Creative Travel Ideas for the Senses (Episode 243)

This isn't a "Staycation"

Have you used the cop-out of a "staycation" to essentially get sucked into checking off to-do's in your home? I've completely been guilty of a staycation simply meaning we don't organize any fun and just stay at home and get work done. That's not a true vacation! 

So what, really, constitutes a vacation? If it's not about where you are, is it about what you do? Nope, not really. A vacation for one person will be relaxing at a beach doing nothing all day, while that would be utter boredom for my high-energy husband, who would get antsy in the first hour! 

What does it really take? It takes looking at your mindset, your ability to go with the flow and be flexible, and...some out-of-the-box creativity. 

Out of the box Ideas for Travel

So how can you get creative beyond what we traditionally think of as travel? Maybe it's booking a trip to Disney or overseas, maybe it's visiting family or doing that one traditional trip. However, maybe it needs to look vastly different this year, due to health, finances, conflict or more. What can you do? What adventures can you go on, even if it's in your own home?

What we love about travel is how it opens our eyes to other perspectives. The more you become a steward of another's story - not by telling it for them or taking over, but being curious about their version of it - the more we gain new perspective and empathy for how another experiences life. 

Check your Resentment

Life is messy. It won't ever be "completed" so you can just enjoy. Curveballs will come. As soon as you clear your inbox...you're most likely going to get another email. If life is constantly decaying, breaking down, shifting and more, is it really worth that being your focus and struggle, or...can you open yourself up to the mindset you want to live in vs. being a victim where you're stuck?

It's not just what you're choosing to focus on, but what you're willing to let go of. What truly needs to be accomplished this week vs. trying to wrap up my whole month? If you're feeling resentment for the joy and rest you see another doing, check yourself first and ensure you aren't mad simply because you haven't made space for yourself to enjoy anything. 

Are you clearly communicating any boundaries around your work so you can recharge? In the podcast that goes along with this blog post, Nathan shares about how shifting his communication with his real estate clients negated a lot of "emergencies". As he says, "sometimes what we think of as a forest fire is really just a couple camping in the woods. It's all about our perspective."

Be careful about trapping yourself into completion, where you never get a chance to recover because you're wrapping up just one more thing. I know I am guilty of it, so when resentment starts rearing her head in my heart, I first and foremost look at if I'm creating rest and recovery in my own life. Sometimes stopping to play is the best medicine for a messy house, as you come back recharged and ready to tackle it as a family vs. mumbling under your breath while they are all playing outside and you clean. 

Engage the senses - 

Let's address the senses - it's such an easy button to use as a checklist for ease and creativity! When we're stressed, we engage the senses to bring us back to center. When our house is over-cluttered, we engage the senses to bring back calm. When we're in survival mode, engaging the senses can get us out of it. 

What can you listen to that takes you on a musical journey to another place, another time, or bring back a memory you want to sit in?

What can you look at in a different way? I love going to our local nature preserve after a rain and seeing all the resurrection fern in the trees come alive - it can be a whole different experience going there when it's dry vs. right after a rain with the burst of vibrant green epiphytes in the trees!

What can you touch that may be different - have you engaged in crazy sensory play with your kids? When Grammy came to visit, she brought a raw canvas and paints. We went on a walk in the woods and gathered leaves and brush for us to use, and we got back and used nature as our paintbrushes to create a pretty fabulous piece.

Let's hit on taste for a minute. We have had many incredible "food journeys". What is a food journey, you ask? An adventure of discovery with food - and it can have a multitude of goals:

• Exploring different flavor combinations - like dried figs with a spot of goat cheese, a walnut and balsamic reduction - so fancy and delicious! Can you create a different type of treat that is new and/or complex as a family?
• Using flavor tricks - have you ever tried the miracle berry? It's a crazy cool fruit that will make your tastebuds believe anything is sweet for an hour after you taste it. We love going and getting crazy fruits, like tamarind, starfruit and key lime, and trying them before and after tasting a berry - it's really fun to experiment with all the tastes!
• Take an international tour - We love Universal Yums for it's super educational content and fun. Not only do you get to try odd and yummy snacks from around the world, you learn all kinds of cool information about the country, can access music and more cultural insights, and you learn stories around the top foods in the country. We've really enjoyed learning about a new country every month. 
• Try a mindful meal - Have you ever tried to eat salad with chopsticks? A meal with simply raw and unflavored items where you taste the full flavor with no other influence?
• Be a foodie in your own hometown - Seriously, there is a restaurant everywhere you turn in many areas. If you are in an area with some cool places to eat, have you checked them all out? We're new to the Venice area of Florida, and Nathan and I are making it a point to try a different restaurant every time we eat out. It's allowed us to get a better feel for where all to take guests, to recommend for others, and to get to know more people in our area. 

And on that last note - remember it doesn't have to be a huge expense for going out. We oftentimes add carryout as an added bonus to what we make at home, like making our own california rolls at home and ordering just a few primo sushi rolls. Or, try ordering family-style at a restaurant. There are often such big portions, one dish may feed 2-3 people. You can also experiment with feeding kids ahead of time and letting them do dessert, everyone going out for appetizers or dessert or sides vs. getting full meals out, or paying attention to when there are special deals going on at certain restaurants around a dish or a day. 

Play with the LACK of Senses

Yes, on top of focusing in on one sense or another, you can try zoning in on just one...or specifically eliminating another. What if you had a silent day with no talking? Or you have to rely on smell to find your way through the house - do the rooms smell different? Can you eliminate a sense to make your other senses better, or experiment with hyperfocusing on one to gain a different perspective on something you'd been experiencing, like closing your eyes and just hearing the forest vs. walking and looking through it?

Take in the culture

The more we see other people as other human beings - the more we can have a personal connection to them, the better grace and connection we all have. 

What cultures can you learn about? How can you do that? 

Maybe it's exploring all the foods from many cultures, like above. Maybe, however, it's digging deep into one, and perfecting a few signature dishes instead. 

Maybe, instead of food, you're exploring the music across cultures, or decades. 

Maybe it's exploring the holidays or traditions, the fashion and clothing, or plants and animals of another country or culture. 

Our daughter Ellie has loved reading the same Amish series I read when I was a girl, and she's learned so much about the Amish through reading. There are so many books and documentaries to explore different cultures and countries as well. 

Our Challenge: