We know that we are lucky to live in the UK as it allows us the opportunity to travel due to the relative wealth of the country compared to others. Our aim on this trip is to show interest and kindness to people we meet and hopefully put smiles on people’s faces. And  despite a modest budget, to share some of it when we can.

As we are travelling through countries other than our own, we feel it is only right that we should be the ones to make most effort to engage with people. It helps us anyway as showing interest in others normally invites a warmer response which can lead to new information, invitations or just a more pleasant experience for all.

In smaller towns or more rural areas we buy sweets, just lollipops and the like, and offer them to any children we meet (with their parents approval).

Sometimes we pay for somebody’s shopping in a convenience store.

Tipping is not expected in the countries we have visited but we will always share some money this way after engaging with the people we meet.

Occasionally you see people with tough lives who are just getting on with it, not complaining despite possibly not being seen by society. In Dumai we saw a woman and her 3 young kids going through bins collecting cardboard to sell to a scrap merchant. She seemed pleased that we had simply acknowledged and engaged with her, even before a small gift of some rupiah.

Learning about the countries we have visited, the wages people earn and the limited choices they sometimes face, makes you realise how fortunate you are to have the choice to travel. Many of the people we have met have never been outside of their own country, or in some cases province, and many of them don’t expect to be able to in the future.

The world today is a strange and increasingly hostile place but we can all choose how we interact with, and care about, our fellow humans and what impression we leave on them.

Be kind and make someone smile today. It will make your day better too.