Once you arrive back home after your grand adventure, it is all too easy to fall into a sedentary, stagnant lifestyle. Maintaining the travel mind is a great way to avoid this. Put simply, by tapping into the adventurous part of your mind that you cultivated throughout your travels, you can make any ‘at home’ living situation far more intrepid and exciting.
Other people visit your place, so why don’t you?
Pretty much wherever you live, there will be tourists coming to visit, or at least locals’ families and friends from out of town. Even if it is only two people per year, it’s still someone. Every single place on earth has something unique and wonderful about it that it shares, or has the potential to share, with the rest of the world. If you’re ever feeling the blues due to a lack of adventure or travel in your life, how about becoming a tourist in your own territory?
Visit a museum, go on a hike, join a tour, take a road, rail or bike trip out to the countryside – travel in your own backyard. Not only does this stave off the itching desire to head to far-flung places for a time, it enables you to develop or re-develop an appreciation for where you live. What is it that other people might be amazed by when they come here? Discover this for yourself as often as possible and you will feel like a traveler no matter where you are.
Get Outside
When I’m travelling, I’m outside most of the time. Even when you’re visiting cities, you’re still out on the street taking in the sights more often than not. When we’re at home, usually we’re inside our houses, our offices, shopping malls, cars etc. If you’re lucky enough to work outside it still may not feel like outside because you’re toiling away at work. Taking time to head outdoors helps me maintain my travel mind. It creates the feeling that I am out and about, sensing and experiencing all the wonderful sights and sounds the world has to offer, just like when I’m abroad.
Go on a hike, walk your dog for double time, meander through the city streets and people-watch on a busy night, swim in a river, lake, or in the ocean, or just sit on a park bench and watch the world go by. No matter what you do outside on your home turf, do it with an open mind, just as when you’re travelling. By exploring the outdoors in your own backyard, you can enhance your connection with where you live, and get some fresh air and exercise to boot.
Maintain A Sense Of Wonder
A well-attuned travel mind never loses its sense of wonder. Wonder at the beauty and complexity of the world, and at the endless web of intricacies and interactions between us and our environment. When I’m travelling, my sense of wonder is enhanced by default; new experiences will inevitably do this. It’s so easy to maintain when you’re somewhere new, without having to think about it, but when you’re at home it may require a little more effort. In time, it will become intuitive, just as it is when you’re away.
Wonder at the beauty of simple everyday things. Get up early for the sunrise, go somewhere beautiful for a sunset. Visit an art gallery and marvel at the creativity and expression held within each piece. Volunteer at a local charity or do a favour for a friend and observe with wonder the power of human kindness, gratitude and reciprocation. All these things fall into place effortlessly when you travel with an open heart and mind, and making them happen every day at home helps to retain your travel mind. Maintaining a sense of wonder helps to keep a positive attitude in general, as you tend to view things in a more positive light when you’re gawking at how amazing they are.
Never Stop Learning
One of the things I love about travelling is that I’m constantly learning new things. Languages, history, cuisines, politics, new artists and authors. When I’m away having unique experiences and interacting with so many interesting people, fascinating information comes in a flood. When you’re at home, of course, you’re still learning new things every day but are they always things you are interested in? Are they relevant to the immediate environment in which you live?
I find that spending time researching the history, art, architecture, people and politics of where I live helps me maintain my travel mind while at home. Engage in a discussion with locals and travellers at your town’s Couchsurfing meetup, visit a museum or library, spend some time learning about another city or town near yours that you previously knew little about, even stay in the place for a time – there are many ways to learn about your own backyard.
The Most Important Lesson
Even if you’re ‘stuck’ at home and in no position to travel again for some time, be happy and be grateful. You’ve had the adventure of a lifetime, you’ve stepped outside of your comfort zone and you’ve seen the world. Many people don’t have this opportunity for myriad reasons, so the fact that you had a chance to experience a nomadic lifestyle is something to be grateful for. In addition to dreaming of future adventures, it is even more important to smile deeply as you reminisce on all the wonderful and enriching adventures you’ve already had.
