Vacationing Abroad
A trip abroad is always a breath of fresh air for everyone. From sightseeing to exploring ruins till sunrise, the expectations are endless. Sadly, reality doesn't always meet our demands. As someone who travelled abroad multiple times, I am no stranger to the disappointment that comes with vacationing abroad. And because there are certain traits that made every trip end in disappointment, I vowed to always keep them in mind while travelling.
Obvious flaws: Living in Bangladesh gets you used to overpopulation and pollution. And while this puts you at an advantage during a trip, these are the last things you wish to encounter. Sadly, reality is filthy, overpopulated and doesn't plan to change. As much as you may think foreign countries are clean and sophisticated (some of them probably are), tourist spots are almost always overcrowded and heavily polluted.
Taking aesthetic pictures: A trip abroad pretty much guarantees a new Facebook album, a couple dozen Instagram posts, and a profile picture change. But the reality of the situation makes the whole trip feel like a waste of money. Because you're always on a tight schedule, as well as travelling with adults, there's no stopping to take that perfect picture of the Eiffel Tower or waiting for the sunset that compliments the Great Wall of China.
Manipulative photography: A great part about photography is you get to see breath-taking pictures of tourist spots from the comfort of your home. The sad part, however, is that it'll be the only time it takes your breath away. Of all the parts of your trip, tourist attractions will disappoint you the most. I waited my entire Egypt trip to visit the Pyramids just to find gigantic, uneven blocks of dust-covered limestone piled up in one place. But hey, at least the sand looked exactly like the pictures.
Balancing time: On a trip abroad, you expect to explore places, learn about cultures, meet new people, and come back to your room completely exhausted. But in reality, that happens like once or twice the entire trip. You'll either find yourself too tired to go out or run out of places to go. I was once on a cruise where I thought I'd spend every night staring at the sea, in the pool, or exploring the ship. But the entire week, I only went out of my room to eat and swim in the pool where I almost drowned. Needless to say, drowning in the pool was the only highlight of my trip.
Living on a budget: Trips abroad are really expensive, which is why they happen once every 10 years. Naturally, we expect to do a lot of shopping while living a fun life for a few days. But because our expectations don't really go with our parents' budget, we come home disappointed. On trips abroad, parents tend to be on a tighter budget. As a result, you may also find yourself with little to no privacy. Because the trip is for a few days and your parents expect to spend all day sightseeing, you'll either end up with your entire family in one room and be forced to share a single bed with two of your sisters.
Antara wishes to conquer the world someday and bring back an alien from Pluto. To know more about her evil schemes, send an e-mail at: [email protected]
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