After seeing a few posts regarding travel regrets on some of the wonderful travel blogs I read, I decided to jump on the band wagon and do a post of this nature myself. Hey, we all make mistakes! And I’m no different.
1) Not studying abroad in Australia
Studying abroad had never really occurred to me. I just figured with a major so specific as mine (speech pathology) there wouldn’t be any classes I could take. It wasn’t until I had heard of some of my friends toying with the idea that I knew this was something I REALLY wanted to as well. And when I first learned studying abroad was a possibility with my major, I instantly knew I wanted this experience to be in Australia. I did all the research. Looked into all the programs. Convinced my parents that this was a good idea. Talked to my then-boyfriend at the time. And everyone was telling me to go. But I didn’t, and I still do not know why. Besides completely immersing myself in the culture, I totally missed out on:
snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef:
and playing with a kangaroo:
I had my heart totally set on this, and is definitely my biggest regret to date.
2) Not extending my ticket in Israel
During the Summer of 2011, I was lucky to have been chosen to participate in Birthright, an organization that sends people between the ages of 18-27 to Israel for FREE. Another added benefit of this trip is that participants are given the opportunity to extend their plane ticket home to a later date. MEANING = a free flight home from Israel at any time. I had the best time ever on this trip (which I am very eager to share on this blog soon). But I would have loved to explore other areas of Israel, particularly the south (including Eilat) which we didn’t have time to explore. I could have even traveled to Turkey, Jordan, or Egypt. But I didn’t. Because of that, I am currently starting to plan a trip to Turkey. I want to ride in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia (I mean look at that insane landscape!) and see the dramatic limestone terraces in Pamukkale.
3) Not bringing along an underwater camera
I’ve been snorkeling in so many beautiful places and have seen so many gorgeous, colorful fish. Have I ever documented this experience? No! A big fat NO! After recently snorkeling (AND SCUBA DIVING) in the Greek Islands, I am still kicking myself for not having an underwater camera to capture these moments.
Now I know I need to purchase one before we head on off to Hawaii. We are planning on going snorkeling in Molokini Crater and other places in Maui and Kauai.
What are some of your travel regrets? C’mon- we all have at least one!
We regret not being able to squeeze in the Phillippines or Columbia on our recent trip. But there's only so many places you can visit in a year. =P Always gives you something to look forward to. Get a Dicapac waterproof case for your camera. We used it soo many times.
thanks for the waterproof case suggestion! need to finally invest in a good camera and splurge on a DSLR. I should get on that before hawaii!
Love that we have a studying abroad AND Australia, haha. Oh, underwater camera! I wish I had had one and a GoPro while diving with Great Whites!
maybe at somepoint in your life you will be able to complete this.
ahhh diving with great whites! most definitely on my bucket list!!!
Great post…my heart goes out to you – I hate the feeling of regret!! I don't have any specific "travel" regrets…I'm working on making sure it doesn't happen 🙂
I REALLY regret not studying abroad.. and it will be hanging over me the rest of my life… everyone says I can just travel around Australia, but who knows when (and if) I'll actually get the chance…
Maybe you can take advantage of the working holiday visa program and spend a year in Australia. Google 'farm work travel Australia' and see what you think. You only have until you are 30 though.
Aww… #1 and #2 are tough. Funny how we sometimes make decisions without even knowing why! At least we learn from them, if that's any consolation. (By the way, that kangaroo is soooo cute.)#3 is not a lost cause. Do it! 🙂
I am in the process of looking for a good underwater camera! Thinking about finally splurging on an SLR sometime soon… any suggestions?!?!
My heart aches for you Jessica. Studying abroad is one of the best experiences ever and Australia? What else can I say. I lived there for a month and I was in tears when I left. The country is gorgeous, the people are amazing and you just have to go when you get a chance. A whole other world awaits.As for extending your trip, well you will go back to that side of the world and will enjoy it to the max I am sure.You know sometimes things happen because they just have to.Life will reward you for the risks you take. I am a firm believer of that ;)Happy travels and hope to read more of your adventures.All the best, tashi delek.Karla 😉
thanks so much for your comment Karla! Not studying abroad and missing out on that opportunity will be in the back of my mind for the rest of my life probably. I really hope I get to travel there, but even if I do, it won't be for an extended amount of time like I had originally wanted. Studying abroad gives you the opportunity to travel around and have a "home base" as well, which is really important to me. Oh well.. guess I can't dwell on the past.
Wow- I can see why #1 is your biggest regret. I think it is the most common one – regret for not seizing an opportunity when we had it! Mine was not going to Morocco when I was going around the world. It was in the plans, then somehow, it got cut out! Hope you get the chance to go back to Australia – it is well worth the effort!
I definitely agree Anita! Things happen and we don't even know why. You'll get to Morocco someday! Enjoy!