Being In The Moment – Taking the Stress out of Travel

Being In The Moment – Taking the Stress out of Travel

By Susan Gerle

When I travel I never know what
opportunities may suddenly arise!

Being in the moment can take a lot of the stress out of travel.  In the last 16 months I have cancelled 4 trips, 3 to Mexico and 1 to Hawaii.  These trips were planned but because of health issues they had to be put aside.  I've tried to look at the cancellations from a positive perspective.  Had we been in another country at the time I was dealing with the problems, it really would have ruined the trips. 

Traveling across the world for fun is something most people plan a long time to do. They have a location on their bucket list and know what they want to experience when they get there.  But there is another part to travel that has to be considered, especially as the Baby Boomers age. 

Being in the moment allows me to accept change when it happens.  I never know what life is going to deal me.  It’s not about being prepared.  Whatever I do or wherever I travel, part of the fun is the preparation, talking and planning.  It is about enjoying and sharing what I want to do on our journey.  That will always be part of my trip.  Life happens though, so staying in the moment allows me to say “what if?”

If I have the “what if?” contingency in my plan, it allows me to be in the moment.  I know it sounds like an oxy-moron but if I think about it, it isn’t.  It really takes a lot of the stress out of travel and allows me to enjoy the process.  It can also open up some other options.

Even though I may have everything planned for a trip to another country, getting there can be exciting.   Sometimes I can find some fabulous flights and accommodations at the last minute.  If I have a general idea of where I am going I can shop on internet sites like www.kayak.com and www.booking.com.  Then I follow up by checking out a site like www.tripadvisor.ca and getting feedback from other travelers.

I have started booking some of my journeys one way, even when I’m traveling overseas.  I make sure the airline offers a price exactly half of what I would pay for a return flight.  Often I can get much better deals too, as well as better flights with only one stop. What it allows me to do is travel in the moment.  I get to see where I am going and decide what I maybe want to stop and see on the way back!

Once I make the decision as to where I’m going, I can check out internal flights and how their specials work and what kind of costs I’m looking at depending at the time of the year.

Willing to be in the moment really helps me enjoy my travels to the fullest when they finally happen!