A month and a half backpacking Asia: Everything Ive learned so far

For a bit of context: I’m 22, Brazilian, but I’ve been living in Portugal for five years. I graduated last June, and I decided to go backpacking with my boyfriend in August/September 2025. I’ve been working since the start of college and tried to juggle two jobs right after graduating; however, the effort resulted in a burnout of sorts. In the midst of all that, my boyfriend brought up the idea: “What if we went on a trip?” Since he works remotely, he has that flexibility, and looking at my current situation and finances, I saw an opportunity to do something a bit ''crazy'', something I felt I wouldn't have the chance to do so easily in the future. After a lot of planning, we decided to travel through Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, and Japan over three months. Today, we are halfway through our journey, and this is what I’ve learned:

The world is much bigger than you imagine, and there are many different ways to live. I think in our daily lives, we get so focused on the path someone else laid out for us that we forget about other perspectives and other ways of living. We forget there’s no formula for life, no single "right way."
Learning languages isn't just for your resume; it’s about knowing the world - This really hit home after a few days in China, since most of the population doesn't speak English. In my experience, the Chinese people are very welcoming and kind. They want to talk, connect, and understand you, and I wanted so badly to understand what they were saying because I felt I had so much to learn from them, not just about the moment, but about their country, culture, and way of thinking. Also, the conversations I’ve had with other travelers or locals from other countries in English have been so enriching. I’ve never been more grateful for my intermediate English, and I’ve never wanted to improve my fluency and learn new languages more than after this experience.
Your problems don’t disappear on a long-term trip; in fact, they transform and even grow - Despite what I told myself, deep down, I wanted to believe all my worries and insecurities would be cured during these three months. I had traveled before, but never for this long, and I didn't expect it to make me think so much about myself. I don’t know if I have depression, anxiety, or whatever (I’m not diagnosed); I just know that this "thing" has traveled with me through every city and every landmark. No matter how beautiful they are, this thing doesn't leave on its own. It’s frustrating, but it made me realize I can't run away from it without facing it.
Having a strong "why" is worth more than just doing it - This ties into the previous point. I came on this trip without a strong specific reason. What did I really want? To heal? To experience new cultures? To do something illogical? To shock people? To learn something new? To challenge myself? I couldn't answer clearly. A reason makes you believe in what you're doing, and during this time, I felt the lack of a concrete motive during existential crises—something I could use to justify to myself all the money I was spending and all the time I was putting into this. This doesn't just apply to backpacking; it applies to everything.
Traveling as a couple is hard, but it makes you see things through a different lens - My boyfriend and I have been together for a year and a few months. We had issues before the trip, but just like in the third point, I somehow imagined this time together would resolve those details. I think it just intensified them. We’ve fought and bumped heads more than I expected. At the end of the day, we always work it out, but it’s made me think a lot. I’ve learned (and am still learning) so much about myself as a partner and about him, his way of seeing things, and his way of being. It’s a "crash course" that slaps you with the reality of what it’s actually like to live with someone other than yourself.
What one person likes, you might not, and not all experiences are equal - Much of our itinerary (if not all of it) comes from social media tips. There were cities and landmarks that most people raved about, but when we got there, they weren't a big deal to us. Moreover, what made us like a place often wasn't the space itself, but what happened there, who we talked to, and what left a mark on us. Every experience is more unique than I thought.
Accommodation location is extremely important - After staying 30 minutes away from the center of Kuala Lumpur in an area under construction with difficult access to transport, we realized it’s worth paying a higher nightly rate for a hotel right in the center than for a cheap, distant one that causes more headaches and extra taxi expenses.
Travel mishaps make you reinvent yourself, and they are inevitable - On such a long trip, it’s impossible for nothing to go wrong. After all, we were more unprepared than we thought in some aspects. It’s like life, right? A great lesson.
You won't be able to see everything, no matter how much you want to - Just accept it. Most things are out of our control. In everything.

I think that’s everything I can remember so far. Overall, it has been an enriching experience and a huge privilege to live through everything I’m experiencing. I'm still learning. At the end of the trip, I’ll see about posting an update.

Author: LobaDeAdamantium