Transformative Travel To Overcome Uncertainty
The thought of Transformative Travel experiences first hit me when I set out on a short lunch cruise in Sydney with my friends. Pinned down by the spiteful reality of working 6 days a week, 9 hours a day, the cruise experience was a much-needed blissful escape from the routines of daily grind. There were a couple of things that enlightened me to the idea of Transformative Travel - majorly the vexing idea that our entrapment in the sad loop we call ‘life’ has blinded us from focusing more on our self-reflective and self-discovery moments.
Twist in the tale.
No, this is not gonna be another blog about how hard corporate life is, better yet, it’s more about how you can change the perception about your surroundings and make life special. Huge part of why I travel is to experience new things, meet new people, face new challenges and make new memories. Growth and self-love were unimportant to me, mostly because I wasn’t aware of it, up until recently. When I was motivated to go on a dining cruise again, I thought I’d go with a Sydney dinner cruise this time. But something about the dinner cruise experience felt so ethereal that it made me curious about life, maybe it was the alluring sight of Sydney's iconic wonders passing by one after the other while I stood on the outer decks feeling the night breeze run through me or perhaps it was the dinner itself, which had me enjoy every nibble of it with unreal mindfulness. This made me realise how ignorant I was to the richness of life, what was simply right in front of me. It wasn't exactly a transformation but it sure was the 'pilot episode' . This curiosity led me to the aid of the works of many famous figures including Jenalle Dion, Terrence Mckenna, Roland Griffiths and Aubrey Marcus.
What it means.
The legendary Alan Watts once said, “No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now”. The thing about Transformative Travel is that it’s not something you achieve, rather something you practise. If you can explore new destinations by learning more about their culture, food and nature, all the while working on your inner self, then you’re just about on the right path. But if you're the one who likes to sip on mimosas right by the swim-up bar in the early mornings, then you might have a hard time shifting your alignments. Though, all hope is never lost. So what is it exactly, you ask? I believe it’s something in the realms of leaving behind your usual boring routines (no offence) and exploring a new place, connecting with your deeper self, and engaging more with the present moment.
How to get started.
We’ve all experienced scary moments - the gateway to the so-called ‘bliss’ on the other side of fear, the times when we think we can’t posible get through a situation only to finally do it and think “wow did I actually do that?”. It is during these moments of discomfort and unfamiliarity that we shatter our limits and unlock our inner strength. You can start by getting out of your comfort zones and intentionally travelling to expand, learn and evolve into new ways of being and launching into the world.
Finding it in any extremities.
The question that usually pops up after an obvious understanding of Transformative Travel is “Where should I go?”. The answer is, anywhere. For example, transformative travel can take place on a hellish 50-hour hike to the summit of a massive mountain or it can happen through the calm and stillness achieved through some form of meditation. The goal of the experience is to revisit, restore and grow with the self, which is otherwise impossible within our sterile cultural programming. Thus, you can plan these trips in any location you’d like.
Guiding you to You.
As we shape into a restricted life with minimal actual engagement and more online engagement, it is hard to hit the pause button, and for some of us, the work-life balance can be a myth. By planning that trip or retreat, switching off technology and plunging into an adventure, you can escape this gloomy act of life and realign with your true self. So go sleep under the starry nights, stay in a treehouse in the middle of nowhere or even go on a dining cruise for that matter, and ground yourself in the moment!
