69 Lessons Learned After Traveling To The Moon

29 Apr 69 Lessons Learned After Traveling To The Moon

Last week we reached a ridiculous, we-still-cannot-fathom-it milestone. Whilst flying over Vienna during our South-Africa-to-Amsterdam flight, we clocked over 384,400km traveled since leaving home originally on March 2nd 2015. It seems like a random number, but according to science, 384,400km (238,855 miles) is the exact distance between the Earth and the Moon. Travel goals for a couple who left home to see how far from home they could go?! Umm, YES!

It’s taken us 3 years and 7 weeks to reach the moon. Sure, NASA or SpaceX could do it quicker, but would they have as many memories as us?! And would they have learned as much as us? Ok…they’d probably learn more…but we think these 69 lessons are pretty cool regardless. Also – try see if you can SPOT THE EMOJI in each of the lesson posters below – it’s a fun game we play weekly over on our InstaStories (join in if you like a challenge!)

69 Lessons Learned After Traveling To The Moon

On travel…

• Travel helps you discover what is truly essential in your life. You get placed out of your comfort zone, you get tested, you hit the lowest of lows….and at the end of the “research project” you realize what you won’t compromise on, what matters to you, what you want, and what you won’t live without.
• Full-time travel is a sport. You need daily practice, copious amounts of rest, and a good diet to keep you healthy and able to continue for a long time.
• Your bag will always be full, no matter how big or small it is, so if you don’t want to carry a lot, get a smaller bag.

• Grocery shopping is fun, when you do it for the first time in a new country, challenging yourself to figure out what’s inside.
• Buy (almost all…if not all) tech and cosmetics at the airport.
• Give yourself 3 hours before any flight, because something unexpected ALWAYS happens.
• Dubai has two airports. On opposite sides of the city. Luckily we had 3 hours to get from one side to the other, LOL.
• Things that you did not foresee happening, will happen, no matter how much you plan and over plan. 
• Be flexible and adaptable to all situations. Best to just keep your plans as a guideline, and just go with the ebb and flow.
• Having a photo of your suitcase on your phone can be very useful for that time when it goes missing at an airport (because that time will come).
• Never go to the first pub you see – it’s probably over-priced.
• Travel with a pillowcase. It’s a sure way to ensure your “own bed” comes with you wherever you go.

• You can’t see everything on a trip, so don’t try. Rather focus on 3 or 4 spots to visit, and do them properly.
• You have to leave yourself something to see and do next time, otherwise you won’t have a reason to come back to that place.
• Your bucket list will never stop growing, and you will never get to do and see and experience everything (sadly).
• Every single country has something beautiful to offer – it’s up to us as explorers and foreigners, to go and find that beauty.

On love…

• Communicate. If you want something, or dislike something, or need help with something, spell it out, and be as clear as Harry’s specs. Don’t assume your other half knows what your snarl grunt meant, no matter how long you’ve been together.
• That moment when one of you decides to ask the other to marry them, is the most knee-trembling, romantic, and life-changing experience ever, no matter how much time you spend together, and how often you say I <3 U.
• There is no need for Christmas gifts (if you celebrate Christmas). Simply spending time with people that mean the most to you is gift enough.
• It is entirely possible to spend 24-7-365 with someone else, for over three years, and love them more every day.

• People will gladly let you sleep in their house, cook in their kitchen, and drive their car…all in exchange for your love for their pet while they go on holiday.
• You don’t have to have a big group of friends you see constantly to feel friendship.
• Only spend energy on fights you truly need to deal with – constantly asking your significant other to close the cupboard door or hang the towel on the correct towel rack will destroy your relationship. Before fighting about something, ask yourself if it’s worth the relationship.
• Your hobbies and interests are what bind you to other people; not your geolocation, language, or social background.

On getting older…

• You’ll never be as young as you are right now, so take your picture, and enjoy looking at how young you once were, later.

