Get Me Out Of Here!: Tips to Prevent it all Getting too Much

You're living the dream – turning up in a new town every few days; checking out the local dishes and exploring the sights of towering temples and lush meandering rivers. This is the life…until one day you're stuck in a tuk tuk breathing in the heavy traffic fumes, worrying about where you are going to lay your sleepy head for the night when a local seller pushes some fried chicken claws in your direction and urgghh you can't stand it all anymore! You're hot, definitely bothered and have had it with the pollution and the smell of sewage. Those skewered locusts that once astounded you frankly now just make you feel queezy. Before you scoot into the closest internet café and book a flight back home take a minute out. There we go. Now remember, this feeling happens to us all. The diagnosis is a case of new-culture overload and here are a few remedies that will get you back to the state of avid adventurer in no time at all!

• Give yourself a break. Find a quiet, clean air conditioned café with no stray animals lurking in the corners. Buy something familiar (a mug of coffee and a slice of toast can work a treat) and lose yourself in a favourite book.
• Consider taking a night out of the backpacker ghetto and checking into a swankier pad. It may involve some extra dosh but it will enable you to get the max out of your travelling experience, rather than longing for the Baked Beans back home.
• Are you missing loved ones? With cheap internet calls there is no excuse for not staying updated – have a natter with an old chum.
• Take your new culture in stages. Diving straight from the plane and straight into a prawn curry with extra chillies is probably not the best plan. Allow your body to get used to the new food, climate and time zone.
• Having the right attitude is key. The new culture you are in is different but it is not worse than another culture. It's good to see each country in its own unique light rather than comparing it to another's standard. We know this is easier said than done when the plate of fresh pasta you ordered arrives looking, and smelling, like an octopus shaped mush but smile, stay calm and breathe in the new world around you.

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3. Travelling Tips from the Locals: How to Enhance your Travels with Advice from the Locals
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5. Backpacking Round the World: What Not To Pack!

Tags: backpacking, backpacking tips, culture shock, Travelling, World travel