It’s hard to believe that Andrea and I are already a month into our travels. We’re finishing up our stay in Thailand and get on the slow boat to Laos tomorrow. Looking back at my Abbey Road journal I’ve been keeping (sorry, not everything goes public!), I came in with no expectations and an open mind and I’m continually amazed at what I’m finding out about myself, travel and Thailand.

Here are just a few random thoughts worth sharing:

• It doesn’t make you a bad person for putting your dreams and happiness before the disappointment of others. Those who love you will support you, even if it takes time for them to come around.

• I stressed a lot about packing pre-departure and it was completely unnecessary. I was easily able to pick up anything I forgot at home and have already left quite a bit behind that turned out to be unnecessary.
  

  Departure day: one month ago!

• Traveling with someone who isn’t a best friend was the best decision I could’ve made aside from traveling alone. Andrea and I are quickly becoming the best of friends and it enhances the learning process.

• On that note, though, it’s OK to need some alone time and just tune out for a bit. It’s needed for each other’s sanity.

• There are absolutely no traffic patterns in Thailand. Those white-dashed lines we know as lanes? Yeah, no one uses them. Taking a taxi from Baan Tai to Haad Rin on Koh Phangan or a túk-túk to the Grand Palace is like asking for a death wish.

• It’s possible to live a location independent lifestyle. Just ask some of the cool friends I’ve made. That, and that I need to explore my options when I’m finished traveling to make it happen for me.

• It’s still really hard to increase my readership for this blog. It’s moving along with the new people I meet and now my work with The Advocate. I still have a ways to go in learning how to better market myself.

• It’s important to set aside time for work every day. I have a commitment to The Advocate that I’m not about to break. It could open doors yet to be seen.

• There are more tourists than Thais on islands like Koh Phangan, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Tao. It’s the European’s/South Pacific’s spring break.
  

  Maya Bay, Koh Phi Phi

• There’s a difference between those who are traveling, working and just on holiday. Each type of person has his or her own mindset and goals that need to be respected.

• I was about to go to graduate school for all the wrong reasons. Even when it was at the American University of Paris, but especially when it was at Columbia University in New York. I’m so relieved I figured it out before I left, although it came with trepidation.

• Booking in advance has its pros and cons. While it worked for us logistically, Andrea and I think we could have done cheaper on our own and stayed in the places we liked longer to meet up with friends. We probably won’t do it again, but I can value how it works better for some.

• The best meals you’ll eat in Southeast Asia come from street carts on tucked away sois and cost no more than $3 USD for a full meal and a soda.

• Call your family every once in a while. Or at least e-mail them. Keep them in the loop and it’ll ease their minds a bit more. I’m guilty at slacking on this.

• Those who work on Khoa San Road are relentless in selling you crap. No, I don’t want a massage, fake tattoo sleeves or a wedding dress. I just want to drink my Chang in peace.

• I bruise easily. Every time I do get a Thai massage, I walk away with fingerprint bruises on my arms and thighs, feeling like I was beaten up by a Thai woman.

• This decision, however daunting it had seemed in the weeks leading up to my flight, has been the best I’ve ever made.

It’s not too late to put your two cents (and my dollar) toward helping out Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake. Check out my previous post on the similarities between Haiti and Koh Phi Phi.