• You don’t have to be married, with kids and a house, at 30. Only if you want to be.
• Your body needs rest, more so the older you get, so force yourself to binge watch a series, eat soup, and stay in bed (sometimes).
• Moments captured of yourself on video are invaluable.

On the world, and international relations…

• The world is a cloudy, cloudy place. Like literally. There is cloud cover everywhere.
• Go outside when the sun is shining. Enjoy its rarity, drop everything you’re doing, and soak up that golden ball.
• There is no global understanding of “normal”. Everyone is different, and everyone has a different “normal” that they live in, or that they aspire to have.

• Humans, (like other living, breathing creatures) are meant to be outdoors.
• Almost all countries are beginning to understand the concept of “veganism”.
• People are proud ambassadors of their country’s water (where the water is good enough to drink). If you ask them if you can drink it, they will most probably try convince you why their water is superior to all others. 
• The world is in fact smaller than it seems – you’re a flight or two away from anywhere.

On creativity…

• Don’t talk about an idea you’re going to create, but rather CREATE the idea, and then talk about the thing you created.
• Be open to have your ideas grow with input from others.
• Being a travel photographer means you will work 365 days a year. No more, no less (unless you don’t want to be a great one, then you can work only when it pleases you).

• Waking up at 3am to write down a thought can sometimes be the most powerful thing you do that day.
• Creativity can solve anything. Absolutely anything.
• Stay challenged. As soon as something becomes routine, or easy, or it isn’t interesting enough to hold your attention anymore, challenge yourself again.
• The greatest form of motivation is action.
• The best work comes from spending hours crafting.
• But sometimes the best work can come from a single thought.
• You can never predict when you’re at the beginning of a brilliant piece of work.

• The sooner you can figure out what you’re good at, the sooner you can start crafting your skill, so talk to those people that know you best. Write a pros and cons list on yourself, and focus on those good points now.
• Always offer something original to the world…something that makes the world better in some way. No one wants to see another version of something they’ve already seen, or something that didn’t help them in some way.
• Take pride in what you do – don’t do sloppy work.

On life…

• There’s no point in worrying – it just means you’ll suffer twice if something does in fact go wrong, because if nothing goes wrong, then you wouldn’t have suffered at all.
• Money making, career evolution, and improving our intellect should only consume 33% of our focus.
• Another 33% of our time and energy should be devoted to emotional things (like time with loved ones, and improving relationships, mentorship, and spending time with pets).
• The last 33% should be dedicated to our health (mental, physical, and spiritual).
• You shouldn’t sweat the small stuff (like getting irritated now that the stats we just listed only added up to 99% and not 100%. You get the point – forgive our inaccuracy and see the big picture).
• Focus on the big picture. Always.
• You are only the main character in your own movie. No one else’s movie. Yours. Everyone else is playing the main character in their own movie. Don’t ever think that you’re someone else’s main character. You are merely in a supporting role, or just an extra (meaning that you really don’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks about you).

• Workout in strange places – it helps keep you motivated.
• No matter how glamorous a life can appear from the outside, there is a story of struggle and doubt etched into it.
• When we start and continue a way of life (and do it for long enough), we create a new habit.
• Unlearn your current idea of “normal” – it’s the best way to learn something new about yourself.
• When you have no obligations, it’s actually quite difficult to find ways to spend your time.
• Time is wasted if not gearing towards a vision.
• Always have a vision, or a reason to pursue something bigger.
• You don’t have to wear pyjamas when you sleep. Only if you want to.

• Don’t let anyone tell you how to live your life. You know what’s good for you.
• Most things won’t end up how you envisioned them – but you’ll learn a hell of a lot by getting to a point that’s remotely similar to that initial vision.
• Don’t expect anything – setting expectations can sometimes set you up for disappointment, so by not expecting anything, you’ll never be disappointed.
• No matter how hard you try, there is always going to be someone or something better, so don’t aim to be the best – aim to be better than you were when you started.
• You really should try everything at least once, even (and especially) if it looks disgusting, will force you to face your fear, or it challenges you.
• Unplugging from the Internet entirely can be the best holiday you ever take.

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