Travel Tip #1: The first question to ask before planning your next trip

Planning a trip, whether you’re going near or far, can be exciting—and stressful.

The idea of heading off to a beautiful location and leaving your cares behind can feel amazing. But when you actually get into the details of planning it all, you can also begin to feel bogged down in the stress and the pressure of designing the perfect trip. 

I’ve found one thing to be crucial when it comes to planning any journey.

Start by asking one simple question: 

“How do I want to FEEL on this particular journey?”

Do I want to feel….

• Inspired? 

• Free? 

• More creative? 

• Brave? 

• Empowered? 

• Challenged? 

• Nurtured?

The answer to this one question can offer incredible insight into your planning process—from the location you choose to the activities you plan to whether you go solo or with a companion or two. 

Let me offer a few personal examples: 

I want to feel … Brave

A few years ago I was dealing with some hard personal questions and the reality that a relationship I’d been in half of my life could be crumbling. 

I needed to feel brave. 

I knew I had some difficult emotional work to do on this trip. I also knew one of my biggest fears was that I’d forgotten how to manage life on my own. I had done it in my 20s, but now into my 40s, what would that feel like? Had I forgotten how to be brave? 

So I planned a trip that forced me to do things that made me feel BRAVE.

I chose to go to Kosovo, a small country in Southeastern Europe. Although I’d been there before and it was a place quite familiar to me, I added several stops and experiences along the way that I knew would challenge me. 

It started with how I approached my itinerary.

I first chose an incredibly complicated route I knew would scare me right out of my comfort zone. 

I scheduled my flight out of Chicago, which required me to take a train from Michigan and then make my way to O’Hare International airport. I then chose an international flight with not only an extended layover, but a change in airports and airlines. I flew into Paris (a city I’d never been to and where I don’t speak the language), and I stayed there on my own for 4 days. From there, I boarded a flight to Skopje, North Macedonia. My final destination was Kosovo, less than two hours away by car, so once I arrived in Skopje, I needed to spend the night and get up the next morning to catch a bus to Prishtina (Kosovo’s capital city). 

This was only the beginning of the trip, but many of the things I did while away were infused with an underlying intention:

to remind me that I’m brave, and that I really can do anything I put my mind to.

I want to feel … Loved and Nurtured

A few years later, I planned a very different trip to the exact same location. This time I knew I needed to feel something very different. I needed to feel LOVED and NURTURED. 

I chose to return to Kosovo because I have friends who are like family there. Because I’d been there before, getting around wouldn’t pose significant challenges. I knew it would feel like a safe, familiar place for me to find healing. I also chose to stay for a longer period of time so I could take things slow and have a lot of down time.

My desire for how I wanted to feel was reflected in this very different itinerary: simple layovers and a direct flight into Kosovo. I also stayed at the same AirBnB I had on my previous trip, so I already knew how to get there and would be familiar with my surroundings.

Everything about this trip was designed around making things simple and familiar.

Even my activities once in Kosovo were designed around helping me feel nurtured and cared for.

• I spent slow mornings writing in my journal in coffee shops and had long dinners with friends I knew loved me.

• I didn’t plan long, detailed journeys (I knew I’d burst into tears at the slightest of difficulties)... everything I did was focused on caring for myself and my soul.

• I even regularly scheduled massages.

It was a very different trip—all because I knew from the beginning exactly how I wanted to feel while I was away.

How about you? 

If you’re planning—or thinking about planning—a trip (FINALLY something we can think about doing again, right??!!), ask yourself:

--> “How do I want to feel while I’m away?”
 

Then, ask:

-->  “How might this inform where I go and what I do?”

 If you try this, I'd love to hear what you come up with!


And....if you 💓💓 this idea, but feel like you might need help figuring out the answer or knowing what a life-changing trip might look like for you, I’d love to set up a free time to chat.

My signature program, Brave Journey, is designed for helping others plan trips just like this.

I have a new cohort starting in January!! & this is one of the first questions we’ll ask ourselves—Trust me, it makes all the difference!

GET YOUR FREE SOLO TRAVEL GUIDE to help you answer this question NOW.