“Are you traveling the way you want to… or the way you’ve been influenced to?”

Most of what we believe about travel isn’t even ours. It’s shaped by Instagram reels, YouTube vlogs, what our friends are posting, or that uncle who won’t stop talking about his Cancun timeshare.

And those beliefs can subconsciously decide how we travel, how much we spend, and whether we use travel to simply escape, or to grow.

Over the past few years, our experiences have changed the way we see the world and ourselves. Along the way, many of the “myths” we once believed about travel gradually unraveled.

Here are the biggest ones we let go of 👇

Myth #1: You need to see everything

We used to plan trips like we were racing the clock.

We told ourselves, “This might be the only time we’re ever here, so we have to see everything.”

By the end, we were exhausted. And honestly? We couldn’t remember half of what we did.

What we learned instead: Seeing less gives you the time to have deeper experiences. Slowing down gives you space to notice the details, connect with locals, have real conversations, and actually enjoy the moment instead of just checking it off a list.

Myth #2: Travel should be about switching your brain off

We get it. Work is exhausting. Juggling family, responsibilities, chores, traffic. So when vacation comes around, the dream is simple: lie on a beach, sip margaritas, and think about absolutely nothing.

We’ve done it too. But over time, we realized something surprising.

The trips that left us feeling most alive weren’t the ones where we switched off. They were the ones where we pushed ourselves to experience something new, something unfamiliar.

​SUV rooftop camping through Namibia​

​Road tripping across the Atacama Desert​

​Hiking for three days in the Andes before witnessing one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Those experiences reignited something in us. They awakened our curiosity, challenged what we thought we were capable of, and pulled us far outside the routine of everyday life. And strangely, instead of feeling drained, we felt more energized than ever.

There’s absolutely a time for slow beach days. But stepping outside what feels easy and familiar might be more refreshing than you expect.

Myth #3: Traveling is Dangerous

This was a big one.

News headlines and social media make it feel like the world is unsafe everywhere, all the time. When we first started traveling the world, almost every country we visited seemed to carry some kind of travel advisory warning.

But here’s what we learned

Most places aren’t dangerous — they’re just unfamiliar.

Yes, travel requires awareness and common sense. We’re not saying throw caution out the window. Don’t wander around with a giant camera swinging from your neck while staring at Google Maps on your phone.

But we realized something important.

The fear was often much bigger than the reality.

With a bit of research and the right precautions, we discovered that the world is filled with kind, generous, helpful people. The truly unsafe areas are usually just small pockets that are easy to avoid.

Letting go of exaggerated fear opened up more of the world than we ever imagined. It led us to places that transformed us, and revealed just how deeply beautiful this world truly is.

Breaking free of these travel myths didn’t just change how we plan trips — it changed how we experience the world.

And some of the most powerful moments of our travels happened only after we let these beliefs go.

Oh, also there are still a few more myths we had to unlearn… but we’ll get to those soon.

Ryan & Nan

WaylessTravelers