dear explorers

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

this publication is a place for me to reflect on productivity, health and tech, and drop unique opportunities in the space right to your inbox daily. if you’re new here, sign up to tune in! 💌 

btw, feel free to reply with topic ideas you want me to write about for future posts.

onto today’s topic: dear explorers 🧳 

my scholarship has us report back monthly about our travels around the world. this report includes a section on advice for others from this leg of your journey, and i wanted to share with all of you as well.

just gonna rapid-fire them:

• have a consistent outlet for reflection (blog, journal, art, poetry, photography, vlogs etc.). ✍️ 

• things will go wrong or not according to plan when you travel and explore the world. don’t let that ruin your experience.

• for group trips, ensure one of you brings a speaker.

• choose hostels you’ll genuinely enjoy your time at, they make a huge difference. try picking ones that are uniquely positioned and have a strong sense of community. stay away from generic corporate ones – the extra cost is worth it.

• tanzania-specific: haggling is huge, know the basics. 

• pack some sort of physical entertainment that isn’t reliant on wifi or electricity. 💡 

• solo traveling doesn’t mean social isolation. strike up conversations with others in hostels, cafés and about anywhere — serendipity is great.

• do research on culture / daily lifestyle beforehand. for example, what currency, electrical outlets, map apps, greetings, ride-sharing services and other things are used.

• you can get a lot of favours if you just ask. i was able to exchange usd for tanzanian shillings at a hostel for no additional fees because i just asked if they’d be able to give me the equivalent. 💵 

these points are top of mind for my advice from my tanzania trip. i’m excited to keep adding more over the next 3 months. (:

daily opportunity + resource drops 🔍️