Exploring The World At Your Own Pace
A Solo Traveler's Reflection & Tips On Living At The Speed of (YOUR) Life
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When I first started traveling, it felt like a race. I’d take a week off work and try to cram as much as possible into each adventure. A week in Spain meant 24 hours lost in flights to and from the country, not to mention zipping from Madrid to Barcelona and back again. I squeezed every ounce out of those five days (and still missed things… haven’t been back yet). Ireland and Scotland? Same story. Cramming, stuffing, packing it all in to get the most bang for my buck. But I’d come home exhausted, with a phone full of photos but no energy left. The stories were great but I wondered how much I had truly experienced.
Then came my first trip post-COVID, an Alaskan cruise that changed everything. On that trip, I discovered the secret: doing things at your own pace and living at the speed of life — your life deepens your experience. Who knew that planning a whole day just to sleep and order room service could be life-changing?
Let’s talk about what it means to travel at the speed of life and why traveling doesn’t have to feel like a race against time, adding unnecessary stress and FOMO to the experience.
What is the Speed of Life?
Each person lives life at their own pace. Some people are just in faster lanes than others. They rush around from one space to the next cramming as much as possible into every moment. Other’s meander moving slower than some and faster than others, but definitely not in a rush.
Living at the speed of life means embracing your own pace. It removes the competitive nature our society seems to make us feel life “needs” to have. It can feel like traveling is a competitive sport.
Oh she did 30 countries before she was 30, I’ve only been to 2. She’s been to how many national parks? How many cruises?
But where does that leave me? You wonder as you compare.
Don’t compare. Choose instead to live life at your own pace and to travel at that same pace.
Living at the speed of life means embracing your own pace.
But I Wanna Go Fast!
Then go fast Ricky Bobby!
The point of introducing the Speed of Life is not to say that people who want to cram everything in and visit all the places and do all the things is bad or wrong. Instead it is to say if that’s the speed in which you wish to have your experiences than do it!
But it’s also to bring awareness to those who feel pressured to travel just as fast that they don’t have too. That there are other travel options such as slow travel or simply doing things as they feel ready for them to happen.
Practical Tips For Traveling At Your Own Pace
Plan Your Itinerary: Include as much flexibility as your timeline allows. By being flexible in what you want to do on your trip you create pockets of breathing room.
Prioritize Experiences That Matter To You: When planning your itinerary focus on the experiences that mean the most to you and put those first. If you enjoy cooking more than looking at art in a museum, book the cooking class. If you’ve always wanted to see a famous painting, prioritize that over a different tour. Put what you want to do first and foremost.
Listen to Your Body & Mind: Pay attention to how you feel while you’re traveling. If you find yourself tired, overtired or simply feeling drained prioritize resting. Consider building rest periods into your itinerary.
Reflecting on Traveling At The Speed Of Life
I hope you enjoyed this article. If you’re a paid subscriber you can have access to my awesome 20 prompt reflection journal.
For my free subscriber’s here a juicy sample:
Describe a time when you felt rushed during a trip. How did it impact your experience?
Reflect on a place you visited that felt aligned with your natural pace of life. What made it feel that way?
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