There's a difference, I guess, between a memorable experience and a good one. The former doesn't have to be the latter. You can remember certain events for all the wrong reasons.
I was once roped, briefly, into an Indian jewellery smuggling ring in Jaipur. That was memorable. I came face-to-face with a balaclava-wearing gunman on a night bus in Mexico. That's hard to forget. I was also once convinced I had malaria in Ethiopia – though it turned out to be just a really bad hangover. Still, it was memorable.
And I don't regret any of those experiences. I'd have them all again if I was given the choice. Those memorable moments are the ones that make travel interesting, that make it exciting, that make it more than just a cocktail by a poolside that anyone could do at any time.
Memorable experiences are the ones that change the way you see the world. They're the genuine brushes with people and places that you don't understand. They're funny, they're frightening, and they're fascinating. Every traveller should be into that.
And if you are, the good news is that there's a way to make these things happen every time you travel. There's a way to ensure you always have memorable experiences – some of them bad, some of them good, but all of them worthy of recalling and retelling over and over again.
The secret? Choose to do things that scare you. Choose to do things that intimidate you. Choose to do things that you've never done before and that you aren't entirely sure are really good ideas. Take chances. Take risks.
These don't have to be wild gambles that put your life in danger. Everyone has their own version of what an intimidating experience is.
It might be as simple as just walking into a bar full of strangers, or a restaurant full of locals. That can be pretty nerve-racking, when no one speaks your language and you aren't entirely sure whether outsiders will be welcomed – or if it even is the bar or the restaurant you thought it was.
But I've had some of the best travel experiences in my life from just wandering into places that look a little bit weird or interesting. I've ended up doing karaoke with cowboys in a tiny town in Nevada, and I've eaten snake with a bunch of Vietnamese guys in Hanoi, purely by ignoring the feeling that I have no idea what I'm about to get myself into.
(Of course the snake thing turned out to be a scam and, after being forced to drink a few shots of whisky that had been fermenting in a jar full of snake penises, I got stung for about $US100 when I tried to leave. But that's all part of the memorable experience.)
Usually, it works out well. I've wandered into countless bars all across the world, from Japan to Bolivia, Laos to Mexico, and had nothing but fun. Most people like it when there's an unexpected foreigner in their midst, someone who was prepared to brave a place that's clearly not designed for tourists.
I've ended up playing a fairly serious badminton game with a whole lot of locals in Luang Prabang, purely because I went to drink at their bar. I danced into the small hours with a whole lot of extremely inebriated Bolivians to celebrate their national holiday, all because I took a chance on a locals-only pub.
However, this is not just about bars and restaurants: the chances you'll take on your travels will come in all sorts of forms. It might be riding in a second-class sleeper train in India. It might be taking an overland trip through East Africa. It might even be just electing to stay at a youth hostel instead of in your normal cushy hotel.
It's different for everyone. The thing that's the same, however, is that you will feel a little fear, a little excitement, a little nervousness, and you will always, always remember these little opportunities to throw caution to the wind.
This is what makes travel fun. This is how you gather stories and experiences and knowledge of the rich menagerie of people and places that make this world what it is.
What you discover might not always be good. But you'll never forget it.
What's the most memorable experience you've had while travelling? Was it the result of throwing caution to the wind?
Email: b.groundwater@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Instagram: instagram.com/bengroundwater
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