If you don’t have your mind in the right place, you will
most likely not get the ideal experience from your travels as you plan or hope
to. It doesn’t matter where in the world that you travel to, if your mind is in
a funk, your trip will feel like a funk as well.
If you’re feeling depressed, stressed, sad, worries,
scared, closed off, angry, or any other emotion that will interfere with you
fully enjoying your travels, you will not get the experience out of your
travels that you deserve.
Dealing with Anxiety
This is why getting your mindset right is so important. As someone who struggles with an anxiety
disorder, I have experienced every emotion throughout my 10 years of traveling
the globe and I can definitely tell the difference between my trips based upon
the mindset that I had in each of them. I completely understand that it isn’t
easy to control certain emotions and you can’t always control what is going on
in your life that triggers certain emotion but, if you can either go on a trip
at a different time when your mindset improves or if you learn coping tools to
use during your travels, you’ll have a much better overall experience during
your travels.
Traveling with anxiety is terrible but it shouldn’t hold you
back from accomplishing any travel goals that you may have. It sure didn’t for me! There are various coping mechanisms to help
during your travels to help you get through mental hardships such as going for
a walk at the beach, bringing a drawing pad and pencil and sitting in a park
and drawing, writing in a journal, and more.
A Range of Emotions
Do your best not to go into a trip with the wrong mindset;
feeling stressed from work, in an argument with a loved one, scared of flying
or the ocean or for other reasons, or sad due to a recent loss. This is will definitely affect your time
during your travels and the outcome of your trip. If you’re scared, you won’t try new things, if
you’re stressed, you won’t relax, if you’re angry, you won’t open up to new experiences
or new people, if you’re closed off, you won’t want to make new connections, if
you’re worried, you won’t appreciate your present state of being, and if you’re
sad, you won’t attract positivity and joy during your travels. Getting your
mind right is crucial to begin able to not only enjoy your travels but also
allowing traveling to positively influence your life, teach you new things, gain
new experiences, meet new people, and everything else that traveling can bring
you.
What is your Why?
When considering your mindset, do some deep thinking on why you want to travel. Although it may seem like you just want to go
on a vacation to go on a vacation but, everyone travels for a reason.
Do you want to travel to help reduce your amount of stress
from work and your daily routine?
Do you want to get away because you are in need of time to
help you figure out your next steps in life?
Do you travel to try to strengthen or reconnect with your
partner?
Do you just want to spend uninterrupted time with your
children and family?
Do you want to try to find your purpose and passion in life?
Did you just experience a traumatic or life-altering event
in your life and traveling will help you to get away, have alone time, improve
your mindset, and help you heal?
Do you absolutely love adventure and trying new things and
you seek the beauty that the world offers?
Did you just graduate from university and you aren’t sure of
your next steps in life so you want to travel to help you build connections,
gain new experiences, and help bring clarity to your life direction and your
career goals?
Do have limited vacation time each year because of your job
and you want to use that vacation to reset your mind, not think about work, laugh
and relax?
Think about it: why
do you want to travel?
When you can recognize why you want to travel, you’ll appreciate,
enjoy, and get the most out of your travels.
You’ll know exactly how to plan, approach, and go through your travels
because you know the purpose of where you are and why you’re there. You’ll then be able to apply what you learn
and experience during your travels to your life, your life direction and plans,
your goals, your career goals, your work life, your family life, and much
more. Remember, the power of travel is
real!
No Excuses
Many people never accomplish any of their travel goals
because they allow their negative mindset to win. I have heard every excuse there is for why
someone who wants to travel won’t.
Some common excuses are:
“It’s too expensive”
“I have no one to go with and I’m afraid to go alone”
“I don’t have the time”
“I have kids so I can’t”
“My partner doesn’t want to travel”
“My job won’t let me”
“Traveling isn’t safe”
From a traveler’s standpoint, these are excuses because
there are possibilities to make your travel dreams come true despite any
situation. Although the ability to
travel can be difficult at times due to work, finances, and other reasons, I
find that the majority of people who want
to travel, can travel, they just
allow a negative mindset take over.
It’s human nature to want to stay within your comfort zone
and feel safe but, that won’t allow you to gain the experiences that you
deserves in life and that traveling can a bring you. A lot of times these excuses are driven by
fear, worry, anxiety, and stress. It’s
easier to quickly label something as not possible to do than to actually find a
way to make it happen, to make changes in your life, to challenge yourself, to
try something new, or to go outside of your comfort zone. This is why getting your mindset right is so
important. Identify and acknowledge the real reason for what’s holding you back
from accomplishing your travel goals. Is
it truly because you can’t afford it (ehemm, this book should help with that!)
or is it really because you have absolutely no time in your schedule to go or
is it because you’re deathly afraid to go alone?
I bet if you acknowledge the truth behind your excuse and
you tap into the why you want to travel, with some hard work, flexibility, and
changes made, you’ll be able to make your travel dreams come true! Just go for
it!
Your Mindset After
Your Travels
Now that you have taken your
mindset into consideration before your travels and during your travels, don’t
forget the importance of your mindset after your travels.
Sometimes it’s much easier to
have a positive mindset when planning a trip and while you’re on your adventure
but when you return home and back to your job and daily routine, that’s when
your mindset can take a turn. If you
were escaping something which motivated your travels in the first place,
whether that be problems in your daily life, relationship issues, or problems
as your job, most likely those problems will resume once you return home from your
travels. Therefore, making sure your
mindset is in a good place so when you return home from your trip, you don’t
slide back into the same funk that made you want to get away. The power that travel has is that it can help
you figure out what you want out of life, what kind of person you want to be,
what kind of relationship you desire, where you want to live in the world, what
qualities you want in a career, and much more.
What you learn, realize, and experience during your travels should be
applied to your daily life in every aspect of it: relationship, career, family,
and home life. Let your travels helps
you create the ideal life that you desire because it is very possible, as long
as you work on and get into the right mindset.
