Things I won’t do whilst travelling…

There are so many things I love about travel and so many experiences that go alongside it that I am always keen to indulge in. I always think of myself as an adventurous person; however there are some things that I know I wouldn’t be able to do either out of pure fear or personal choice. That isn’t to say that some of these experiences aren’t worthwhile and I’m not judging those people who have done any of them or intend to do them anytime soon they are just not my personal preference plus it makes a fun post!

1. Jump out of a plane

I don’t ever think I am afraid of heights until I am confronted by a significant distance between my feet and the ground that makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry. Flying in planes doesn’t bother me (unless they are tiny ones like the safari planes in Tanzania) but jumping out of one would definitely would! I would love to think that I could go through with it, the views and experience of it all sound amazing but I reckon I would chicken out at the last-minute.

2. Bungee Jump

For similar reasons to the plane, again the feet to ground distance thing terrifies me here and on top of that you’re trusting a rope whilst you catapult yourself off an impressive landmark or natural wonder. Yes, I know, amazing experience and all that but I just wouldn’t be able to go through with it – I’d be wanting to see all the operators risk assessments and health and safety information before even contemplating it! Also I’d much prefer to look at the bridge, cliff, tower or view from the ground thank you very much.

3. Eat insects

This does not interest me in the slightest, I have zero fear of missing out here. The pictures I see on Instagram/Pinterest from food markets around the world with different edible insect delicacies only serve to make my affirmation more permanent. There are plenty of other lovely local delights to sample and take delight in whilst travelling so I don’t need to get involved with the insects.

4. Ride a moped

I so want to be one of those people who would be comfortable with this but after seeing a couple come off their moped in Greece a couple of years ago I am afraid I just don’t want to put my life in that much danger. We wanted to hire mopeds to get around Lombok when we visited on our big Indonesian adventure in 2013 but the image of that couple who were very badly hurt just wouldn’t leave my head so we stuck to hiring a car and driver, not as adventurous I know but I felt a lot safer and like I could relax without the fear of coming off the moped.

5. Ride an elephant

On safari – a better way to encounter elephants

This one is on here for very important reasons, I love elephants so of course I would like to be able to get close enough to them to be able to touch and care for them but I don’t think you need to ride them to be able to experience that. Many travel companies and tour operators have removed riding elephants as part of their tours and now offer a type of learning experience with the elephants rather than a jaunt on their backs. This blog post from Diane Edelman who worked for the Save Elephant Foundation goes into the issues surrounding elephant rides in great detail and may change your mind if this is something you are planning of doing in the future.

6. Cuddle a big cat

May look cute and cuddly but definitely still wild!

I see so many of these pictures across the Internet and shamefully some from people I know. In my view it’s not normal for a human being to cuddle up next to a tiger, lion or other wild cat. Whether or not these animals have been ‘rescued’ is beside the point as there is no way that without the help of drugs or another form of sedation that so many people would be able to get so close to them. I am all for the rescue and rehabilitation (if possible) of wild animals if necessary; I do go to zoos and see animals in captivity so I can’t preach about not seeing animals in environments where they don’t belong but the majority of these places do important work instead of just getting as much money they can through irresponsible treatment of the animals in their care.

7. Strip off for a photo at a landmark/religious site

Leave your clothes on!

In 2015, there was a seemingly huge craze (as reported in the Daily Mail I might add!) for backpackers and travellers to strip off for a picture at religious sites or famous landmarks in a bid to get a unique shot to share on social media. Now I don’t begrudge anyone who wants to do their own thing and be a bit quirky but you have to respect the local customs, traditions and laws of the places you are travelling to; so if stripping off in public is forbidden then you shouldn’t really risk it. Especially if it means you could lose your right to stay in the country or worse still be unable to continue your trip as you’ve fallen foul of the law. Also remember many employers now search potential employee’s social media accounts so think carefully before you post a risqué picture as your new profile image!

8. Get a tattoo

I actually love little tattoos like this

I’m not totally against tattoos, I actually quite like them on other people and would kind of quite like to get one myself – just not sure I would get one whilst abroad. I’d probably make a silly stupid decision on what to get and end up regretting it for the rest of my life! Better I make the decision at home where I can agonise over what to get for weeks, get to the day of my appointment and not go through with it!

So there’s my list of what I won’t be doing anytime soon whilst travelling, do you agree with any of mine or is it something else that would you make feel the fear or a bit uncomfortable?

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