Getting the best from your travel planning
My travel story really began when I decided one day, to be a little bolder, to make that decision, the one I’d been avoiding, the one that turned out to be a very important life choice. These ideas sometimes pop into your head when you least expect it right, “take an overseas trip”, that was it, very clear and with no doubts attached. I headed off…Travel had always been a passion for me, so I figured this could be the perfect way forward, maybe break a few rules along the way and, perhaps allow me valuable time to ponder over what comes next in this journey of life. Ideally, if you’re close to retirement age and especially after a lifetime of work you probably don’t have that many chances left to get it wrong. Amazingly, I eventually ended up travelling through more than 70 countries over six years and it changed me forever.
Just suggesting to a friend that you’re going travelling seems to conjure up the exotic and the colourful, it certainly kicks people’s imagination into gear. So why then do we get so excited when we speak of travelling. Something definitely happens in our brains when we consider the possibility of escaping from our normal lives, the thought of having a pleasurable experience and feeling free has a powerful pull indeed.
Pleasure is of course subjective, it’s very different for everyone, even if we’re standing side by side experiencing the same situation. Therefore, I think it is valuable in terms of Retiring Mindfully – to expand a little on the many and various reasons why we may decide to travel, if at all. Understanding your intentions and learning to distinguish the difference between travellers and explorers and travel for enjoyment will be essential if you’re to understand that what you’re about to decide could end up becoming either a long or short term part of your overall retirement planning. Best to get this sorted right at the very beginning if you want to have your expectations fully met.
Let’s look at the options :
Travel for Leisure – this has often been described as what people do when they have free time. If you travel for leisure you will want a high-end quality experience, stress free, relaxing and most notably, it will be for a short and defined time frame. Leisure travel has historically been associated with privilege and needs plenty of spare cash.
Travel to Explore – this is where you buy a one way ticket, you have no time constraints and will no doubt be looking for a far off and exotic location to explore, somewhere you can begin to challenge your normal everyday life. This type of travel goes beyond the modern perception of tourism and embeds you into the culture much more. Not everyone will settle into any long term exploring journeys but, short bursts can transform one’s view of the world rapidly.
Travel for Culture – this has undoubtedly been one of the best ways to experience different cultures by being up close and personal. Learning by observing is very powerful, with art, architecture and language, it can be wonderfully stimulating when you’re on location and experiencing it directly. Cultural travel experiences are very popular and generally booked through package tour operators for a defined number of days/weeks. World Heritage sites are by far some of the most popular tours in this category. So, if you’re setting off and know where you fit in, then you won’t be disappointed.
Naturally, you don’t have to choose one category exclusively for it’s likely you may grow into a more relaxed and comfortable feeling as you get used to travelling, taking on more challenging adventures will then be far more successful, but what’s important here is to begin your journey in a comfortable place, pace yourself and know what suits your own personality.
