Ten things that happen when you’re backpacking!

Whether it’s a round the world trip for a year, or a four week holiday to some far-flung continent, it’s a rite of passage to do some sort of long-haul travel in your twenties.

With your bag packed, Birkenstocks bought and tickets booked, you might think you’re ready to go, but there are a few unexpected things (good and bad) that will no doubt happen along the way.

Here are just a few…

1. You’ll realise you can live without your GHD
Either it’ll break, it won’t work in the strange foreign plugs, or you’ll bravely leave it back at home – whatever happens, you’ll soon discover that you can get on just fine without super-sleek hair. Rock those curls!

2. That 3-hour train trip from Dublin to Cork will seem like a breeze
36 hour bus journey with two border crossings? I thought this was meant to be a HOLIDAY?!

3. You’ll gain the talent to sleep anywhere
Planes, trains, buses and shaky taxis are all just places for you to rest your weary head now. Sweet dreams, little traveller.

4. You’ll become hugely patriotic
Barry’s Tea is now the most important thing in your world, even though back home you could take it or leave it. As for music, if it’s not The Fields of Athenry you can just turn it off, thanks.

5. You’ll lose half your clothes to dodgy laundrettes
Which is not the end of the world because you seriously overpacked. Oops.

6. You’ll take 10 million pictures of churches/Inca ruins/indigenous plants
Someday you just know you’ll look back and treasure them all…

7. Only to realise later that NOBODY needs that many pictures of anything
Delete, delete, delete. Back to selfies and pictures of your food!

8. Everyone becomes a friend
This is especially true if you’re travelling alone. No room for awkwardness here – just get out there and start chatting!

9. You’ll get horrifically, disgustingly ill
It might come out of one end, it might come out of both. It happens to the best of us! Ride the sweaty, nauseous wave and know that you’ll feel better tomorrow… or the next day.

10. You’ll lose all sense of style
Skinny jeans? No thanks. Heels? Oh god, no. You have your “fancy” flip-flops and that one dress that’s not ripped to shreds. Those will do just fine for now!