What Brooke and Don have learned since traveling

So we were talking the other day about the things we've learned since we've been traveling and I figured I'd share as others could find it helpful or interesting or something along those lines.

1. Rainy days are underrated, even while you're traveling. We've come to look forward to the occasional rainy day because it means we don't have to do stuff all day but we can sleep in, catch up on some planning, maybe watch a movie and just relax a bit. Not that you have to keep busy on sunny days but rainy days are a good excuse to relax and laze about. 

2. No matter how much you love someone, everyone needs some 'me' time to do the things you love. Don loves mountain biking and I love reading, writing, etc. It's not that we want to be apart, it's just that we have activities that we do best when we are on our own. 

3. There's gotta be a balance between planning ahead and being spontaneous and playing it by ear. We still haven't figured it out but I'd say that we are better at it then at first.

4. Vegemite is the anti-food. Please enlighten us if you can explain why it's desirable at all. 

5. No matter how good a driver you are, you will forget which side is the windshield wipers and which side is the turn signal more than once when driving on the left side of the road. And it's okay to forget. 

6. Look at everyone through an untainted lens; give each person the benefit of the doubt. Don't have any preconceived notions.  

7. There are genuinely generous people in the world. There are people who are genuinely kind. There are people who don't want anything in return, they just want to give and help and host. It's people like Amanda & Zach in San Francisco, Rich & Lindy in Auckland, David, Linda, and Kane in Whanganui, Veronica and Kelvin in Wellington, Delia in Nelson, Harold & Marge, Cathy in Christchurch...these are the people who have taken us in and offered us home cooked meals and warm places to sleep. They are the people who have made our trip unforgettable and who will always be welcome and have a place to stay in Rhode Island.

8. Don't leave food out, or cockroaches will eat it and maybe eat you.

9. Even if you are on a tight budget, make sure you do fun things and treat yourself every once in a while. Go scuba diving or bungy jumping or take a cooking class...don't skimp and save just to realize that you traveled through a whole country without doing anything that was at all memorable. Don't ever get to a point where you are so bored with traveling you forget why you wanted to travel in the first place.