So much of travel writing is about the destination.
It’s easy to focus on the destination because it’s so sensory: You’re physically in a different place than you were before, with different sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. You can take a picture and see how this destination is different from home.
But let’s expand our view for a moment. Instead of looking at travel as a finite event, let’s look at it as a process. A journey.
I do a lot of hiking, so I naturally compare the process of travel to hiking up a mountain. The hike doesn’t start with the summit of the mountain, of course. That may be my goal, but it’s really just a small part of the hike. First there’s the preparation and the trek up the mountain. This is usually the longest part of the journey. After some time, if things go well, I reach the summit. What an accomplishment! What views! What relief! But the journey isn’t over. Don’t forget that the journey continues in the descent down the mountain.
You may or may not hike. But the metaphor still stands. I see travel in three parts, always: Pre-travel, travel, and post-travel. And I want to share some thoughts about these three phrases.
PRE-TRAVEL | PREPARATION
Preparation involves more than just choosing a destination. Perhaps a year or more of carefully choreographed planning is involved. Or perhaps a spontaneous booking 24 hours prior. Regardless of your style, some level of preparation is involved in every journey. And if some level of preparation was involved, both physical and mental efforts, emotional preparation was involved too. We just don’t always recognize this.
In my coaching, I encourage people to be intentional and thoughtful about their planning. Of course, there are all the practical and logical plans to make: transportation, hotels, activities. In addition to those, take some time to explore why you chose this destination. What are you looking forward to? How do you want to feel while you’re away? Taking some time to reflect on these questions will help you tune in to the deeper meaning that underlies the travel booking.
ACTIVE TRAVELING | PRESENT-MINDEDNESS
Now for the fun stuff — the travel! You’ve been planning, you’ve been looking forward to this time away, for some time now. And the time has finally come! With expectations (explored in the Pre-Travel Preparation phase of this trip) comes the possibility for unmet expectations. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Sometimes they go exactly as planned! Whatever your experience, be fully present and immersed in your travels.
Take a few minutes out of each day of travel to notice what you’re sensing: the smells, tastes, sights, sounds, and things you can touch. Then take it one step further and tun in to your emotions. How do you feel? Are there any emotions that are arising for you? Take a few minutes to acknowledge them before letting them pass. What thoughts are going through your mind? Sometimes it helps to keep an online or paper journal where you can jot down your thoughts and feelings about your travel as it’s happening.
POST-TRAVEL | PROCESSING
When you get home, as you’re unpacking your physical bag, unpack your thoughts and feelings from your journey too. After spending so much time preparing for your journey, then actively experiencing your trip, coming home and abruptly resuming regular life can seem, well, jarring. Have you sometimes felt like you needed a vacation from your vacation? Well, give yourself permission to take a mental break and reflect on all the experiences you just had.
There are many ways you might reflect on your journey. One tactile way is to associate memories with the items from your suitcase. As you pull out that wrinkled shirt and put it in the laundry hamper, take a moment to remember what you were doing when you wore that shirt. Were you on an exhilarating roller coaster with your kid? Where you enjoying a romantic dinner with your partner? Were you cozied up poolside, with a book that you may or may not have read and all afternoon to nap? Remember those moments, and encode your feelings with various articles of your bag. The next time you wear that shirt, long after your trip is over, you’ll be extending your journey via the feelings and memories that come back to you.
WANT MORE IDEAS?
There are many more techniques for thoughtfully processing all three phrases of travel, besides the examples given here. You may already have some traditions that work for you. For your next trip, be intentional about using those traditions, and perhaps add another one or two to increase the meaning you make from your journey. And if you would like some guidance with that process, reach out to me. That’s what I’m here for!
