EVERYONE keeps asking me what I’ve done every day, and for the first two days in Cape Town, I felt like a “bad traveler” because frankly, when I got here after a redeye, twelve hours in Cairo, another redye, a mad dash to my connection, and another 2 hour flight, I was so exhausted that I passed out.

For. Two. Days.

Alright, I got up to eat and whatnot, and I did manage to go get some food, a power adapter and a SIM card for my phone, but realistically, that’s all I did.

It was raining and I was tired and before I left the States… I really hadn’t relaxed at all! Newsflash, packing up your entire life to travel around with a backpack across the globe is actually, well, kind of stressful. Instead of spending my last week in the States eating bonbons, rollerskating, and hanging out with my friends, I was packing, moving, cleaning, working, oh and ALSO trying to rollerskate AND see my family AND my friends. Did I mention it was a Jewish holiday too? F.M.L. Oh and packing. I had to pack.

So anyway the point of all this rambling is to say that it was 100% worth taking those first few days to relax, because I hadn’t had them before I left and I absolutely needed them. So if there’s anyone else out there traveling solo and feeling guilty about taking some time off to rest and relax, don’t! In my opinion, it’s totally worth resting a bit so you can fully enjoy your experience.