When traveling for a long time within hostels you could meet a lot of people especially if you constantly change locations. In a year you could talk to thousands of people and many of these seasoned travelers have also talked to thousands. These people have the best advice to give since they've heard so much of it. Take advantage of this information, it could be business, motivational, lifestyle, therapeutical, or simply how to live a happy life. Here are a few tips that have been past on from these seasoned travelers. 

When converting your enter salary the conversion rate and fees could make a big difference at the end of the month. When the ATM asks you if you want to accept the conversion rate they often charge a 12% markup. The best approach is to decline the conversion rate and your bank back home will do the conversion for a fee of only 2-3%. A big difference at the end of the month. Bonus tip: The smaller the city the cheaper it is.

To know the cost of living before entering a country it's a good idea to search GDP per capita "country" on google before booking your plane to a country. Compare this number to the GDP per capita "your home country" to know what the relative cost will be. Being a tourist is more expensive than being a local but once you have an idea of what to expect it will help with planning out your route for a long-term trip.

This tip may be common sense for a lot of you but it's important to keep an open mind while traveling. You'll meet people that take advantage of their spouses, that lie, that may come across as racist or close-minded. The best thing to do is to understand where that person is coming from and to know why their opinion is that way. No need to change their opinion, but taking the time to understand it will let you grow as an individual and gain a perspective that you've never seen.

Read your surroundings, if you see many tourist it's probably not the worst part of town but it's still a good idea to not show your expensive phone unless you feel completely safe. Sometimes though, it's not avoidable, such a when you're lost and don't know where to go. In those cases, hold your phone in a way that the camera is being covered so that people seeing your phone can't know the type of phone based on the camera on the back. 

Whenever getting to a new location. The first question I like to ask the person at the front desk is "What direction should I walk". This will prompt them to tell you about the landmarks and attractions nearby. They will also let you know where to avoid and if you ask "What should I do today, that's not too expensive" they know the city's attractions as well as anyone and will often give you great ideas as well as detailed instructions on how to get there. 

When bringing your laundry to a laundromat it could take 2 days to get it back. Sometimes a hotel advertises laundry facilities but doesn't have them. In the picture, the laundromat had 4 washers and 4 dryers but 2 of the dryers were broken so there was a bottleneck I had to get back to work that day so I had to take the wet clothes back to the hotel. Doing as shown is a fire hazard and the clothes were taken down by the hotel staff but you gotta do what you gotta do. 

After traveling for a couple months you may get tired of taking picture but try to take at least some every week. When living the experiences it's easy to believe that you'll never forget them but after a few months only the memories you talked about will still be fresh in your head. Take pictures for yourself, no need to share them if you don't want to. 

Many people said that "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply " - Stephen R. Covey. This is a similar concept but the visual of a third eye is helpful to paint a picture. Try not thinking of anything when someone is talking to you, it's challenging but that's exactly what you need to do to be able to perceive aspects about a person that you wouldn't have noticed otherwise. This is easier with a full stomach and when you're done with all your task for the day so your mind could be free to be fully attentive. Silence is healthy in a conversation so even if you miss your chance to respond, that's okay! You'll gain more value out of the relationship by allowing the silence to take place. When watching TV shows you could see silent moments, these moments are intimate and this is the same in real life. Whether you're talking to a girl or a guy, these silent moments will let the other person know that you're comfortable with their presence. 

Traveling for weeks, months or years could get a little lonely at times, but there's a trick to make new friends and keep them around. Many people traveling solo are looking for someone to talk to. The trick is quite straightforward but one of the best pieces of advice I've heard while traveling: "Invite people to join you in whatever you're doing." Whether that's having a beer, going to the grocery store or just walking around. I think you'll be surprised how often people are willing to join you on this seemingly uneventful adventure. 

While in hostels you will meet a lot of people and some of them may be of interest to you. It's way easier to not try and just be there for the company. At the end of the day, guys want someone to go to bed with late at night and girls want a guy that will be there when they wake up. If you put yourself in the other's shoes, it will become easier to fit the needs of the other person. At the end of the day, we're all the same. We take the opportunities that present themselves in hopes that we'll find someone to spend our time with and build up trust to make sure in the end we're not alone. All people want is company and to find someone with similar interests. Love is a magical word that has been thrown around excessively by pop culture but at the end of the day, we love people that are familiar to us. Whether that be the way they talk, the place their from or experiences that you have in common. The saying goes - "Birds of the same flock, flock together".

Why do all the old people play golf? - because they've tried everything and that's the best sport at the end of the day. This will change person to person but the reason why we're traveling is to find out what makes us happy then we could do it over and over again. Keep on trying new foods, new places, and new people, until you find a situation that you like and you could live in that world until you need more change. 

This is a pro travelers tip! You never know what the hostel has in store, it could be the greatest place you've been with games, good people, good beds, good price, the best wifi, etc. OR It could have some details that you wish you could avoid, to make sure you're never stuck in a situation too long that you're not a fan. Only book 1 night when first trying out the hostel. Many things could go wrong such as; stinky showers, noisy rooms, someone snoring like Snolax, the hostel front desk falling asleep at night time and not opening the door when you get back, squeaky beds, ect. If you find people you like in the hostel and it's not a weekend, there's often room to extend and you should do it first thing in the morning if you choose to do so. If not, go on your favorite site (Booking.com/Hostelworld) and try another location. 

Are you the type of person that doesn't usually snore? Well, then this theory is for you. For girls: Book an all-female dorm since girls are less likely to snore than guys. For guys: book a mixed dorm for the same reason plus the guys that stay in mixed dorms tend to be in better shape than guys that stay in the all-male dorms and people that are fit, snore less than bigger people. That's snore theory, feel free to put it to the test you'll see, this is a great golden nugget. 

When you're in hostels and "w"orking during the day you'll quickly realize that most people are there for a vacation. Here's a heads up, when going out with a group of people from your hostel. Avoid the "w" word. When you mention "working", "work", "what needs to get done tomorrow", or "a lot to do tomorrow" people automatically start thinking about what they have to do in the future and this dramatically brings down the vibes. This will even prompt the night to end early.  Leave it for the keyboard and Zoom Calls. It may be tempting to mention since you'll be thinking about it but you've been warned, when in a group of 3 or more. Avoid the "w" word at all costs! It's worst than swearing.