As a travel planner, I see folks ready to plan every second of their journey with something BIG! “We gotta see everything and do everything.”
On my recent trip, one of my best as of late, I really prioritized slowing down and appreciating the little things. It’s difficult when you have a partner who wants to do everything (and it used to be me). However, after you travel so much, for so many years, you start to realize that no matter what you do and how hard you try, you never even put a dent in it! There’s ALWAYS more to see and do, and there will always be a reason to come back.
So my greatest advice to you, my travelers, is to plan less and enjoy the moment more. Probably bad advice for my business, BUT I think it will make for more intentional and effective travel.
Of course part of the reason for my “better” trip recently to Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Tallinn was due to their general pace of life (and their adoration of spa and sauna culture). I could sauna every day, am I Finnish? However, after a trip to Bahamas, Panama, and Mexico in January; a quick trip to Portugal and Morocco in March/April, and 3 weeks traveling the US via car and plane in May/June…I wasn’t THAT keen to run off to Scandinavia and spend every second “doing”. Thankfully, Drew got that message.
Another key aspect of traveling with a partner is learning each other’s needs and learning to either compromise or develop a conscious plan. Our conscious plan? Drew goes out in the morning to visit a new cafe and enjoy coffee and a walk on his own whilst I sleep in and take it slow. We agree to return to the hotel midday for a nap before dinner. If we do stay out all day, we don’t stop at that one-more bar for one-more drink.
Also, for most people, it IS impossible to go hard all day every day. It’s a great way to tear your body apart and then …probably…not that I have any experience with this… get sick.
Ahem.
You heading out on a 3 week honeymoon the day after your wedding? Take it EASY! Sometimes, there’s not much I can do to convince you. But maybe this blog will slow ya down in the future. If it doesn’t, you may have to learn the hard way.
And if you do decide to go hard every day of those 3 weeks, please please please for the love of all the penguins in Antarctica … GET TRAVEL INSURANCE!!!
Okay, that’s all for now. Want to hear more about my journeys? Join my email list!
Want some key tips for your next journey? Restaurant recommendations? Neighborhood recs? Where the best sauna in town is? Check out my services as a travel agent, or cut the middle man and send me an email 🙂
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