How do you do it? What if you can’t find the cash for the next adventure? What if the money isn’t there for that much-needed excursion or journey with a close friend, loved one or solo expedition? Do you curl up in a little ball and try to find a way for the money to turn up or do you bust out of bed and greet the day with a smile? These may be extremes, but somewhere in between is the middle point of finding the travel mindset.
I’ve been lucky to meet many other travelers.
Some take the once a year holiday, some take those few months and gallivant, some move overseas and enjoy life as expats for a while and still others find a happy medium. When you’re used to one of these and then it stops or changes – the blues have an ability to set in. For some it’s the sadness of what used to be, for others it’s the glimpse again of what might have been and still others long for the unknown of what travel brings. How do you handle it?
I’ve tried, for a while, to embrace a travel mindset.
There are times in life when larger scale travel is possible, but others when it’s not. Maybe you’re waiting to earn more money for the next jaunt. Maybe you’re enjoying where you are and not ready to move again. Perhaps friends, family, or commitments have taken heed and are the needs of the day. No matter – how do you find those travel joys in the intermittent weeks?
To me, the travel mindset is just that. The ability to find the joy in the everyday and the ease in the unknown, a ‘go with the flow’ attitude, the flexibility when plans change or go awry, the determination to succeed and attain a goal, positivity, happiness in the simple and a ‘can do’ attitude. These can be showcased in a variety of ways. For some, it might mean grabbing those few minutes in the morning to center oneself for the day or enjoy that cup of something while inhaling the purity of nature. For others, it might be taking time out to find exploration nearby (whether it’s in your reach or an internal practice). Maybe you go to that aquarium for the day. Maybe you take that local hike or new yoga class. Maybe you hit that tourist spot – you know the one you only go to when people visit? Maybe it’s heading out for the day with no plans in sight and seeing where your wandering leads. Travel mindset is an attainable goal.
Your local is someone else’s adventure.
No matter where we live, there’s something special. Interacting with locals when traveling often provides that extra level of a journey that isn’t listed in a book or found on a website. You are that local. You have that added bonus – all we need to do is embrace it. Sometimes it means stepping out of your comfort zone and trying a new cuisine in your hometown. Sometimes it means jumping in the car and seizing the day heading out to a place you’ve never before been. Other times it means letting the day take you places you least expected.
If you’re the traveler who doesn’t let rain stop you from seeing the sights on the day allotted by your tour – embrace that same attitude when at home. If you’re the traveler who enjoys savoring those special moments or intricate details of a place – embrace the same attitude at home. If you’re the traveler who doesn’t let a little sickness stop you from taking in the thing of the day – embrace that same attitude at home. If you’re the traveler who when a supposed to be sunny and warm holiday turns into a rainy one puts on your sweats and heads out to the lounge chair book in hand and hood up – embrace that same attitude at home.
Perhaps it’s about letting go a bit, realizing and accepting life’s imperfections and making the best out of the situation at hand. Find the good, the happy and the ease in the every day and explore life where you are. Channel that same zest for wonder you find on a travel day and bring that travel day to you. Work towards the happy, the curious, the inquisitive and the wonder…the travel mindset will follow suit.
To follow more of Stacey’s adventures…check out her blog.
Photo Credit:
John-Mark Kuznietsov |