Leave all of your expectations behind when you pack for your next trip.
After spending a lifetime dreaming of far off places, collecting your bucket list items of dream destinations, the moment is finally here. You get to check that item off. All that you've seen and/or heard about it in the movies or maybe from your friends must be true. It has to be as amazing as everyone says, doesn't it? All of your long-awaited anticipation, the trip it took to get there, and now it's within your grasp. Now here comes the bad news.
The reality is sometimes when it's your turn to experience something for yourself it might not live up to all the hype. It's OK, it happens. Everything is a matter of opinion. It doesn't make me a pessimist for stating the facts. Disappointment happens, not everything is as chalked up as it's made out to be. But you can seriously do one simple thing that might help you avoid this feeling of huge let down. Check your expectations, like you check your luggage.
“You will be so much happier with your travels since you aren't competing with the expectations that you've formed in your mind. If you have zero expectations, you literally cannot be disappointed.”
Seriously. Don't create any expectations for your trip. Go into it with a completely open mind, and a "can't wait to see what happens" attitude. If you do this, you will be so much happier with your travels since you aren't competing with the expectations that you've formed in your mind. If you have zero expectations, you literally cannot be disappointed.
Now I want to make a clear distinction. Expectations and itineraries are very different things. I'm not saying don't have an itinerary, I'm saying try not to have expectations. An itinerary would be something that defines expectations of destinations/activities for the day or week, and for those of us who are Type A personalities these are just as essential as our passports and money. However, expectations would be thinking you know exactly what an experience or place will be like and/or how happy/excited it will make you feel. Itineraries are oftentimes pretty great! It is pre-planned so it doesn't waste anytime debating what to do for the day and it usually allows a traveler to cover as much ground as they can on their trip. As long as the itinerary is not SUPER rigid, I say whatever makes you happy go for it!
That's the whole point of travel right? To make us happy. To relax, to explore, to discover ourselves and other cultures, the list goes on. So if traveling is supposed to make us happy, then why would we set ourselves up to be anything but exactly that? This is where the danger of expectations comes in! If our expectations aren't met, we become sad, disappointed, frustrated, etc., especially if there are a lot of preconceived notions, misconceptions, or build up involved.
To highlight my point, I'm going to give you a couple examples of my own travel disappointments.
The Louvre/Mona Lisa
Let me start by saying I am a self-proclaimed avid lover of art and architecture. Is it my major? No. But I have two study abroad experiences studying this subject under my belt that backup my claim. Well, unless you live under a rock you've heard of the Louvre and you've heard of Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece, The Mona Lisa. Like with anything, when you spend years hearing about certain things your mind tends to fill in the details and paint a picture in your mind. Well the picture in my head was WAY off. Mind you, this was before Jay-Z and Beyonce's Apesh*t music video.
Spoiler alert: The Mona Lisa is so overrated. There I said it. Art Gods will probably smite me but I know for a fact I am not the only one who feels this way. First of all, a common misconception that I've found out based on discussion with my fellow travel-mates is that we all think she is much bigger than she actually is.
Picture this: you get herded into a room the size of a high school cafeteria, you immediately know which way to gravitate toward because there's approximately 200 people crowding in front of a wall in the middle of the room, and you try to push your way close enough to realize she's smaller than the poster hanging on the wall of your dorm room.
Talk about a disappointment.
As for The Louvre itself, I thought it would be my FAVORITE museum. I so looked forward to it! It's iconic, historic, and houses some of the world's best art. But it was so disappointing! It's SO over-crowded and MASSIVE that you can't enjoy it. You literally feel like you can't stop in the hallways that are lined with art because you are inevitably being pushed or pulled or are standing in someone's way.
Obviously people flock to the Louvre for the Mona Lisa. But there is so much more to see than just her! Admittedly, when I was there we had already had a packed day and my group was the definition of exhausted so we didn't cover much ground. Although, it's understandable when you know this fun fact; If you spent all day every day (24/7) in the Louvre looking at the art for just a mere 30 seconds, it would take you approximately 3 months to see it all. Remember when I said the Louvre was MASSIVE? That's why!
Knowing what I know now, when I return to Paris I would definitely want to return to the Louvre. But I would do it differently. I would set aside the day for it, go there first thing in the morning, and then leave the rest of the day open. And I would definitely try and avoid the Mona Lisa line, instead I would try and find another unique piece of art that the Louvre is reknowned for having.
What else would I do different? I would adopt the "I can't wait to see what happens" attitude and not have any expectations! I find that if I go into a situation with expectations, I become more focused on meeting those expectations and I miss out on other experiences or opportunities. I am a firm believer that if I'm traveling I should be happy so I'm going to do everything in my power to work toward that goal. I hope you will too.
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