The travel itch is a powerful one, yet sometimes we just put some antihistamine on it, stick our head further into that sandpit of stress, and knuckle back down into our norm. Then something happens and our head is yanked out and we take a much needed deep breath. We dust off the grains of daily strains as we find ourselves surrounded by images of dream holidays. It’s time, our minds are telling us. It’s definitely time, our bodies are also telling us. Hello! It’s time, our friends, partner, children or dog are screaming at us. And so, we do it, and put aside an evening or a weekend to take that big step. And book it.
In anticipation of your dream holidays
However, let’s face it, it’s rare that we go on holidays when life is at its calmest, right? When all the plates are spinning perfectly, when we’re on top of all our life admin or when we’re feeling at peace with our various life issues. In contrast, however, when we take time out to book that dream holiday, we get a rush of adrenaline, a surge of relief and high fives all round for a well planned escape. We’ve got a booking in the bag, and all is right with the world.
However, there’s one thing lurking in the shadows that may just be a fly in the ointment – anticipation. It’s booked, we’re buzzing but now we have time to wait until we board that train or plane and, during that time, what are we going to do? Well dream about it, of course. It’s a dream holiday after all.
And yet, that doesn’t always happen. Because, although we sank momentarily into those images of our footprints in the white sand, cycling into the sunset, or remote landscapes where we may not see another soul all day, our own personalities start to invade those images. Along with our day to day worries about preparation, packing or just getting things done before we go. It’s a lot. What happened to that fluffy feeling that we had just a few weeks ago, when we booked and breathed again? Things just got real, that’s all.
Keeping things real
One of the best ways to hold onto this buzzy feeling you get when booking a holiday, is to be realistic about it from the outset. Especially with an adventure holiday, such as on our walking or cycling holidays. We don’t just mean whether you are physically fit enough to take it on, although that’s important of course. We mean taking time to know if this is the right destination for you, whether you’re going for long enough, working out if the journey to get there is going to be arduous or manageable, and also whether it will live up to those expectations. If, during that precious time out to book, you only focus on finding the best deal, your buzz may not last for that long.
By talking through your interests, abilities, group dynamics if you are travelling with people, or your concerns if you’re travelling solo, before you book, then that feeling is going to stay with you for a much longer time. And that’s what our adventure specialists are here for. We’re not bots. We’re buzz-makers. And we’re never too busy to answer your questions.
Bring the buzz into your daily life
After you’ve talked everything through with us and booked your holiday, don’t shut the buzz back in a box, but try and bring that feeling into your daily life when you can. Maybe you could treat yourself to an in-depth travel book about the place you are going. Or fiction even, just to start immersing yourself in advance of your trip. Taking time out to stroll through the travel writing section of your local bookshop will definitely get you in the mood. Take time to read our destination guides, most of which have detailed insights into a region, food as well as specific responsible tourism advice for that destination. We also have a font of knowledge in our blogs about many places, with some more in-depth pieces about cultural awareness and, for example, being a conscious consumer on your travels. Would you dare to take a hammam in Morocco for example? Or strip off in a Finnish sauna? Or perhaps you’d like to understand more about rewilding.
“It is easy to forget ourselves when we contemplate pictorial and verbal descriptions of places. At home, as my eyes had panned over photographs of Barbados, there were no reminders that those eyes were intimately tied to a body and mind which would travel with me wherever I went and that might, over time, assert their presence in ways that would threaten or even negate the purpose of what the eyes had come there to see.” – Alain de Botton, The Art of Travel.
Shifting the mindset
In that liminal space between booking a holiday and then actually going on one, it’s worth reminding yourself on a regular basis what it was that drove you to book it in the first place. What was it that gave you that euphoric feeling after you took all those steps to committing to time away? Was it the need for something different and new? Were you inspired by a friend who’d done something similar? Were you saying ‘meh’ to mundanity and having a carpe diem moment?
Find a way to tap back into that drive at least once a week, and do one small thing that gets back in touch with that early drive for adventure. And we don’t just mean preparing to get fit for walking or cycling, or working out what to pack. We mean finding ways to shift that mindset from the everyday to every day matters. If you can experience that joy at least once a week, then the chasm between your everyday life and the destination you’re aiming for won’t seem so enormous, or daunting when you get there. Leaving more room for the buzz.
Transport yourself
When possible, opting to travel by train opens up a whole other world of travel and you can open up a whole world of travel buzz when you decide to go loco. We have a rapidly-growing collection of adventure holidays that are reachable by rail, and there is a similar growing number of adventurers who are choosing not to fly. If you haven’t explored the UK and Europe by rail yet, then this book will get you on track. Now in its 18th edition, Europe by Rail is not only factually brilliant but also written with eloquence and an eclectic knowledge of routes and destinations. We also have our own collection of blogs on train travel, how to get cheap train tickets and so on, so check them all out here.
Find peace of mind
And finally, after all that, maybe it isn’t a buzz that you need when you get to your chosen holiday destination. It’s actually peace of mind. With our 24/7 support team, you will always have that. But whether you achieve peace within your mind is a whole other thing. Yes, we’re talking mindfulness and all that stuff. We don’t mean turning your holiday into a hippy trippy either. It’s about learning how not to rush your holiday and enjoy life in the slow lane, which is why we’ve got plenty of tips on how to head in that direction in our blog, Achieving mindfulness on holiday. And so with that, we shall leave you in peace.
