What does it mean to travel with intention? Asking WHY Boosts Well-being
“It’s a simple point about travel and life: if you decide to look for something, you’ll be more likely to find it.”
One might argue that the opposite of doing something with intention is doing something on autopilot. I know that I do a LOT on autopilot. Driving to familiar places, scrolling through social media, grabbing clothes in the morning, and making food decisions (especially on an empty stomach). Autopilot actions are routine, easy and comfortable.
It’s a bit unsettling to learn that most of us live 95% to 97% of our lives on autopilot. A UK study suggests that our autopilot tendencies trigger bad or unhealthy habits and we end up a living significant portion of our lives that aren’t aligned with what we truly want or need.
“According to the research, we say ‘yes’ four times a day when we wish we hadn’t, resulting in 70,000 moments of being untrue to ourselves and drowning out our inner voice over the course of a lifetime. Almost half of adults (47 percent) admit this is because they don’t want to let people down and over a third (37 percent) believe it’s simply easier to say ‘yes’ than ‘no’ to others.”
In terms of making travel choices on autopilot, it happens!
People go where everyone seems to be going, or they go to places they have always gone, or just go and don’t think about it! Have you ever experienced coming home from a trip feeling empty or so tired you need a vacation from your vacation? Are you frequently hit by a case of the post-trip blues? I know I have. Travelling on “autopilot”... or just making the easy, predictable, routine choices might leave you feeling this way.
But mindful, intentional travel - the kind that research tells us boosts our happiness and well-being - is not done on autopilot! Travel with intention has a foothold in purpose, and we know that living with purpose is good for us. The magic comes when you set an intention and use it as a touchstone for planning your travel experience: what to say yes and no to, even deciding where to go, and who to go with.
Related article: Travel and Wellbeing: How Travelling Can Improve Your Mental Health
An intention is like a guiding principle you use to make better decisions.
Travel with intention is a thoughtful and deliberate approach to exploration. It goes beyond merely hopping on a plane and ticking off a checklist of tourist attractions. Instead, it involves aligning your travel plans with WHY you are travelling.
It might not be top of mind, but I believe that there are always reasons behind leaving home comforts and routines and venturing out into the world. By having a clear intention, and actually articulating it for yourself, you will craft a meaningful and enriching experience. Setting a travel intention can be as simple as asking: WHY do I want to go on this trip? But don’t stop at lofty answers like - to see the world! Try to find words that connect with feelings. Ask: How do I feel right now and how do I want to feel during (and after) the trip?
Travel with Intention: Examples
I find examples help me get my thinking started. Here’s a list of travel intention examples. I’m not suggesting that you be limited to the following, I just hope something might spark your own travel intention.
To feel present and mindful
To reconnect with feelings of __________ (eg. compassion, pride, gratitude, strength…)
To let go of something that is holding me back
To step away from “regular life” to give space for reflection
To feel creative and inspired
To feel focused in order to find clarity
To feel a stronger connection to someone
To feel small and insignificant in the world and put life in perspective
To learn more about myself and my capacity
To discover what I love.
To be moved by beauty/art/nature
To feel free from ____________
To discover connections with people who are different than me
To feel confident as I step outside my comfort zone
To feel the rush of endorphins when I try something new
To fall in love with my own community
To make a contribution and impact
Once your travel intention is set, all the other details can fall into place. Self-awareness eases making decisions about how to spend your time, who you go with (or not), where you go and how to prioritize your dollars.
An accident taught me about travel with intention.
I haven’t always set travel intentions. In fact, I’m a recovering bucket-list-driven traveller, once overly influenced by my Pinterest boards and seduced by other people’s perfect itineraries. It was on a 3-week trip to Scotland when my husband had a serious accident and we made a conscious decision to continue our trip instead of coming home. We were faced with rethinking many of our activities to allow for his recovery and care. In those conversations, we stripped away all the autopilot stuff and connected with the core of why we were there and what we still wanted to get out of the experience. It was a mid-trip aha moment that has influenced how I approach ALL my travel now.
For my more recent trips, my choices and itineraries have been strongly driven by this intention-setting practice.
I have found:
trip planning is now less overwhelming,
I have rid myself of FOMO (fear of missing out)
it is simpler to communicate with travel companions (as well as determine which trips need to be solo)
my travel dollars feel well spent and the budget full of value
Spain and Portugal (2022)
I travelled with the intention of feeling free to experiment with different ways to travel. I was eager to learn about myself as a traveller and my travel style preferences. The intention influenced the 10-week itinerary to try staying in one place for 4 weeks at a time as a home base.
Related article: My Travel Experiment: staying 4 weeks in one location
Italy (planned but cancelled for 2023)
My primary travel intention for this trip was to challenge myself physically with a “longer” long-distance walking trip. I wondered, am I up to a camino-esque experience? A second intention was to give Italy a critical “try-on”. I have harboured vague dreams of co-owning a little Italian getaway with friends someday. This was going to be an opportunity to test the waters and be open to whether my personal narrative about living in Italy held any possibility.
Related article: Is trip cancellation worth it? Navigating this uncharted territory at the last-minute.
Gulf Island House-sitting (2023)
My travel intention for this month of house/pet-sitting on a small island was primarily for self-care. I prioritize time for fitness (after an injury), healthy eating, and filling “my emotional tank” through mindful and creative activities. A bi-product was to test house and pet sitting as a potential way of travelling in the future.
Travel with Intention for Personal Growth
Laying the groundwork for self-discovery and personal growth by stepping out of your comfort zone to experience different cultures, perspectives, geographies, and daily rhythms can lead to profound self-reflection and even transformation. It encourages mindfulness and living in the present moment which allows us to fully savour each experience, to be truly present, aware of our surroundings and to cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude. These kinds of experiences challenge preconceived notions and open doors to new possibilities and ways of seeing.
Travel with intention to grow as an individual and keep from being stuck on autopilot!
