“So, how do I go about asking for an upgrade?”
I can now answer the question I posed in my very first blog post. The answer is: you don’t. Just be genuinely kind and friendly… and make sure they find out that you’re blogging. It took me a while to cotton on, but I’m pretty sure that my extra-special treatment wasn’t just due to a smile. And when I look back, it does explain a few “lucky” things: the double-upgrade on my Ha Long Bay cruise, the cheap Sapa tour and the cut-price massage in Hoi An. As a thank you, I’ve left reviews on TripAdvisor. But they’re honest – you can buy my review, but you can’t buy my opinion 😉
I never once regretted my spontaneous decision to go travelling. I’ve been wanting to do it for ages: “if you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working for it.” Or something like that. And I’ve learnt some really important things:
- I learnt to trust my gut instinct. It never let me down. I’ve always trusted it in theory, but this trip proved I can rely on it.
- I learnt that I’m luckier than I can comprehend. And, as a result, I’ve become calmer. Day-to-day first-world problems just don’t bother me anymore. Because I’ve seen what the world looks like without first-world problems. And I’ll take the first-world problems, thanks.
- I’ve learnt that war devastates a country for decades after it’s ended. World peace is a phrase that’s become over-familiar, but it’s taken on a new meaning for me. I’ve never experienced war, but having visited countries still recovering from the horrors, it’s made it more real. And it’s something I never want to experience. Lives get put on hold, land gets devastated, and the economic, human and environmental effects live on long after the last bomb has been dropped.
- I’ve also learnt to do things my way. I no longer worry about what everyone else is doing, but am happy to make my own path. Even if that is against the social norm. Which it usually is 😉
I did it. I had no idea what to expect before I got on that plane last September, but I pretended to be brave and I’ve been rewarded with memories that’ll last a lifetime. I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride 🙂
And now the planning for the next trip starts… Not sure exactly when or where, but I know it’ll involve surprises, paradigm shifts, new people, culture shocks… and my three pairs of pants.