7 Tips for Trips and Travel.

Travelling is something that always brings me joy and gets me excited. I am grateful to have visited beautiful places home and abroad and want to continue to explore the world, take more adventures and create memories. I'm not an expert traveller and but I've learnt a few lessons on this subject that I'd like to share...

''Travelling... it leaves you speechless and turns you into a storyteller.''

-Unknown

My Experience (Why do I like Traveling? Where have you been?)

I like going to new places because it mentally and emotionally gives me the chance to reset and get re-inspired. When I'm in the same environment for so long I feel demotivated, unproductive and burnt out. I enjoy exploring a new place (wherever it may be) I get to test my mind outside my comfort zone which is good for personal growth and development.

My perspective on travelling has shifted slightly as I've grown older. I used to think that the best travelling experiences were abroad and which is far from the truth. The world is a big place so even places locally can give you a completely new experience. I've found that when you look around and you practice being present you can appreciate things you didn't notice before. I also thought that I could only travel a handful of times because it is really expensive but realistically speaking it doesn't have to be. Travelling isn't exclusive to those who have money, although it helps, it can be done by anyone.

My Tips:

1. Plan, plan, plan.

Planning in advance is key to having a stress-free trip. It helps you to think about what you can achieve with the resources you have (time, money, equipment). It also helps you map out how to go about things which make processes more efficient and effective. When you consider how busy our schedules can be it is really useful to pencil time for ourselves - travel.

2. Research.

Whenever your going to a new place is always good to do some research to get a good understanding and background knowledge. Doing this helps you to feel more at 'home' in this new environment. It also encourages you to think about culture, language, lifestyle. You can access information in various ways, for example, reading articles, asking a friend or browsing online.

3. Prioritise.

I believe that it can be very easy to go overboard (financially) if you haven't identified what is most important to you hence why travel becomes expensive. Let me explain... different activities will have different levels of importance depending on the person. For some people, shopping is an important activity and for others, it may be trying new foods. My point is when you find what activities you enjoy it makes it easier to delegate budgets to different activities based on importance. (Larger budgets to areas you enjoy, smaller budgets to less prioritised areas).

4. Get familiar.

You might decide to go on a trip with family, friends, colleagues or even alone it really doesn't matter. I am yet to travel 'alone' but I will say that it helps to socialise with people during the journey and when you get to your destination. I found this is a good way to get familiar with the new environment and form social networks. It could simply be asking for directions, getting to know people that live locally or starting meaningful conversations with a stranger.

5. Manage your time.

Whether you've travelled for vacation, are on a business trip or it was a weekend getaway your stay won't last forever. It's really important to spend your time wisely. From personal experience, I like to manage my time by pairing activities that will complement each other and make the day eventful but enjoyable too. Having an idea of the places or things you want to do in advance also helps you not to waste precious time. I would also suggest starting your day earlier so you can get the most out of your day.

6. Capture the moment.

One of the best parts of travelling is the experience and memories. Funnily enough, when you are 'always on the move' it can easily cause you to forget to salvage the moment. Journaling (blogging) is a great way to log what you did, how you felt and it becomes really nice to read back on.

It's definitely a much more traditional approach but you can also take photos and videos to create a mini travel vlog (which is fun to do believe it or not). It might be a tourist thing but it is nice to buy a souvenir that reminds you of your time spent in that location.

7. Enjoy it.

There's a reason why you chose the location, so remind yourself of it. This then establishes your purpose and will encourage you to take pleasure in a new adventure. You've come this far, planning, preparing and now it's time to give yourself a chance to be present where you find yourself.

I wonder where my next adventure will be -I am really excited. The exhilaration is real... I'm sure you feel it too. The biggest lesson I've learnt is that I thrive in new environments, although it is challenging (me being an anxious person by nature), it is really rewarding to know that I can leave my stamp in a new place.

So what's the difference between Trips and Travel?

The simple difference between trips and travels are based on the distance from home and length of time. Trips are short, nearby and often taken for pleasure whereas travelling is a journey (longer and further). Either way, both are great to experience-I have a better appreciation for trips now because of the global lockdown - something good did come out from all this in the end :)

Thank you for taking the time to read my travel-inspired blog, let me know the best place you've been and where you'd like to go to in the comment section below.