Travelling Mindfully

Travelling Mindfully

by | Aug 22, 2017 | Personal Insights, Travel Blog

Navigating mindfully through the bad days

“We often hold this notion that when we move house, change our job or the car that magically things will shift, that life will somehow transform into the land of our dreams.”

 

Sat in the wilds of Transylvania, we have a moment of stillness to reflect on what has been a challenging couple of weeks and make sense of all the events that have unfolded.  It’s been a bit odd really as it feels a bit like having a favourite sandwich; some fabulous experiences in the middle of some personally and financially stretching events. The unexpected storm tonight seems to match with my mood, as my mind races erratically like a tempestuous teenager, reviewing the series of challenges we have had to deal with. It causes me to reflect on my own learning and the dualities of a nomadic life and our travel choices.

The magic of change

“It is such a romantic notion to run away into the sunset and travel aimlessly, being guided by the wind, your intuition or the warmth of the sun.”

We often hold this ideal that when we move house, change our job or the car that magically things will shift; that life will somehow transform into the land of our dreams.  And it is true, that for a time, it will certainly feel different, may-be even better. It could last a week, a month or a few years.  Although the reality is that there is no complete escape – because life still vibrates around us, the clocks still chime and the earth still revolves.

The same happens when we decide to travel.  Whether we choose backpacking around the world, an exciting sponsored-trip to the jungle or embark on a 3 month tour of Europe in a camper, we don’t escape life, we simply change the parameters within which we choose to live.

It is such a romantic notion to run away into the sunset and travel aimlessly, being guided by the wind, your intuition or the warmth of the sun. And it is a privileged and wonderful life, there’s no doubting that.  How amazing is it to swap the routine of the Home, Work, Shops triangle for the sound of wolves in the mountain depths of Bulgaria or the crashing waves of the azure Grecian seas?  I certainly wouldn’t swap.

Yet whilst we may find the courage to change our lives beyond recognition and, to use that cliché, ‘live the dream’ there is another perspective that must be packed into the suitcase of our new life choices – called the shadow.

As there is day, there too must be night, where the sun shines, the rain too must fall.  The shadow exists as part of the duality of life and is not intended as a gloomy insight, just an aspect of life that, with awareness can keep us rooted into the reality of this beautiful, challenging and crazy world. Knowing the shadow exists can maintain our nomadic sanity

Amidst the joy of waking up in a new land with evocative smells of the local street food or the prospect of walking to the local bakery for your morning’s croissant, we need to be mindful of the shadow’s role in throwing challenges, problems and crises our way.  I’m not suggesting that we keep this as such a strong focus that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, although if we can just ‘keep our heads, when all around us are loosing theirs..’ to quote Kipling, then surely our travelling experiences will be all the richer.

The problem with shadow’s presence on our travels is that it can cause us to get lost in fear, stress and anxiety, none of which are healthy places at any time, least of all whilst we are away from home.  So what if we could apply some techniques for navigating these difficulties more smoothly, which would allow us to return to the business of seeking adventures?

Tips for Travelling Mindfully and navigating the bad days

There are so many things we can do to prevent the travellers’ droop and the risk of our dreams crashing to the floor.  Here are my mindful insights, based on our recent stretching experiences:

