Plan your trip, pack your suitcase, be a better human.
This is why we travel...
I am fresh off a vacation to Colorado. So taken by the beauty of the landscape and wildlife, all new surroundings absorb me. I got a real snow day for the first time this winter, its white blanket calling me to rest. Allowing me to stare out of the window and idle. I have had enough of a break from my routine to get some clarity. It’s time for a few shifts in the way I work and the way I play. Perhaps even more so in readjusting the balance of the two. I got back a little of myself in a way that only traveling can bring. You have to remove yourself from the equation to solve the problem.
The reason for this trip was to visit family. Hearing anecdotes of grandmothers and great grandmothers let me know that independence, humor, and stubbornness may strongly replicate in DNA. I was re-rooted in a long lineage of strong willed women. Even with a few bumps along the way, this time was a remedy. The opportunity to reset and reconnect. There is a whole world out there with lots of lives unfolding in unison. There is a gift in individuality. There is a gift in universality. There is a greater awareness in the threading of the two.
This is why we travel...
Connect to your roots.
Travel to see relatives. There is a wealth to be had in spending time with the people who knew you when you were young. Even more so, those who may have known your parents when they were young. In memories, the history of your family comes through in intricate details and highlights. Your culture of origin seeps through in tales of grandmothers and great grandmothers. The similarities in traits and characteristics reflect like a mirror. You deepen the understanding of where you came from. Who you came from. In reception, we slowly become collectors of the stories of each other.
Be renewed in the foreign.
Understand firsthand the truth of the world around you. Don’t let others tell you about it. Witness your surroundings through your own calibrated senses. Immerse in the cultures and histories that built the world we live in. Gain perspective on where we are now and insight into where we want to be. Understanding the successes and struggles of others inspires our desire to contribute. It refines our respect for those who live differently than we do, knowing there isn’t only one way of existing. We see the power in healing the planet together as a world community. We can choose interconnection over isolation.
Expand your palette.
The brightly colored spices, the aromatics, the flavors that entice our appetites. Cultures come alive in food. There are new ingredients you might never discover without a little culinary adventure. Unusual combinations of foods bring something new to the table. We are sustained in more ways than one. In the simplicity of a meal, our senses are elevated. Taste Buds are tantalized. Like a child trying something for the first time, we are new again. A recipe is the best souvenir. A memory we can revive any time in our own kitchen. A taste of our journey.
Restore your faith.
If the only window to the world is our tv screen, we become small in our thinking. We are fed information in a limited capacity. Almost always in a negative light. So divided in our differences, we see the world in only contrast. In such narrow mindedness, we begin to believe there is only us and them. We are one-sided in our outlook and righteous in our beliefs. As we move through the world and interact with actual people, we can see the world is full of helpers. Kindness does exist. Compassion does reign more often than not. We have to shed our biases and be vulnerable in order to rebuild our trust. The world is expansive. What expands our humanity is experience.
Rekindle Awe for the planet.
There is nothing more worthwhile than a beautiful view. We are captivated, seeing with renewed eyes, a city skyline or the ocean’s waves rolling into the shore. We can feel the sun shine against our skin and the breeze tousle our hair as it blows across the water. In the experience of deeply being present, gratitude rises to the surface and settles in our hearts. Out of our own familiar elements we are reawakened in consciousness. We are suspended in the beauty of nature. We are a part of something bigger than we can ever fathom.
Break your routine.
Sometimes the pace and routine of the everyday needs a reset. The distance from the daily gives us a chance to reevaluate. Rather than staying in the same cycles and patterns that become habitual, we return ready to change what has become stale. Refreshed from the change, we take each breath with a more dynamic approach. Things don’t have to stay the same. It’s okay to end a chapter and begin anew at any given moment. Our creativity is resuscitated. Even in our necessary schedules we remain connected to our purpose. We can reprioritize what moves us through our life with meaning.
Build your courage and confidence.
In the height of the pandemic, travel came to a standstill. For many, it’s taken years to feel ready to go out into the world again. We are out of practice and our nervous system keeps us on high alert. The thought of going somewhere where everything will be unfamiliar can feel daunting. The act of travel these days requires a lot of fluidity. With delays, cancellations, high traffic, and inflation, travel is less predictable. It keeps us uneasy. We have to be comfortable giving up control. Now, it takes a little more courage and a sense of confidence to know you can navigate each mishap as it comes. The best way to build confidence is to do. The best way to build courage is to leave your comfort zone at home. Plan that trip, it will build excitement. Trust your own skills to solve each problem as it comes. You can do hard things.
Fall back in love with the life.
There’s no place like home. Getting away from it all makes coming back even sweeter. We feel a sense of a renewed connection to a place that ordinarily feels mundane. What we love has been magnified in simple longing. We miss our people, our places, and our furry companions. When we get a chance to take our life out of context, we appreciate everything we love so much more. When we experience a different culture, we learn more about our own. As we explore we discover our likes and dislikes, our blind spots and shadows. Every time we go away, we return to ourselves a little more.
Strip away your common influences.
When we move outside our own social circles, we discover other points of view. As we interact with new people and places, we quiet some of the typical noise. We may be caught in a container where we aren't exposed to diverse opinions or backgrounds. It’s when we meet people and see things for ourselves that we open to other possibilities and truths. Beliefs should be challenged by experience. In an era where “influencer” is a job title, we need to sharpen the needle in our own compass to be led from within. Build our sense of self autonomy. Let ourselves discover and be discoverable without the weight of someone else’s input. Be inspired through our own knowing, not waiting to be inspired by someone else’s thoughts.
Plan your next adventure.
Once a season, whether it is an overnight trip to visit a friend or a three week trip to the other side of the world, find a way to go. It’s not always easy to step away from a life that runs like a machine, but all the more reason to do so. Life is not a machine. It’s, well, life. Start to strategize. Swap pet sitting with a friend. Revisit your budget to redirect just a little bit of savings toward an excursion. Start researching the details of travel to give yourself enough time to find deals and budget friendly options. What will it take? It all starts with a little bit of interest and a wondering curiosity.
Travel is part of our epic journey. In a gathering of experiences, we move from observer to story teller. When we take a trip, we bear witness to the world through her faces and her places. There is safety in keeping our lives small, but there is danger in limiting the depth of our understanding. It is part of our duty to explore the fabric of humanity. In our exposure to the world beyond our personal borders we peel away another layer. We take down another wall that keeps us removed from connection. We are one among. There is a great big world to remind us of that. Go out and see it. Wander. Roam.