Between Inspiration, Expectation and Disappointment: HowNot to Lose the Magic of Travelling

When you read a book you love, one that draws you in, fills your imagination with its characters, and makes you want to stay inside its world forever, you might know that feeling of not wanting to leave.
Here’s my question: Would you watch the movie adaptation, even if it’s showing in every cinema—or would you rather hold onto your own vision?

Whenever we form strong expectations of somebody or something, we run the risk of disappointment. This topic can be applied to everything in our lives and also to our next travel experience. So, how can we hold onto our imagination and excitement for a trip while staying open to the unexpected? Let’s just say I’ve had my own learning curve with that.

Last year, I travelled to Namibia, full of excitement for three volunteer assignments helping different kinds of animals. So far, so good. Driving from Windhoek airport to my first destination, the first thing I saw was a fence. Not just one—endless fences stretching for kilometres—right where I had expected Namibia’s vast open nature to begin. With all those fences, the idea of seeing wildlife felt completely out of reach. Was I disappointed? Absolutely. It wasn’t the first impression that I’d hoped for. Maybe not the greatest start of a love story, but spoiler alert: I still have Namibian butterflies in my belly.

In that moment of disappointment, I made a promise to myself: stay curious about what the country would show me next. And what can I say? A week later, I was sleeping under the stars—no light pollution, no fences, no civilisation in sight—having one of the most meaningful holidays in my life so far.

This is the magic of staying open to travel’s surprises—even when we carry expectations about certain places. As your travel sidekick, we aim to inspire, to open your mind, and to showcase the diversity of our world—but above all, we hope you stay open and curious to the unexpected wonders along the way.