  1. Acceptance.  Let’s face it, bad days will happen from time to time.  We could well have something stolen, a laptop damaged by a freak storm, an uncomfortable interaction, an accident that damages our vehicle or break pads that need changing in a country of a strangers. And of course Banks still need to be dealt with, Insurance firms want us to jump through hoops when making a claim and compliance to the System’s rules keep a loose thread around us.  Health issues are bound to crop up and stuff back home still needs our loving support and encouragement. Accepting that things will happen out of the blue will help you navigate this journey with more ease.
  2. Awareness.  What defines us and our happy lifestyle is how we handle what comes up.  Our typical response to a crisis is to move into a flight or fight reaction, where primal behaviours kick in and we go into high alert. This protects us to some degree although may have us acting in a way that is not natural on a day to day basis. Instead, as our martial arts friend recently quoted ‘Be prepared not paranoid’.  Know what action you will take in the event of a crisis, such as someone breaking into your space.  Have a plan about how you will go about dealing with a stolen wallet. Know the emergency numbers of the country you’re visiting and always make sure your phone is charged.  Be aware and alert without being paranoid – this pairing can carry you through a crisis or challenge with dexterity and calmness.
  3. Breathe.  In the midst of the vortex we go into a instinctive mode where our body reacts chemically to protect us from harm.  In this high alert state we forget to breathe, which can instantly calm us and reduce our racing heart-rate. In stress or an event that triggers anger, sadness or disappointment, remember to breathe as it will reduce the alertness we are experiencing and creates a more rational space for us to operate in.
  4. Be mindful.  Travel and mindfulness is an art and skills we need to acquire. I’ve found travel to be my greatest teacher in the last 18 months and I continue to stay grounded in the experiences, both good and bad so that I can grow.  Keep coming back to the here and now.  It’s all too easy for our primitive, reptilian brain to scatter fear, uncertainty and doubt around our feet so that a forest of anxiety springs up, suffocating our dreams. Be attentive to how you feel, sit with whatever comes up and give it space to breathe.  Don’t feed it, just be aware of it and it too will pass.
  5. Rational thinking.  We often believe that our thinking is the root of all evil and it certainly rules the roost much of the time especially when they come from our unconscious mind or reptilian brain.  Instead when we mindfully bring our thoughts back into our conscious mind in the pre-frontal cortex, then we can rationalise what is going on and challenge our irrational thoughts. Take a step back, assess the bigger picture, see all sides and decide on appropriate action. This will hold you in the reality of the situation rather than the nightmare action movie you have just directed in your head.
  6. Be grateful for all you have, all you experience and all that goes well.  It’s so easy when there is a run of bad luck or challenges sent to try us, to get into a victim mentality. It is from this space that our thoughts of ‘home’ may return and we start to wonder if we should continue.  Gratitude is key to us being in the moment and appreciating all we have, thanks to our life choices.  Whilst ‘going back’ may be the right thing to do, listen to your heart and not your head, especially whilst it feels in crisis mode. Make decisions in the cool light of day.
  7. See things as they are, not as you think they are.  It’s that reptilian brain playing tricks with us again.  It sees a situation and starts bringing in historical events, drama and over-generalisation and, before we know it we’ve inflamed the situation.  See it for what it is.  A stolen passport, a disgruntled person or a soggy laptop.  Avoid the trap of ‘Why me?’ ‘It’s not fair’ and concentrate on creating a resolution.
  8. Take responsibility and learn from what has happened. As with everything in life, there is always a lesson.  I’m a great believer in ‘People (and indeed events) come into your life for a reason, season or a lifetime.’  Take time, after the challenge is over to explore what you can do differently to prevent it coming up again.  Take the experience positively so you can move on quickly.
  9. Let go!  Whatever has happened, work through the resolution and then let go.  Releasing the tension over a challenging situation means you move on with your travels, without the shadow clouding your experiences.  We hold onto too much negative emotion that affects our enjoyment of the the moment.  So learn to accept what has happened and then move forward.

So as we throw ourselves at the mercy of our wanderlust and commit to the joys of travel, remember that travelling mindfully is the key to our positive, self-expanding experiences that will have us trotting around the globe seeking out new adventures for as long as forever may be for us.

With love and happiness Karen x

Karen is a life coach, author and travel commentator who, with her seriously entertaining husband Myles, are feeding their curiosity with full-time travel in their camper. Together they are passionate about inspiring you to travel; whenever, wherever and however you can.

 

Pin it for later?

Travellers’ Challenges

Travellers’ Challenges

by | Aug 14, 2017 | Personal Insights, Travel Blog

So here’s the thing.  We buy a motorhome which soon becomes our pride and joy and we float on Cloud 9 dreaming of adventures and the freedom of life on the open road!  We’ve done our homework, we’ve got our insurance, put security measures in place and now happy times discovering the world is surely our reward!  What could possibly go wrong?

The one thing we’ve learnt from 18 months on the road is that travelling; full-time or long-time still brings its own stresses.  We don’t magically escape from life’s challenges just because we’ve decided to go travelling or have a long-term holiday… there are still a whole host of issues that may need dealing with.

So how do we cope when our tyre bursts, our bikes are stolen or our brakes don’t feel right? All situations that could well happen to any one of us, at any time, in any country.  And when they do, they will most likely be completely out of the blue and throw us into a potential complete frenzy.  Add to the mix that we’re likely to be in a country where English is not the first language and a whole dictionary of technical words and phrases may be needed to resolve the problem.  Tricky!

Is this the stuff that travellers’ nightmares are made of?  Perhaps, although let’s face it, if we worried about these types of issues, we would never leave the house, let alone go travelling into new and undiscovered corners of the globe.  So knowing how to cope with these challenges is an important part of the travellers’ toolkit and once mastered will see us gliding through the problems with ease and minimal stress.

Why, you might ask, am I writing this blog today?  

Good question…   After being in the northern reaches of Romania heading south towards Bucharest, we drove down a gravel path from a car park, only to hear a strange noise coming from the front wheel.  ‘It’s ok’, I said, as if I had some sudden hidden knowledge of motor mechanics, ‘It’ll be some loose gravel got into the brakes.  It’ll be fine!’ I’m not sure who I was trying to convince more with my comforting words – myself or Myles.

As Myles has some mechanical knowledge from his youth, he decided to take off the front wheels to assess the situation.  His report was neither full of positivity, nor was it a message of disaster.  The brake pads on both sides were almost out and in fact he was adamant that both needed replacing ‘tout de suite’ as they say in France.  They were fine for our short journey to the city, although it needed immediate attention.

