Welcome!
Today I want to share with you how travel can change your life.
Think about it.
How often do you travel to really focus on your personal growth?
What we often do is we book a trip somewhere to relax,
To just break out of our usual routine and to just for a moment don't think about anything else that's going on in our life.
But then what happens?
After this week or so of vacation we come back home and it feels like nothing has happened.
It feels like we never had that moment of relaxation.
Maybe that feeling lasts for one day or two,
But then you get back to your work routine and your daily routine and it feels like nothing has happened.
So in this talk I want to invite you to think about travel in a different way,
So that it still has an impact on you way after you come back home.
But not just after,
Also during your trip and before.
How can you make your travels more transformational?
So that it's not just an escape from daily life,
But it is actually a tool that you can use to focus on your self-growth or for example to heal from something that happened to you in the past.
So let me share four practical steps with you that you can use to make your travels more transformational.
The first one is to travel with intention.
To really decide for yourself what you want to learn or achieve on your trip.
And how do you want to grow?
You can ask yourself these questions,
For example during journaling or during a meditation,
And see what shows up.
What would the outcome be that you would like to seek out of this experience?
What does really excite you?
Or how can you challenge yourself a little bit out of your comfort zone?
And that leads me to the second practical step.
Embracing the unknown.
Being open to new experiences and perspectives.
And really allowing yourself to step out of your comfort zone.
What happens is that so often we get stuck in this bubble of comfort,
And sometimes that can really be good.
But if you want to experience something new,
And especially if you want to grow,
It's really essential to step out of your comfort zone now and then.
And travel can be a great tool for that.
Because as soon as you arrive in a new place,
Everything is basically out of your comfort zone.
Everything you see around you,
Perhaps the language that people speak,
The climate,
The food,
The buildings,
The nature,
Everything is different.
And that's why it's so beautiful to use travel as a tool for transformation.
Because you're literally out of your comfort zone all the time.
So the third practical step is then to reflect and integrate your experiences.
So really taking the time to think about what you have experienced,
Write about it or talk to other people about it,
And really understand what happened to you and how you can learn from your experiences.
For example,
The conversations you had with total strangers,
And the beautiful things you've learned about another culture,
Or the new food you tried.
Like taste something that you tasted that you never tasted before,
Or something that you learned about a country that you never knew.
Or perhaps you saw a different type of plant or tree or animal that you never saw before in your life,
Or maybe that you just saw on TV.
Like travel can really expand your senses in that way as well.
And then the fourth one,
Which is also related to this,
Is to really stay present.
Really practicing being mindful during your travels.
And of course,
For example,
When you do a meditation,
It can help you to be mindful.
But travel can really expand this,
Because as I said,
You're in a completely new environment.
So everything around you is different.
And that's how your senses get triggered as well.
The sounds you hear are different,
The smells you smell are different,
The things you taste are different,
Everything you see is different.
So all your senses are awakened and activated.
And this can really help you to become more present,
And to avoid any distractions of your phone,
For example,
Because you're so immersed in the moment.
And that can,
For example,
Also happen when you spend time in nature and you see this beautiful waterfall and you're just in awe of the beauty you see in front of your eyes.
Enjoy those moments and really experience everything fully and try to take that feeling with you when you come home as well.
So I hope these few practical steps help you to change your perspective a little bit around travel,
If you have never thought about this this way.
Because as I said,
Travel is often used to just break out of our routine.
And that can be great.
That's also what we need.
We sometimes really just need a break.
But travel can be so much more than just a break from your daily routine.
It can really be a teacher and it can be a mirror to reflect what we really want out of our lives.
And it can give us clarity on the next steps in our life as well.
When we go to new places,
We leave our usual comfort zones behind and we face new realities.
And this can be very uncomfortable,
But it also helps us grow.
And we learn to adapt to new environments and to appreciate differences that we experience.
And each journey teaches us patience and resilience.
And it makes you feel that you're connected with everything in life.
And you can see the world as something we're all connected to.
And that even when you travel to the other side of the world,
It's not that different than when you're at home.
We are all eventually connected to each other.
So travel is way more than a physical journey.
It's also a journey of the soul.
And that's why I always like to combine my inner and my outer journey.
Starting with purpose and with an open heart.
And if you can do this,
Your travels will not only be transformational,
But your life will transform as well.
Because the true magic of travel really lies in helping find your true self and finding a way to feel at home no matter where you are,
By finding that home within yourself.
So thank you for joining me today.
I hope this inspired you to start thinking about your own transformational travel journeys.
And if you'd like some support with that,
Feel free to send me a message.
So safe travels,
And I hope you discover the beauty that not only can be found in the world,
But also within yourself.
