I don’t take enough vacations. Or at least compared to a lot of people in my “position.” The truth is, I’ve adopted the very American mentality of working as hard as possible and rewarding myself very little. If it doesn’t help me grow or benefit my success, I won’t do it. I avoid falling into patterns of escapism, choosing instead to face my life as often as I can and build it into something beautiful that requires no escape in the first place.
As much as I respect myself for this way of thinking, I know I’m missing out on some of the benefits of traveling. I save destinations for a time in my life where I feel I deserve it, or maybe I save an experience so that I share it with someone spectacular. The idea of being on a trip to take photos of myself, with other people taking photos of themselves, is my idea of a personal hell.
So I wait. And I don’t go on every trip. I deny free vacations and hookups because if it doesn’t serve or inspire me… I see no reason. I have faith that my life will provide me plenty of time to wander and wonder if I’m methodical enough.
The last few weeks I took were on a trip that checked all of my boxes. I went somewhere that served a purpose, I saw family and I said yes to an adventure that I felt was rightly timed. Boating through the Greek Islands and spending days in the city of Istanbul, learning histories, cultures and cuisines along the way.
Speaking of food, I always see content creators posting about their dietary habits. “Every time I go to Europe, I eat pasta and ice cream all day and I never get bloated. I look and feel my best when I’m away from American food.”
I think about this all the time. While I don’t deny that our standards of food and food processing aren’t good enough, I always wonder if these creators are missing out on something else. Is there something, in addition to the ingredients and preparations of our food that we may be ignoring that contributes to chronic bloating or uncomfortable bodily functions? Do we only feel so good because our physical bodies are influenced when we are away? It inspired me to also consider the differences in our mental states, too.
Stress is a leading causes in most ailments we have today. It can be the direct cause or exasperation of symptoms. It can cause chronic illness. It can lower your quality of your everyday life. It can kill you.
Thinking about these things made me think of myself. How amazing do I feel returning from my vacation! This one, in particular! I, too, feel inspired, less tummy troubles, happier. I feel like my foggy lens of day to day hustling has been wiped clear. My deepest priorities have been refocused. I feel like I took a two week exhale.
After investigating (nonstop thinking about) my mental state on vacation versus at home, I learned that it mostly boils down to a sense of freedom, a sense of adventure and deepened curiosity. Vacation reminds me of a child-like experience of happiness. A sense of wandering and wondering. The best parts of life. (By the way, I also believe maintaining this sense keeps you appearing youthful and vibrant. The aura of the lifelong learner shines brighter than anything manufactured in this world)
So why do I share all this? Because vacation’s over and I’m back to improving. But I’d like to work on maintaining some of these positive feelings of freedom and adventure by doing my own personal interpretation of adopting a traveler’s mindset. I’m not the type of person who likes obscure phrases. I like exercises of actions, things I can do, say and quantify. So here are the ways I’ve decided to personally adopt a traveler’s mindset and to lower my stress by improving and maintaining my own sense of wonder, calm and freedom.
Consume Adventurous Media
Admittedly, I love a reality show. Pop culture drama entertains me and I don’t shy away from a crime documentary. BUT is that really beneficial to a life of curiosity and wonderment? In adopting the traveler’s mindset, I am making an effort to consume more adventurous media. Also, instead of my regular self-help and fiction books, I’m adding more historical fiction in hopes to combine learning and entertainment the way I do on vacation. ( I just finished the 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak and I’ve started The Wager by David Grann)
Besides reading, I am making a concerted effort in stimulating television and news. Limiting my scrolling, intentionally “liking” travel pages show they show up on my algorithm and watching television shows that have to do with creative passions, beautiful places or stories of the past.
Our media consumption affects not only our outlook on life, but our physical bodies. Stressful media influences our cortisol and adrenaline production. If I want a life of more ease, like a person on a vacation, I can start with consuming media that reflects a perspective of wonderment and awe.
Look at Counterparts with Wonder
Every unfamiliar place I travel, I think the same thing. Peering into windows of stores and admiring houses… the thought follows me to each new location. “What do they do all day?”
I know I’m not the only one with this thought. It should seem obvious to us. Humans are humans and they are likely working to better enrich their lives and lives of family and community. But my curiosity is so deep. I wonder when they wake up, what they watch on tv, what their romantic lives are like, what are their favorite songs? It’s like all my preconceived notions of other people are erased. The person in a foreign place is the most fascinating to me.
Wonderment is an amazing behavior because it’s the opposite of preconception. Imagine if we looked at our local counterparts with only wonder. What if we didn’t assume their prejudice, their work ethic, their intentions or even their disdain or judgements of us? And even further, a total and absolute respect and acceptance for the way they lived… even if didn’t align with our's. There is a fine-line between accepting bad behavior or behavior and lifestyles that harm the collective good, but if we could all lean a little more toward wonderment and acceptance, we’d be closer to adopting the traveler’s mindset of curiosity and respect.
So to be even clearer, look at people with a kind wonder if you can. Have they ever been in love? Were they adventurous as a kid? I wonder what they like to sing in the car…? It’s a beautiful way to humanize other people and look from a sense of exploration instead of assumption. Living in a state of curiosity and non-bias is a fundamental to happiness.
Simplifying What We Can
It’s pretty easy to get dressed from a suitcase that’s been planned down to the essentials. There’s a certain freedom in the traveler’s mindset of taking only what they presume they need.
Although it’d be impossible to live from a suitcase (especially me lol) there are ways I can simplify my essentials to encourage a greater sense of freedom and ease.
I can:
1. Minimize my phone apps to things I really need.
2. Purchase simpler groceries and eat simpler meals. Fruits, veggies and protein seem like a good start. ( I like this one for many reasons. It can be cost effective, promote regular eating habits and reduce the stress of eating out or delivery food. I can’t think of how many times I’ve spent too long deciding what to order. Terribly first world problem, I know)
3. Mindful Shopping
It’s hard where my work is concerned, but in my “real life” I adopt this a more naturally than would be expected. I usually have one or two bags to go out at night, two pairs of shoes I repeatedly wear and I would choose a black turtleneck any day the weather and my schedule permitted. There’s a reason geniuses like wearing the same outfits over and over. It simplifies the mind, reduces decision-making and lowers stress.
The more we simplify: Our shopping, our schedules, our diets, the more we free the mind to explore and wonder.
Seize the Day, Sunrise to Sunset
I love vacation because it’s a commitment to cram all the fun, adventure and learning into the day. Isn’t it fun to wakeup at the crack of dawn for the amusement park to open? Or time manage so well that you can visit multiple museums before a live show at night? Vacation feels like a commitment to fitting as much pleasure into our self-allotted days as possible.
Although we (probably) can’t ( or shouldn’t) spend every day at a theme park, we can commit to receiving as much fulfillment from our days as possible. One simple commitment I’m trying to feel this is by… literally…. Is watching the day start and end. Sunrises and sunsets are known for benefiting our circadian rhythm, reducing stress and for most of us- they produce a sense of awe and wonder. Nothing is more metal than spinning around a flaming fucking ball of plasma. This type of wonder and appreciation is the backbone of the traveler’s mindset.
Now look, don’t hold me to all this in a month or two. After all, I’m committed to learning and growing which means I’m comfortable redirecting at any time. But ultimately, I’m committed to being relentless in my pursuits. Happiness, growth and good health are a few permanently among them.
All my love,
Lindsey
