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Maintaining low expectations while traveling, especially in developing countries, can significantly enhance happiness by preventing disappointment and allowing for pleasant surprises.
The video explores the benefits of maintaining low expectations while traveling, particularly in developing countries. The host, Alex, argues that high expectations often lead to disappointment, while low expectations ensure that experiences are rarely let down and frequently exceed what was anticipated. This approach helps manage the inherent variability of travel, preventing unhappiness that stems from unmet desires.
Alex suggests that going off the beaten path is a key strategy for travelers seeking more authentic and surprising experiences. By visiting less-hyped destinations like Hat Yai, travelers can encounter unique cultural influences and local attractions that are not widely publicized, leading to a more rewarding journey. This contrasts with focusing solely on world-class attractions, which can set unrealistic expectations for an entire country's experience.
Furthermore, the video highlights the importance of adjusting expectations based on the economic development of a country. It's unreasonable to expect the same level of infrastructure, English proficiency, or luxury amenities in a developing nation as one might find in a Western country. Alex points out that while luxury exists in developing countries, the variety of price points allows for a broader range of experiences, and embracing this reality leads to greater satisfaction.
The host also discusses the shift from 'box life' in Western democracies to a more outdoor-centric lifestyle in developing countries. This involves spending more time walking, engaging with the local environment, and requiring less living space. Finally, Alex notes that in developing countries, people often seem to find meaning beyond financial success, leading to more profound conversations and a greater appreciation for human connection, which further enhances the travel experience.
Setting low expectations for travel, especially in developing countries, helps prevent disappointment and allows for pleasant surprises. By managing your desires, you avoid unhappiness caused by unmet travel ideals. This mindset ensures that experiences are rarely let down and frequently exceed what was anticipated.
To manage expectations when traveling abroad, adjust your desires to align with the realities of your destination. In developing countries, expect differences in infrastructure, language, and amenities compared to Western nations. Embrace outdoor living and smaller spaces, and be open to genuine connections.
The primary benefit of low expectations travel is enhanced happiness and a greater appreciation for experiences. When you expect less, even simple things can feel like a bonus, leading to a more positive and fulfilling journey. This approach allows you to discover unique aspects of a place that might otherwise be overlooked.
When traveling in developing countries, adjust your expectations for infrastructure and amenities, as they often differ from Western standards. Embrace a more outdoor-centric lifestyle and be open to genuine human connections. Venturing off the beaten path can lead to unique and surprising experiences.
Avoid disappointment while traveling by consciously lowering your expectations before your trip. Focus on the potential for discovery rather than demanding specific outcomes or comforts. This mindset shift allows you to be more present and appreciative of whatever unfolds, turning potential letdowns into pleasant surprises.
Yes, your travel mindset is crucial in developing countries. Adopting a mindset of low expectations helps you navigate cultural differences and varying standards with grace. It allows you to appreciate the local way of life, find meaning beyond material success, and foster genuine connections.
Keeping expectations low while traveling, especially in developing countries, helps manage variability and prevents disappointment. When you don't expect much, experiences are more likely to meet or exceed your anticipation, leading to greater satisfaction. This approach ensures you avoid unhappiness caused by unmet travel ideals.
To find unique travel experiences, venture off the beaten path to less-hyped destinations. By exploring places not widely publicized, you can encounter authentic cultural influences and local attractions that often exceed expectations. This contrasts with focusing solely on major tourist spots.
When traveling in developing countries, adjust expectations for infrastructure, language, and amenities as they differ from Western nations. While luxury exists, the variety of price points allows for a broader range of experiences. Embrace an outdoor-centric lifestyle and appreciate the meaning people find beyond financial success.
0:07 Hey YouTube, Alex here. And in today's video, I want to talk about why I have low expectations while traveling. Number one, I am rarely let down. It is my belief that expectations, specifically in the form of desire, lead to a great deal of unhappiness. A lot of people, when they are unhappy while traveling, I think it comes down to unmet expectations, where they go in thinking that the experience is going to be up here, and then it actually comes in down here for them.
