5 Travel Experts on Their One Travel Regret

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#NoRegrets .. it’s like a socially acceptable YOLO right?

I don’t like the phrase “No Regrets” because it romanticizes our mistakes and overlooks the fact that we could have made better choices.

Mistakes

Growing up, my mother framed mistakes in the following way:

Everyone is trying to get somewhere. We are all on a different path and we can get there, but the more mistakes we make, the heavier our load is throughout our walk. That is why it’s called “baggage.” It doesn’t mean you can’t get there, it just means you can’t walk as fast. Avoid decisions that will slow you down from getting to where you want to be in life. BUT, don’t think that if something negatively impacts your life you can’t still keep walking.
You can always move forward.Click To Tweet

I am happy about where I am today and the choices I’ve made, but there are some things that I could have done differently. I am not too proud to admit that I’ve been wrong and will probably be wrong again.

No Regrets

Each mistake is like a piece of broken glass. If we don’t acknowledge it, it’ll cut us deeper, sharper, wider. But if we treat the stinging pain, we can heal it before it peaks in severity. Regret doesn’t have to eat at your gut forever. We can let mistakes go.

“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind.”

If you're not digging Bob Marley, we can't be friends.Click To Tweet

But then again, I’ve lost a lot of friends because of travel. It’s really difficult to maintain relationships while you’re on the road, and as I seek to slowly reintegrate into Los Angeles, I can truly appreciate the friends that are still present in my life.

I don’t regret traveling. Sometimes I do regret the time and energy I invested into people who didn’t reciprocate or value my friendship. I guess that’s the difference between junior year of college and friendships in your mid-twenties.

(But hey, how could I regret travel, look at this…)

A photo posted by Stephanie Be (@stephbetravel) on Sep 9, 2014 at 8:38pm PDT

And while I’m tempted to go on a tangent about feelings and stuff regarding the good, the bad, and beautiful, this article is about how to prevent mistakes in travel. I recently caught Matthew Kepnes (Nomadic Matt) discussing his travel regret: he didn’t study abroad while in college. It had me thinking about what other travel experts regret in this sphere, since travel tends to be put on a pedestal, but that doesn’t mean it’s always sunshine and rainbows.

Here’s what they experts had to say they “regret:”

1. Waiting Too Long To Travel

“My one travel regret would be not starting sooner. It was a big risk in the beginning, but it was worth it. I wish I just had the courage to leave earlier, so I could start living this life much earlier.”

– Marcello Arrambide, Wandering Trader

A photo posted by Marcello Arrambide (@wanderingtrader) on Jun 6, 2014 at 9:23am PDT

I’m Marcello Arrambide. I travel the world & day trade in the stock market. Visited over 80 countries and all 7 continents. Connect with Marcello on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

2. Seriously, Not Traveling Soon Enough

“My biggest travel regret is that I didn’t start exploring our planet sooner! I was 29 years old when I finally embarked on my first real international trip (Canada & Mexico don’t count). It turns out long-term adventure travel was my passion and I didn’t even know it. However, the stuff I learned about graphic design, marketing, and photography in the years prior definitely helped me turn my new passion for travel into a viable profession.”

– Matt Karsten, Expert Vagabond

The Expert Vagabond is an award-wining blog inspiring you to get out there & explore the world through stories & photography about travel.

Connect with Matt on Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

3. Not Backing Up and Losing Photos

My greatest travel regret is not backing up my photos. I lost two years and 50,000 photos when my hard drive was stolen in 2012. My solution? I now backup online to Crashplan as well as on an external hard drive. This gives me incredible peace of mind as I travel!

– The Legendary Adventures of Anna

A photo posted by Anna (@crazyintherain) on Oct 10, 2014 at 8:09pm PDT

Suffering from insatiable wanderlust, Anna Vawser travels 365 days a year solo with just a backpack, tent, and sleeping bag. She is a vibrant soul who loves nature and can always be found exploring with a flower in her hair and pack of sidewalk chalk in her pocket.

Connect with Anna on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |

4. Not Taking Advantage of a Visa Opportunity

My biggest regret is letting my Australian work and holiday visa lapse. I had initially moved to Melbourne to pursue a relationship that didn’t end up working out, and it was only a few months into what was supposed to be a year in Asia. I felt like I had given up on what I’d initially set out to do, so I left Australia to reclaim my initial dream, returning to Southeast Asia and traveling solo throughout nearly every country. At the time, I didn’t know any other Americans in Australia and had assumed that like my Canadian and British friends, I could also qualify for a second year visa in Australia. What I later found out is Americans don’t have that right, so with that, my year in Australia evaporated. I believe that things happen for a reason, so I don’t begrudge that I went there too soon into my trip and left with the time still ticking on my visa. Having Australia off the table has led me to other really amazing places that I never previously considered.

– Kristin Addis, Be My Travel Muse

A photo posted by Kristin Addis (@bemytravelmuse) on Oct 10, 2014 at 3:31am PDT

Kristin Addis is a former investment banker who sold all of her belongings and bid California goodbye in favor of traveling solo around the world, searching for off-the-beaten path adventures. There’s almost nothing she won’t try and almost nowhere she won’t explore. You can find more of her musings at Be My Travel Muse.

Connect with her on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Google+

5. Photographing the Wrong Things

I have always photographed standard things (sunsets, views, beaches, entrance to disney, and family). I don’t regret the latter, even though family is really only of interest to me.

But take Capri for example. I never photographed the time in the uber trendy Capri square when I spilled a whole beer into my husband’s crotch – his face, the scattered chairs as he stormed off mortified, the old local lady muttering “problemo’ as we rushed past. I also missed taking a photo of the sardine-filled minibus that scoots locals up the windy road adorned by Virgin Mary Statues. And I forgot to take a picture in one of the the most romantic restaurants in the world, L’olivio.