Your voyage awaits...
I’m sitting at a table in a bustling taverna, with 12 others, chatting and laughing while we eat our stuffed vine leaves and Greek salads, enjoying the warm evening. As I sip my Aperol spritz, I realise how happy I am on holiday in Greece with extended family, and when I get home, I vow to make more of an effort to spend quality time with the people I care about.
Whether we’re venturing to the other side of the world, enjoying a weekend break, or making the most of what’s near where we live, most of us relish holidays and days out. But beyond the relaxation of swimming in the pool, or being blown away by the beauty of nature or ancient sites, travel can be a wonderful way of learning more about ourselves, and what matters most to us.
The wellbeing benefits of travel
“When approached with intent, and a clear desire to better ourselves both emotionally and mentally, we are able to use travel as a type of complementary therapy to heal, and help us to reconnect with the world around us,” says life coach Chloe Gosiewski. “Most of us are in routine mode every single day. We see the same views and people, and can very easily switch over to autopilot, allowing life to simply ‘sweep us along’, and this can, over time, leave us feeling stagnant and bored.
“Travel, whether that is a few days by the coast in mindful exploration, or a longer journey, is a way to experience personal development, and reconnect with the world again. You really don’t need to go very far, yet the effect can be profound if approached with intent.”
What do you want to get from your trip?
“Start by identifying what it is you want to gain from the trip,” Chloe advises. “Do you find that time is a constraint in your life? This could be on-the-clock timings for work or events, or even life milestones. If so, you could say for the trip: ‘I want to live in each moment, and be more fluid and present, and living in a more heart-centred way.’”
Do you want a busy day of sightseeing, or would you prefer a chilled time? Thinking intentionally about what this trip means to you can help you plan any activities in the spirit of what you actually want to do. It’s all too easy to feel we need to have a packed itinerary, and while this works for some, it’s also perfectly OK if you’ve identified that this break should be easy going.
It can help to think about how you’ve been feeling recently. Have you felt frazzled, meaning that running around a city ticking off attractions may be too much? Or have you been feeling bored and uninspired, perhaps suggesting that a trip to a fascinating museum or a hike in beautiful scenery could be just the ticket? Also consider what you’ve valued about past trips, and whether this fits with what you want to do now.
Making the most of it
For me, one of the most important parts of travelling is having an open mind and curiosity. That could be anything from visiting a new café and trying something different on the menu, to braving water sports.
It’s a bit clichéd, but I believe in trying to get an ‘authentic’ experience when travelling, though, of course, I’m also happy visiting must-see sights from the guidebook. Sometimes a little digging online can help you find out where the best place is to sample freshly baked Cornish pasties, or to enjoy homemade gelato, or where the best viewpoint is. I like watching vlogs beforehand, to get a sense of what a place is like, which can also help with anxiety about visiting somewhere new as you know what to expect.
While there, keep in mind what it is you want to get from this trip, but also allow yourself to be surprised. Sometimes, it’s the conversation you have with a local, or the experience of getting a bus through a city and seeing the place from that perspective, that sticks with you. If I start to feel overwhelmed, or distracted by worries from day-to-day life, I focus on the sensory details around me, which helps with grounding and being present.
Using travel to understand yourself
“Travel has the ability to help us to develop awareness of not only our own existence, but also our thoughts and surroundings,” explains Chloe. “It allows us to grasp a new perspective of who we are, and the place we hold in this world. Ultimately, it teaches us what is really important and what happiness means to people, everywhere – all attributes that contribute to good mental health and personal development.”
The enjoyment of a holiday or day trip can last long after you’re back home. Are there things from the experience that you really valued? What surprised you? What can you take from your travels and incorporate into your daily life, from making time for yourself to being more adventurous? It can be little things, like how you read a book while you were away, and realising this is something you’d love to make time for in your regular routine.
For me, different days out and holidays have brought various insights. The holiday to Greece showed me how much I value family, and that I want to spend more time with loved ones. It also taught me the importance of boundaries, in that I realised how important time to myself with a coffee and a book was during the trip – and how vital it is to communicate this. Going for a walk with friends in the local countryside recently helped me realise that time in nature with loved ones is something I’d like to do more of, and encouraged me to get out more and explore around where I live.
No matter where you’re going, travel can be a way of learning so much about the world and other people, and about what really matters to you.
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