Continuing with our reflections on the things that we have learned in these 10 years of tireless travel and that we started in this post, here is the second part.

• In these years there is something that has become clear to us: the most beautiful is not always the most expensive or the most popular or the most exotic. There are places like the great pyramids of Cheops, Khafre and Mikerinos in Egypt that are a must. However, the pyramid that most impressed us was the Red Pyramid. As it is not popular like the vedettes, there are much fewer tourists and it left a greater impression on us.

• Enjoy it to the fullest, even if you don’t meet your “list.” Previously, our to-do list was a must: we had to visit each of our “to-do” places and do each activity. If not, we felt bad. But we have learned that quality is more than quantity. Making the most of what we can visit and not having regrets for not being able to visit or do something that we had planned gives us much more satisfaction.

• Disconnection. We have learned to disconnect from social networks. Use them very sparingly for the reassurance of relatives and for safety. It is important to let our closest acquaintances know where we are, where we are staying, what walks we will take. But making long posts for Instagram so that people see how “cool” is in our lives, not that. It takes away precious time that we can spend in total immersion of our destiny.

• We have learned to always buy travel insurance, because it is much better to be safe. Keep the travel insurance data and the embassy data at hand for any contingency. That gives us peace and tranquility and allows us to have our mind focused on enjoyment.

• One thing that we have learned and that gives us a lot of pleasure is taking the time to try the local gastronomy. It is one of the best ways to get closer to the culture of the country. Investigate with the locals the best places to eat local dishes. In addition, we always bring a recipe from our travels and prepare those dishes at home. It’s like traveling twice!

• We have found that it is best to investigate whether the cost of the bags is included in the ticket price. Above all, on the cheapest tickets they almost never are. Plan well the activities to be carried out and what you will need to carry everything you need. Buying it on the spot is more expensive. By the way, never agree to take care of someone else’s suitcase or leave your suitcases to someone else. Buy yourself some good suitcases, many of them have years of warranty.

• Identify the suitcases well. Put on a tape or some detail that differentiates them by far to avoid confusion. My suitcase, for example, is fuchsia. As for hand luggage, we recommend that they be in dark colors. A bold color can make it look bigger and it may be sent to your cabin luggage.

• This is obvious, but it is something we have learned that is often overlooked: Always carry valuables in your carry-on bag: money, documents, perfumes, etc.

• If we are going to take a taxi in places where they do not use a meter, we always ask how much the ride costs. And we are extremely clear on the price. We even take out the cell phone and show the price in the calculator to the driver to avoid confusion due to differences between languages. In the same way in the markets and in general with any service, make it absolutely clear what the price is before taking the service.

• Beware of ant spends. Those little cats that go under the table but in the end add up to a lot. Those retail expenses like small meals, snacks, ice cream are not bad. But keep track of your expenses. What we do is go to the small markets and prepare our meals. Unless you are planning to try local cuisine, try to curb small meal expenses.

• We have learned some factors that contribute to making airline tickets cheaper: traveling during the week (weekends are more expensive), traveling in low season, greater distance from the destination airport with respect to your city, lightning offers from online sites of ticket purchases, etc. Always keep in mind that there are multiple factors, some hidden from the traveler, that contribute to making a ticket cheaper – or making it more expensive.

• Finally, something very important that we have learned to do as second nature: Before traveling, we verify the immigration processes: necessary documents that will be requested from us, if visas are required, vaccinations (especially in recent years), how long you can stay, etc. . Policies and requirements are always changing, that is why we have learned to research well on the destination’s tourism websites what will be necessary to travel.

And this is, broadly speaking, what we have learned in these 10 years of comings and goings.

Some of these things we have learned from the m