The idea of travel is something that brightens the heart.  Seeing new sights or old familiar friends grants the mind the excitement and pleasure it craves.  Still, travel can come with its own set of trials – what feels like endless waiting, delays, and frustrations can shake the spirit on what should be an enjoyable journey.  While the benefit of travel is almost always worth the inevitable challenges that arise, there are ways to gird your mind, body, and spirit against those tests.

Prepare for the Foreseen

This is the most common and practical of advice but well worth reiterating.  You’ve travelled before and you know what the likely pitfalls will be so you should be ready to deal with them.  For air travel have all your documents handy, make sure everything’s packed correctly, and don’t forget the sunscreen!  For ground travel, make sure to bring plenty of healthy drinks and snacks in case you or our kids have to miss or delay regularly scheduled meal times.  This advice sounds obvious, and it is, but it’s crucial to be organized and ready, because knowing that you are as prepared as you can be will reduce your stress level, and lower stress means a stronger spirit.

Prepare for the Unforeseen

This is a more difficult task, concerned primarily with making sure your mind and spirit are able to handle those issues that come out of the blue.   Perhaps that means your flight is cancelled, or your car breaks down, or the hotel is nothing like what it said online.  Being ready means not allowing yourself to get flustered at a negative turn of events – instead dealing with it in a positive and productive manner.   In order to prepare for the unforeseen, meditation can help focus your thoughts, and help create a frame of mind ready to roll with whatever punch comes your way.  Also, strengthen your body’s energy by rigorous exercise followed by a soothing massage.  When confronted with any unexpected trouble, remember to visualize your overcoming the issue, and brainstorm ways to achieve that end.

Regardless of the travails you face while travelling, always make sure that when you achieve that unique moment of serenity and happiness that can only occur while away from home, to recognize and focus on it to help recharge your spirit.   Of course, the return trip can often be difficult as well, so once you’re back come visit us at May Blossom Spa, to have all the stress of your journey lifted away.