Travel Planning for Life

To thrive in life means to bring a sense of wonder and excitement to each day, and not just for those few weeks when we may travel to some new destination. We can adapt some of the strategies we use when planning a trip in our daily life as well.

Set a Course and Get Prepared

In real life, many of us don’t have a clear plan or itinerary for where we want to go. Without a clear destination in mind, it’s no wonder sometimes people feel like life is passing them by.

The first step is to decide where you want to go… What itinerary are you planning for your life? Once you consciously choose your destination, you get prepared. You figure out how to get there, what kind of currency and immunizations you’ll need, and what kind of clothing you need to bring.

Create an Itinerary

In our day-to-day lives, we tend to not give our plans the kind of persistent and consistent action needed to realize the results we want. In terms of preparation, we leave ourselves ill-informed or under-resourced to tackle the plans we do have.

Once the vacation destination has been selected, most of us will come up with at least a rough game plan or itinerary. What do you want to see and experience? How long will you want to stay there?

Pack along our Curiosity

Curiosity broadens our horizons, so be sure to bring it with you. An important ingredient of any adventure is a strong sense of curiosity. Pretend you are an explorer, setting off to find out something new and wondrous. Be open and present.

It’s not Personal

When you travel, you just know that unexpected things are bound to happen. The hotel you booked is a dive. The only day you have to visit that world-famous museum is the one day of the year it’s closed. Unexpected glitches are inevitable but you don’t take them personally. Surrender to the unexpected and simply give yourself leeway to make on-the-spot changes in your plans. You go with the flow. It’s easy to simply chalk it up to experience and know that you’ve got another good adventure story yarn to share with your friends back home.

Here are some tips to help you live your life as an adventure.

Tip 1. Create a motto or a mantra for yourself to capture that commitment or find an image that conveys that sense of adventure to you. Your motto could be “I love the adventure of my life” or “I’m a fearless explorer that can tackle any challenge.”

Tip 2. Check your life itinerary - do you have one? Have you got a clear picture of where you want to go with your life? Take some quiet time for yourself to review the major areas of your life - personal health; family; career; relationship; finances; spiritual; community; creative expression. Set one exciting goal for yourself for each area and a deadline for achieving it.

Tip 3. Identify the resources you already have to help you with that goal, such as your educational background, your life experience, people you know that could help you. Then identify what resources you might need to find. For example, do you need to find a course, read a book, find a support group or coach? This week, take one concrete step towards achieving your goal in at least one major area of your life.