Many Moods of Travel
What brings out the best of moods, and the worst of moods? Travel of course! Even with the best planning and intentions, travel is not always predictable. How we respond in various situations that arise in unfamiliar environments has as much to do with our personality as it does the conditions in which we find ourselves in. Our mindset plays the most important role in how we react to the uncontrollable aspects of travel.
The idea of packing up and leaving our homes and routines promises escape, a break from our daily routine, seeing new environments and gaining a new perspective on our world. Travel also evokes stress of what we are missing, anxiety of challenging situations, and discomfort when we are missing what makes us feel safe.
How do we reconcile all of these emotions? Stay realistic that traveling will bring out all of these feelings, make peace with being triggered by setbacks and aim for curiosity of the unexpected. Think of travel as an opportunity to learn about a new place, your own reactions to a new environment, and what it means for home waiting for you. Try to avoid traveling to complete a check list under the assumption that everything will go according to plan. It won’t.
Second guessing your choices and rehashing how you should have planned does little; learn from any mistakes made in planning and give yourself credit for the good choices you made. Explore how you could have sought out more or better information beforehand, and recognize that sometimes you make plans as best as you can with limited access to information. The beauty of travel is it wakes us from sleeping walking through our days, the way we walk or drive the same route without awareness.
The brain is designed to use less power the more habitual something becomes, which is why learning something new is frustrating and exhausting. Traveling can be tiring and exhilarating, pushing us out of our comfort zone and educating us about the world, others and ourselves.
