Lessons from HK travel.
Lesson #1: Always travel with persons you’ve known for similar length/for substantial number of years, especially if they are boys :P. I have come to conclude that it may not be the wisest of decisions to travel with 2 friends you’ve known for 12 years, whereas the other two, you’ve barely known for a 6 months. The great disparity between the level of comfort and knowledge of the two different group of friends can really strain the travelling experience. As newly-made acquaintances, both parties have yet to know and truly understand the characters of each other. Therefore, the possibility of misunderstandings are great. Especially since self-planned travels (i.e not following a tour) can be quite challenging and stressful. I wish I could say that I am open to travelling with anyone but I am not up for that kind of challenge, atleast not right now.
Lesson #2: Enough rest and sleep are CRUCIAL for an enjoyable travel. Although one would love to see as many things as possible during one’s stay at the destination, the lack of rest and especially sleep leads to a decrease in the capacity to enjoy one’s trip. Furthermore, it also leads to increased irritability among co-travellers. This irritability may or may not cause a long-term strain on the friendship between travellers, depending on the stability or strength of the friendship. Fortunately, Rohene, Agkillah and I were able to come out of this laughing at the misunderstandings we had. Perhaps that's really a testament to the strength of our 12-year friendship.
Lesson #3: Don’t hold back on spending. Sounds like a bad advice? Think again. Once we’ve set a budget for the travelling, spend generously to maximise enjoyment as long the expenditure remains within the set budget. It is good to set a lower and upper quartile for the spending limit, so as to be able to gage the maximum limit for expenditure as well as the minimum. Trying to save money while you’re travelling (although you’re already within budget) may lead to regrets which you’d have to wait for years before they can be undone. I was trying to be so ‘SAFE’ with my expenditures that I ended up saving 400 HKD unnecessarily. I was still within my allotted budget, was nowhere near hitting my upper quartile (which was 5000HKD) and yet I still tried to save money. Not setting my lower quartile may have been the problem. My median was 3700HKD, and I saved 400 HKD out of that. At the end of the day, I came back with lesser souvenirs than I wanted to and now I am dying to just go back and buy more stuff. Don’t try to safe money, unless you’re approaching your upper quartile. That’s my advice, to myself atleast.
Think that’s enough for today. Shall share more sometime soon.
Allow me to share a picture from our travel.
