Not every travel experience can be exceptional. In fact, if you are really open to new experiences you are bound to have some that are not to your liking. But as my friend Tom says, “every day is a good day, some are just better than others”. This expression sums up my travel philosophy. Try everything you can, enjoy it all. Even the flops make for interesting stories.

Sometimes your chefs choice tasting menu comes with surprise octopus that is so chewy you think you are eating a rubber ball. You chew and chew and chew, but it doesn’t get any easier to swallow. Sometimes the beautiful cuttlefish platter tastes exactly like the chewy octopus. Sometimes the garden in the park that you travel across Lisbon to see is really just a run down chicken yard. Occasionally the amusement ride that you had your heart set on is closed for maintenance. There may even be a train strike stranding you for a few days.

Some days you find vintage silver rings at the European market and other days you find knock off Route 66 signs that you could get at the Ozarkland ten miles from your house. Sometimes you are charmed by the ancient architecture and other days you feel like you are on an abandoned farm. Sometimes the “it” place to stay seems just like any hotel you could find in America, full of people from Buffalo or Detroit; which would be fine if you were actually in Buffalo or Detroit, but not quite the European experience you were hoping for.

Sometimes the museum you traveled halfway around the world to see is so dark that you can’t read any of the signs and can barely see the artifacts. You may never really know what you were actually looking at. Sometimes you can see the signs but can’t translate them. Sometimes the translations are humorous. I actually ordered “Little girl” in a Portuguese restaurant and “monkey gland sauce” in South Africa. I am assured that actual children or monkeys were not involved in either case.

Sometimes you walk miles out of the way because you can’t get your bearings, but then you see tin shoes that someone actually wore in the last century and you feel much better about your aching feet. Some days the electricity goes out in your accommodations while you are taking a bath. Rarely, but possible, an earthquake happens when you are in the shower in your 27th floor hotel room. You will likely not know what to do, but you’ll figure it out.

Occasionally you are surprised by things, like beautiful opium bottles and pipes. I assumed they would be as ugly as the addiction. Frequently you are reminded that people that came before were smarter than you. The day you encounter a robot waiter that serves wine which was made by an Ancient Greek, you realize how little you really know. On your travels you are likely to encounter a museum guide who is way more interested in their local history than you are (or perhaps he just doesn’t know when to stop talking) and it will be up to you to fake a polite smile until you can make a graceful exit. Sometimes you meet guides you wish would never stop talking, because they are fascinating.

Some days it rains buckets as you attempt to wander around an ancient fort. Other days it is so hot you think you may die of dehydration as you take the trail through the swamp. Sometimes the industrial side of town is converted into an exciting food and entertainment district and sometimes the industrial side of town doesn’t quite pan out. You may feel out of your element, disappointed, or anxious. Trust your instincts about safety, but push through discomfort. It will be worth it.

As the song says, “You won’t know if you don’t go.” Some days are better than others….but every day is a good day. A good day to experience. A good day to learn. A good day to be alive.