and taking time off from work or just chilling. I'm not my job and I'm not a traveler. I'm just me.<br><br><br>13. Travel has taught me so much. With all the bad things I've said about traveling, it has taught me so much. I felt like I've learned a lot about this world. Travel has taught me so much about life and I think that's something I'm going to cherish for a long time. <br><br><br>14. I don't care about fancy hotels. I thought that I would want to be comfortable but most of the time I've stayed in budget hotels and have been okay with it. Sometimes I would get an Airbnb and cook.<br><br>15. I'm not sure where I want to settle down yet. I want to settle down but I'm not sure where yet. I'm thinking of the US but I'm still unsure.