What To Do While Traveling
What do you want your trip to be like? This can require some thought, unless you’re the totally spontaneous type who just turns the key in the door and says “ok, I’m off, we’ll see were I’ll go and what’ll happen”.
This can of course be an alternative. You don’t need to think about neither what you want to do, nor how you want to travel and stay.
It can be good to do some planning around what you leave behind though if you want to avoid things like unexpected bills showing up and ruining your trip….
The rest of us may want to consider these things a bit before we step out of the door though.
What’s my dream travel scenario? Where did I always want to go? What have I been longing to do?
So, what kind of person are you?
What do you like to do?
Do you like adventure?
A bit at least, we assume, or you wouldn’t be looking at this web site? Are you longing for a bit of action and some adrenaline rushes and opportunities to challenge your limits? Do activities like river rafting, mountain climbing, heliskiing and driving around a desert in a 4wheel drive give you that happy exciting feeling?
Are you the adventurous type?
Maybe you prefer a more spiritual path?
Do things like going on a retreat, visiting a meditation centre or a place like Taizé in the South of France feel like something you’ve been longing to do for a long time?
A friend of ours went to a Buddhist centre in Nepal for 3 months and had the time of her life.
Another friend walked the pilgrimage El Camino in Southern Spain and at the same time wrote a book about it.
Do you have a special passion or hobby you want to pursue and can build your trip around?
Maybe you have a special passion or hobby you’d want to pursue and could build your trip around?
Are you an avid dancer and would love to learn Flamenco in Southern Spain or maybe Tango in Buenos Aires?
We followed our childrens passion for the Lord of the Rings and planned our stay in New Zealand around that. Got a LOTR guide book to NZ and studied that. Visited lots of places where they shot the film. We even filmed our own version of Gollum crawling in the river with the youngest playing Gollum in the freezing water. We found the exact place, even recognized the stones from the movie. We also met with people who’d been in the crew (we all enjoyed hearing all the stories!) We did get a lot of other adventures and experiences at the same time of course. Like the hiking to get to many of the places and seeing fantastic scenery, learning about the country and meeting with lots of fantastic people.
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Experiencing ”the Party Tree” from the movie ”The Lord of the Rings” in reality was something special for the fans |
Would you love to spend lots of time out in the nature?
Being in the great outdoors around the world, doing field trips and experiencing new and different landscapes, plants and animals? What kind of surrounding would you like to experience – jungles, savannah, the arctic, seas?
| We did hike in this tiger reserve but didn’t see any tigers, ”only” claw marks on the trees where they had sharpened their weapons! |  |
A close friend of ours has a passion for two things, the sea and photography. She travels the world together with her husband and their 3 children, spending their time on beaches, islands and at sea around the world taking absolutely fantastic photos of these places. Just look at these two examples:
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See more of her photos at www.gabi-reichert.de
Maybe you want to take the opportunity and use your long term trip to get in better health and shape?
Do lots of physical things like hiking, canoeing, biking, or swimming? Maybe do a “jog in different places around the world” tour? Or spend time at a health centre (as a guest or a volunteer), learning how to take better care of yourself and start that new more healthy living life?
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Golfing around the world maybe? |
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Is surfing a passion of yours?
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Do you want to explore the different cultures around the world?
Indulge in what different countries or cultures have to offer. Learn to cook in France? Study Shakespeare in England? Learn more about original inhabitants, like for example the Aborigines in Australia or the Sami people in northern Scandinavia?
One of our neighbors went on a 9 month motor biking tour around Scotland to learn to play the bag pipe as well as study more about his other big interest – Whiskey!
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Maybe you’d like to follow in the trails of your favorite author…
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Do you want to spend time improving some skill?
Travel to Spanish speaking countries around the world and return home speaking a new language? Taking classes, maybe be staying with Spanish speaking families and really indulge in the new language?
You could use your journey to connect or reconnect with relatives or old friends around the world.
Maybe you had some great friends who moved. Or relatives you’ve heard lots about but never met. Older people you’d want your children to meet (and meet yourself) while there’s still is time…
Do you think you’d want to travel and give of your time and skills and be a volunteer somewhere in the world?
Is there an area that’s especially close to your heart? Working with children, animals or maybe doing some construction work? Would you be open to help out in catastrophe areas?
Have a look at the page about Volunteering.
Sometimes we’re totally engaged in a specific area and welcome the opportunity to really indulge in that.
Usually though, most of us like a bit of everything and our trips will be a combination of doing many different things. And if there are more than just yourself who’ll be traveling, then there are of course the interests and preferences of many people to consider.
Having a main theme can be of help though if you’re not sure of what you want your trip to look like or if you loose yourself in all the alternatives that exist. If you read travel magazines, watch travel programs, listen to other travelers and find that everything you see and hear sounds just great (or maybe nothing of what you see or hear suites you).
Whatever you choose to do during your extended world travel, just be open to wherever it takes you and the experiences it give you and remember, there are no right or wrong ways.
Also, remember not to cram too much into your trip, it’s not supposed to be a substitute to your job!
And whatever you want to do and don’t have the time to do this time, you can always do the next!