So we discussed the options; we either stayed put in the hope that we could get fixed at the small Fiat dealer in town, or we limped our way very slowly to Bucharest, where being a city, we would hopefully have more options and a better chance of repair.  Given that it was late Saturday afternoon and nothing would be open on Sunday, we decided travelling south was our only real option.  The mountainous terrain didn’t help our nerves and a five mile traffic jam added to our intensity, although we made it to our destination.

With a bit of googling, we found four Fiat garages and with a plan of action conjured up over a glass or two of something soothing, we headed for an early start before the morning’s rush hour.  Of the four garages I had found, the first one had long since closed!  Hope slowly stumbled…  The second was in a tower block where getting the camper anywhere close to the suggested location was an impossibility… Hope was sighing now!  The third was on the opposite side of a dual carriage way.  So with the dexterity of a spring lamb I hopped out of the van and armed with Google Translate I found someone at the garage and asked, in my best Romanian, if they could help.  And indeed they could, on 28 August. Given it was 14 August and we needed to be in Budapest by 2nd September, my hope gasped in horror.

We consoled ourselves with the compromise of buying a set of brake pads and Myles fitting them.  It was doable; not our greatest outcome, although doable.  As we made said purchase, in a passing conversation with a young mechanic who had spent 12 months in UK, I asked him how long brake pads would take to fit. He said no more than an hour and, unprompted said he would talk to the boss.  Now this was the boss who had already said ‘no way today’.  So could my hope finally have a little rally?  Oh yes!  And then it did a dance when the boss started to fill out the job sheet – happy days.  This young chap had secured us a place on their morning’s schedule and to say we were grateful is an understatement.

And indeed within the hour the job was done and Scoobie was back on the road, fit and well once again.  And with a bill of €100 plus a little tip for the mechanic who saved our bacon, we were as you can imagine, over the moon.

So what have we learnt from this challenge, probably one of our biggest in the last 18 months?

  • Don’t panic.  These situations are going to happen at some point.  We had little notion of how long brake pads would take to wear on the camper as we only have a car as a comparison.  And whilst we have travelled 19000 miles there’s no rule book that says when to be prepared. We have a figure in mind now so that’s a great lesson for us. And of course wear and tear on brake pads is dependent on so many factors including the terrain you travel and how often you use the brakes. We all drive differently although for our travel style we’ll diarise to have them checked on 37000 miles.
  • We Googled dealers that were close to us and made sure that we had a number of options, not just one.  Don’t assume just because they are listed on the internet that they still exist.  We were glad to have had a number of alternatives to choose from.
  • Keep your phone charged so that you have enough juice to keep in touch with garages, friends or each other if you need to split up to assess your options on the other side of the road.  A uncharged phone is like a chocolate fire guard.
  • Get the co-ordinates of the places for your Sat Nav because if you have to navigate around a city with just an address, it could be costly – for your stress levels.
  • I was so grateful for Google Translate on my phone so I could communicate clearly and without anxiety.  We always go into countries with conversational basics, one of which is ‘do you speak English’.  That is always a good starting point.  From there Google Translate and its playback facility becomes your greatest friend.
  • Have a back up plan.  If this third option of ours had not worked out, then we planned on going to another car manufacturer and asking for their help.  They could then at least ring around their network and source a solution for us, rather than us trawling around a town or city looking for a needle in a haystack.
  • Worst case scenario. If we had needed to, we could have contacted our European Breakdown Cover and asked their advice.
  • Our final option was to head for a campsite where we could consider our options. Whilst not all campsite hosts speak English certainly those we have come across have been incredibly helpful and they will, most of the time bend over backwards to get you the help you need.  At least you will be safe and secure at a site and you can then look for options in the cold light of day.
  • And finally, take one step at a time.  It’s so easy for our minds to go into overdrive and start worrying about the ‘What if’ scenarios.  Although this really doesn’t add anything to the situation.  We just simply dealt with what was facing us in that moment and decided to suspend any other conversations until they arose. The situation has the potential for so much stress, so don’t add to your load.

We learnt a long while ago, and it was reinforced today, that you should never loose faith when incidents like this happen.  Things going wrong with the camper are inevitable at some point on your journey and in fact it’s no different to a problem arising in a house.  It just needs tackling with a clear head and a strong resolve.  Thankfully we managed to get things sorted out and all is well.  It tested us that’s for sure, although with some teamwork, we navigated around the problem and now we are ready to continue our adventure. Problem solved!

en English
af Afrikaansar Arabicbg Bulgarianzh-CN Chinese (Simplified)hr Croatiancs Czechda Danishnl Dutchen Englishet Estoniantl Filipinofi Finnishfr Frenchde Germanel Greekhu Hungarianis Icelandicit Italianja Japaneseko Koreanno Norwegianpl Polishpt Portuguesero Romanianru Russiansr Serbiansk Slovaksl Slovenianes Spanishsu Sudanesesv Swedishth Thaitr Turkishuk Ukrainianvi Vietnamese