Traveling Synergy
Traveling has a way of pulling you out of yourself as few other things can. What's more, travel experiences are regularly more than the sum of their parts. Take a cranky family, add distance from home, sunshine, some unique experiences, and a few things that don't go quite as planned and you create a kind of magic. These times are memorable partially because they are outside of your routine and partially because you are doing something together and depend on one another a bit.
These memories really stick too. I'm in my mid-40s and still remember a 3 1/2 week-long trip that my family took when I was 16. It was a big deal. First, because we never took vacations that long, and second, because it was the last trip my family of origin took that was just the 5 of us. My parents planned for a couple of years to take this trip because they knew that once I, the oldest child, got my license and a job, the family dynamic would change as would my ability to travel with them. My family still talks about the adventures on that trip. I even cite them in my writing sometimes.
The trip was epic for us, our adventures could fill a book. My folks said yes to our harebrained schemes way more often than they would at home. My brothers and I enjoyed each other's company far more than usual, even while driving through the desert without A/C (which was thankfully fixed the next day). We, a camping family from way back, could set up or take down the camper in under 5 minutes by the end of the first week. Five mostly adult-sized people who had worked out who excelled at what, got it done with little need for discussion after day 2. We parked, leveled, and were completely set up faster than most others could identify the best place on the site to place the camper. One morning we were awakened by a crack of thunder. Anyone who has even been camping in a pop-up camper knows that you REALLY don't want to pack it up while it's wet because mold can set in quickly. From the first crack of thunder to completely closed down and ready to roll was less than 5 minutes. At minute 6, the sky opened as we ran for the car. Our reward? Breakfast out and a day of adventure ahead.
Things like this are what I mean when I talk about how traveling can create synergy. These synergistic experiences also help you (and your kids) learn what you're capable of. Whether it is packing with speed and purpose, navigating your way through the mountains of California in the dark (0 out of 5 stars, do not recommend), or finding your way through a poorly signed subway system in a city in a foreign language (I'm looking at you Paris), if you come through it, you can probably laugh about it and learn from it. With a little time and distance at least.
The other facet of travel synergy is how it s t r e t c h e s time. How often on a trip have you felt like the day lasted forever, in the best way? Have you have fallen into bed at the end of the day and thought back to the morning completely astounded to find it was actually the same day? Do you ever feel like you can't write out your experiences in your travel journal because there’s just too much to cover? On days like this, I forget I have a life outside my current circumstances. To me, that’s the sign that I'm fully engaged in the trip and open to what comes, synergy abounds. I will admit that it was harder to get to this place when my child was tiny but traveling with a teenager makes this a regular occurrence (5 out of 5 stars, highly recommend).
How to set yourself up for travel synergy:
Know yourself and your traveling companions. When considering where to go and what to do, it's imperative that you consider the people who will be involved. Consider age, physical ability, stamina, and downtime needs. What kind of accommodations do you need to ensure everyone’s as well-rested as possible? Once you’ve determined what’s feasible, consider the kind of trip you want. What is the goal of the trip? Do you want to see as much as possible or stare at the ocean for a week? Do you want to camp, hike, see the view from the highest point in the city, or have a spa day? Are you looking for life-changing experiences? If so, what kind - base jumping, paragliding, exploring ancient ruins, meeting local families, tracing your family roots?
Plan. Plan a little or a lot based on the answers to number 1 above. When I travel with my husband and daughter we are people who like a lot of freedom. We want to go where the wind takes us for the most part while fitting 1 or 2 specific things per city. So we plan for some structure in our days, but not tons. However, we ALWAYS want to know where we are going to lay our heads and we have reservations made before we leave home for where exactly we will sleep every night. If we want to make changes on the fly, we can always cancel and rebook somewhere else but we don't want to spend half of every day of our trip figuring out where we'll land that evening. Besides, we like to know when and where we'll have laundry facilities because we…
Pack light. It's true that the more experienced the traveler, the less they bring. If you really want to see things and meet people, you'll need to be able to get off the beaten path a bit and that sometimes means you're traveling on foot. Carrying less also means that moving between planes, trains, automobiles, and ferries is much easier. Our family flies carry-on only everywhere we go and we pack in convertible backpacks. We have for years. We aren't tiny people. You can do it too. To quote Spaceballs, "Bring only what you need to survive!"
Embrace your sense of adventure. Things will not be the same there as they are at home, no matter where "there" is. Embrace it. Do things differently. See how other people live. This is why you travel, yes? Synergy is created when you put yourself into situations that allow you and others to see things in new ways.
Buy little, but buy with purpose. When it comes to traveling light and traveling well, what you buy is as important as what you bring with you from the start. Buy experiences, meals, and locally made goods instead of mass-produced tchotchkes. If you can buy it at home or get it from Amazon, don’t carry it halfway across the world. The stuff in your bag should earn its keep. My favorite things to buy when we are away are scarves and notebooks. I’m a fan of each at home so I get to remember my travels while I navigate my daily life. They're interesting conversation pieces too. Besides, buying local helps the people you’re there to see and get to know. It also gives you an opportunity to interact with folks and deepens your experience. If you have to have it but it just won't fit in your bag, you can always ship it or purchase a suitcase to check it through to your home airport.
While I can't promise you'll experience synergy in your travels, I can promise that the above tips will put you in a position that makes it possible, even probable.
How have you experienced synergy while traveling? What did you take from those experiences into your daily life? What did you learn about yourself? Email me and let me know. I read every message and I love to hear your stories.
If you want help getting into a travel mindset or tips on how to plan your own adventures because you want to venture further afield than package tours can take you, contact me about Transformational Travel coaching sessions. Let's make the most of your vacation time!
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