travel opens up your mind

discover your why

travel at its deepest level can assist us with our greatest psychological needs. you may not think about travel in that way, but it can serve as our north star. travel can mend the imbalances and immaturities of our nature. in time travel can reveal its full potential to behave as a form of therapy in our lives. the new exposure expands your mind to new ideals, unique sceneries, types of food, people that you may have never met, and language. it matters because everything can be enhanced whether that be your outlook on life, how you eat, how to budget, independence, and even how you treat people. sometimes without realizing it routine can dull aspects of everyday life. getting out of your comfort zone can rejuvenate your senses and perspective. if you are living in the same place, seeing the same people, and working the same 9-5 job it came bring along a sense of comfort and dullness. there is anything wrong with routine, but sometimes you need to switch it up and add a filter.

it is important to determine why you want to travel in the first place. try to dig deep and figure out what you are after. sometimes life can cloud your mind and make it really difficult to find the why. let your trip bring it out of you. your inner-self ultimately knows what you want. put yourself in the best opportunity to let it happen.  are you in search of something, running away from something, wanting to clear the mind, looking to help someone, going for a business trip, visiting friends, full of wanderlust, language emersion, or a mix of all of the above?

 Jason Silva can explain the importance of travel further. 

different types of travel

when planning trips a common question usually arises, " why are you going there?" most people see travel as a vacation, and they quickly correlate vacation to simply relaxing. however, i categorize travel into four different types: relaxation, exploration, vagabonding, and educational. keep in mind that when you travel you can experience a few of these types in one trip. below are my definitions:

a. relaxation: an abatement or relief from bodily or mental work, or effort lasting less than a couple weeks. vacation is taking time off to relax mentally and physically from everyday life. usually this means taking a trip to a beach, going to an all-inclusive resort, or staying at home and watching netflix. this is for someone that really needs a break from the day-to-day grind with the intention of leaving work at home and healing.

b. exploration: to traverse over a region or area for the purpose of discovery, lasting less than 5 months. exploration is taking time off to grow, learn, break up the routine, and to see what the world has to offer. usually backpacking through several countries, hiking, and/or sightseeing. this is for someone looking to enhance their perception.

c. vagabonding: wandering from place to place without any central location for more than 5 months. this is very similar to exploration, but is less common with more commitment and less structure. usually this means quitting a job to soul-search or to accomplish a certain task. this is an ambitious individual who needs a career change or simply wants to live.

d. educational to study, intern, volunteer or conduct business abroad. this could be a student or professional looking to master a language, join the peace corps, travel to represent their business abroad, or study abroad.

cater the trip to you

now that the different types of trips are established, picking the location is critical. this can be something you either do not realize has importance or have no idea how to choose. for example, you may have found your favorite state or country and settled on your spot, but if you never explore alternative locations you might not be getting the most out of your time. this is totally understandable, as you can fall victim to the paradox of choice or just love your repeat vacation hub.

find out exactly what you or your group likes do to when you travel and make it a point to come to a consensus. are you a foodie, sports fan, artist, musician, excited by new culture, photographer, or just love learning? pick three or four and make it point to find the places that cater to your personality. side note, if you choose to go with others make sure you pick wisely. just because they are your family or best friends, doesn't mean that they are great travel buddies. 

have an open mind

have you ever heard the phase, " if it bleeds it leads" in journalism? it is a fear based tactic that gets people's attention as it magnifies certain groups or people or locations. watching the news can be a psychologically risky to one's mental health. fear based news stories prey on the anxieties we all have, but i don't blame people for getting worried. when it comes to travel people are often worried about places of the unknown. it's okay to trust people, just hold your ground. safety is obviously paramount, but there are a lot of great people that are willing to help. i have been helped by many people throughout my trips.

having an open mind about trying new things is important. try exotic foods and do things that get you out of your comfort zone. try something at least once, within reason, because that is what it means to be alive. how will you know what you like if you are living in society’s shadow? meet people and experience as much as possible, you may just end up loving it or them.

“travel is  fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” —-Mark Twain

analysis of the trip

have you ever been so excited for something that you literally cannot wait? the night before trips i usually feel like a child on christmas morning. some people can get a sort of high from anticipating a trip which leads to the first of three different phases you can go through during a trip: anticipation, experience & perceived experience. 

a. anticipation: this is the first phase, where you decide to travel, choose where to go, plan the details, and wait for the departure date. there are an array of feelings attached to it: feelings of excitement for the day you leave, stress of planning, and feeling liberation and accomplishment.

b. experience: this phase may seem like common sense, but it is the act of traveling in the present moment. it starts as soon as you leave until the day you get back home. often people don’t remember to live in the moment and it can ruin the outcome. there is so much thought given to the past and future that the current moment can become unnoticed. if planned, then traveling should be about what you’re doing now, not worrying about things that haven’t happened yet. experience travel through your eyes, not your pictures. 

c. perceived experience: the final phase of travel can involve reverse culture shock and how you digested your experience. the brain can actually alter memories of the trip creating inaccurate memories for us to fantasize on or build negative associations.

cognitive biases are often at play, which can impact the experience. even though you may have had an incredible trip, one or two of the phases can falsely simulate that feeling. a realistic view at the emotional roaster that you ride during your trip just adds to the fun.