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Who hasn’t dreamed of traveling? Who has not had to remember past trips as the happiest time of life? There are people for whom travel is the meaning of life. Why are we so drawn to other cities and countries? And is it possible to get the same impressions without flying thousands of kilometers away?
Of course, rest from work and good weather are attractive to everyone, but rest and good weather are also available to us at home. And yet, millions of people routinely seek to get away, even if only for a few days, and are willing to spend a significant portion of their annual budget on travel and vacations away from home.
Getting from point A to point B, sorting out a suitcase, looking around, dressing up, visiting all the worthwhile places, soaking up the atmosphere, “seeing people and showing yourself” – there is enough energy for everything, everything is curious. The main thing is that every day on a trip seems to start with a blank sheet.
Each trip can have many different goals, but there is one that is common to all: enjoy the trip, get as many good impressions from it as possible. Whether you’re here to lie on the beach or kayak down the river, cross Cambodia on a motorbike, or cook fish soup in a tent on the Oka River, you’re ready to be the best version of yourself that lives to the fullest.
Is this only possible while traveling? Why, when we return home, still tanned and rested, do we deflate like balloons? Let’s take a look at the characteristics that make us the best versions of ourselves when we travel, and try to recreate them in our daily lives.
1. Generosity to yourself and others
It’s easier to spend money while traveling. Firstly, I don’t want to regret an untasted dessert, and secondly, money suddenly regains its ancient purpose: it exists in order to spend it. However, generosity does not mean only material generosity, but also generosity in terms of attention, time and energy. Generosity not only to others, but also to yourself, well, then you yourself know: “May the hand of the giver not be impoverished!”
2. Attention to the environment and presence in the present moment
When everything around is new, like it or not, you will pay attention – where to eat, where to sit, how to get to the store. This is where the magic known to Buddhists for a long time works: you pay more attention to the world around you, which means that there is less time left for the usual problems and worries. You begin to notice more new and interesting things – life is filled with colors and sensations. As a result, you get more energy, because you do not waste it on a played record of old worries.
So even a simple trip to the supermarket can be an interesting pastime. Break the routine, put yourself in an unfamiliar environment that will make you pay attention and help you enjoy the presence. When listening to an old friend, give him one hundred percent of your attention, listen as if you only recognized him today, and you will be surprised how much new things will open up to you, and most importantly, how much useless, unnecessary old noise will leave your head.
3. Openness to new experiences
We are ready to stand in lines for hours at the museums of Paris and Florence, but we don’t remember the last time we were in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Roerich Museum or the local history museum, and there is something to see there. In an unfamiliar city, we are not too lazy to turn the corner to see and learn as much as possible, but after all, you can always take a new path home from work.
4. Ease of perception of the surrounding world
If you have chipped tiles in your room, it doesn’t bother you, but if tiles chipped in your house, that’s another matter entirely. “Of course,” you say, “I have to change it!” This is true, and yet the frustration we get over things we think is ours is out of proportion to the effort we put into fixing or changing them. The element of ownership adds a strong emotional coloring to our reaction, and, as a rule, not at all in our favor.
Away from home, we enjoy what does not belong to us, what we may never see again, what tomorrow may no longer be available to us. One day a week, be a guest in your home, in your city, in your life!
5. Freedom from stereotypes about yourself
In fact, in your daily environment, no one but yourself cares about this either. But it’s hard to believe. You know what they know, and they know that you know what they know, so there is a vicious circle of useless knowledge.
“I must be the kind of person that others think I am,” we used to think from school age. “And others consider me the way I consider myself,” we realize after a while. “But where do you start? Who am I really? I am blond? Or am I a lawyer? Am I the mother or am I the head of the department? Maybe I am the conscience or the soul of the company? Or am I just a bore?”
And so we continue to fight the stereotypes that we ourselves create. And on the road, we are what we are at the moment, and if a year ago we lost control at the New Year’s party, it does not matter. So, believe me: what happened last year has no meaning in ordinary life.
6. Politeness and positive attitude
“Why?” I asked several acquaintances of different genders and ages and got surprisingly similar answers, the essence of which was that if you are friendly, you will get the best service, and at the same time you will make sure that you need something. At the same time, it’s nice to be an educated person.
Text author: Natalya Bulgakova