0:36 You might be wondering, what's the problem with desire? Don't we all have desires? And of course, everybody has desires. In fact, I often try to have no expectations at all, if I can help it. And this way, if things aren't optimum, then it doesn't bother me. Some people come to Thailand with 100% expectations. They expect that as soon as they get off the plane, they're going to be swarmed by beautiful women, they're going to go to the most fun bar they've ever been to in their life, they're going to have the best meal in their life. That's not quite realistic.
1:07 And some people, when they don't have that experience, may feel a bit disappointed. I love Thailand for what it's worth; it's my favorite country. But I don't expect everything to be perfect all the time, anywhere I go. And I don't expect every interaction to be perfect everywhere I go. I have experienced some heartbreak here in Thailand. I have experienced getting a little bit of tummy troubles at one point. There have been many supremely hot days here in Thailand, but I wasn't expecting for those things to not happen when I came here.
1:37 And that's why I'm so happy here most of the time, because I don't come in thinking that it's going to solve all my problems. Somebody who's living in a mansion in the West that moves to a modest-sized apartment in Thailand may feel disappointed. But for me, coming from a terrible apartment in the West to a moderately nice apartment in Thailand, it felt like a huge upgrade. And I wasn't expecting that, but now that I've spent so much time here, it just really helps my happiness level a lot.
2:07 I was expecting something like this, and the experience has been more like this. And I think that attitude can help you avoid disappointment anywhere you go in the world. Point number two is that I'm willing to go off the beaten path. For some people, they read about the world-class attractions in Thailand, and while there are many, I think when people go to any country and they hear about the world-class destination in that country and see all the rave reviews, they see the tons of YouTube videos about how awesome that location is, they get it in their head that the whole entire experience in that country will be that peak.
2:40 And I find that with long-term travel, there's more peaks and valleys. It's more of a middle-of-the-road experience where your lifestyle is probably closer to a normal day-to-day life in that country than it is in terms of errands and other responsibilities than it is just vacation mode. And so, one of the things I do to offset that is I go off the beaten path.
3:01 So, one city I visited that's not as popular among Western tourists is a city called Hat Yai. I really enjoyed Hat Yai. I wasn't sure what to expect. You're not going to really see tons of content online about it. It is very popular among Malaysian tourists and Thai tourists, but not so much with Western tourists. And so that was an interesting experience. I had never heard about Hat Yai. None of my friends had ever mentioned it to me. None of my Thai friends have visited down there before.
3:30 Getting off the beaten path, going to places where you have no expectations, where there's not a lot of content out there, can give you some unique experiences that might punch above what your expectation is. I knew that Hat Yai, being in Thailand, the food is going to be really good. I knew that it being close to Malaysia, there's going to be some similarities with Malaysia. Beyond that, I wasn't really sure what to expect, and I really enjoyed it a lot. I didn't know about the influence from Chinese immigrants, all the great dim sum restaurants they have down there.
3:58 I didn't know about the Meibuddha they have in the Northeast part of the city at the city park. I didn't know about the proximity to Satun Province where you can go and see the monkeys on the beach. It really, really blew me away. The number three reason I have low expectations in traveling is that I'm often traveling to developing countries where it's not reasonable to expect the same standard in a Western country, primarily with things like English. Right, in the United States, I expect that most people I encounter will speak great English. When I went to the UK, I expected that.
4:32 But when I come to a country like Thailand, it's not reasonable to expect a standard that everybody's going to speak English because Thai people speak Thai. When I'm traveling in the Philippines, I can expect that many people have English, but I also have to be prepared for brownouts and other infrastructure challenges due to inclement weather that can sometimes occur in that part of the world. Part of what I expect in some developed countries is that the weather is going to be quite cold. If I go to the UK or I go to a Scandinavian country, like I went to last summer, Finland, it's expensive to build for extremely cold weather, unlike say, in the Philippines, where you can actually have open-air accommodation and be just fine.
5:09 It's unreasonable to pay, say, the equivalent of $10 US per night to stay at a more open-air or open-style resort in the Philippines and wonder to yourself, why is this not the same level of luxury as a $100 or $200 a night hotel in Helsinki, Finland? It's not to say that luxury doesn't exist. There's plenty of luxury in the Philippines. But one of the things that I like about traveling in the developing world versus the developed world is that you have a variety of price points. Whereas in developed countries, everything is either expensive or very expensive. In the developing world, you can spend as little as you want or as much as you want.
5:48 And with that, you have to moderate your expectations. I will say there have been some pleasant surprises, like Medellin, Colombia. I was spending something like $20 bucks a night equivalent to stay in Medellin, and Medellin feels very developed. They have a variety of interesting urban neighborhoods, they have a metro system, they have a fantastic airport, they have a variety of natural attractions surrounding the city. You have great value there, where it's like, wow, $20 a night, maybe I can buy a tent and sleep outside in the United States. But here, I'm staying in a comfortable hotel room and I have proximity to public transit. I have convenient conveniences in the neighborhood like laundry services, and it's fantastic. I wasn't expecting that. I had no idea what to expect when I went to Medellin, and because of that, I enjoyed it that much more.
6:34 Where I think if I went to Colombia and expected Spain, I might have been disappointed. So, with the way I travel, mostly focusing on developing countries, I don't expect the same standard that I'm accustomed to back home, and my experience generally exceeds my expectations every time. Number four, I'm generally living outside when I'm traveling in developing countries, as opposed to living inside like I am in the United States. When I think about life in the Western democracies, I think about the phrase 'box life'. I leave the box, my house, to get in the box, my car, to go to the box, my office. I work all day in the box, and then I leave that box to go to the other box, the grocery store. Then I leave that box to go to another box, the post office, and then I leave that box to go back to my box at home.
7:21 In the developing world, I find that I'm often living outside a lot more. I'm spending a lot more time walking. In fact, I checked the stats for this past year in Thailand, I walk more here in Thailand than I did in the Bay Area, because I'm not sitting behind a computer all the time. I do spend a fair amount of time on the computer editing and researching, but not as much as I do in the West. Because I'm spending so much more time outside, I don't need as large of a space to live in. I don't need a luxurious space to stay in because I'm not spending all of my time there.
7:53 Here in Bangkok, I'm fine with a modest-sized apartment because I'm here living in Bangkok. I'm not living in a small box that happens to be located in the city of Bangkok. I'm actually actively participating in the city. I'm going out, I'm trying different food, I'm exploring different neighborhoods, I'm going to the top of different buildings, I'm checking out some of the beautiful parks here. I'm seeing the monitor lizards in Lumini Park. I'm doing so much outside of my apartment as opposed to spending all of my free time in my apartment either to save money or to do chores.
8:25 I don't expect to live in a palace. I don't expect to have a big kitchen because I need to cook to save money, to actually go out to restaurants and have food. That way, is it as cheap as it would be to cook at home? No, it's not. But it's also not nearly as expensive as it is to be eating takeout in the West, which is what a lot of working people have to do to save money. It's simply cost-prohibitive to eat a lot of takeout in the United States or other Western democracies.
8:54 Finally, my life being the way it is in the United States, not really having any family and having moved around a lot, it really doesn't take a lot to impress me when I'm traveling in developing countries. I'm impressed by how close people are with their families. I'm impressed that people seem to have some meaning beyond money in their lives. Now, of course, money is important in every country, but I find that people in the developing world have some other kinds of motivations in life beyond that, and that it creates more interesting or meaningful conversations.
9:23 I guarantee you, if you have a conversation in the West, one of the first questions that comes up when you're meeting somebody new is what?
9:28 When you're meeting somebody new, the first question is, "What do you do for work?" They want to figure out how valuable it is for them to continue the conversation. I remember at a company meeting one time, people would come up to you and ask, "What's your job?" Then, my immediate colleagues and I, being lower on the totem pole, would tell them our position. They might get one sentence out before they turned away to meet somebody else.
9:53 Broadly speaking, in the developing world, people are curious about your job, but it's not the main focal point of conversation. They quickly launch into talking about family, hobbies, or some other area of life beyond just the economic or financial aspect. I am impressed when people are genuinely interested to get to know me and know about my life beyond just the financial aspect.
10:16 I'm not expecting people to be opportunistic like they are back in the States. I'm pleasantly surprised whenever I don't get that experience. This has been five reasons why I have low expectations when traveling and how that helps me to be happier. Let me know what you think down in the comments below. Have you had similar experiences?
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