“No one trip will magically reinvent
you,” says Mary Helen Immordino-Yang,
a professor of education, psychology, and
neuroscience at the University of Southern
California. “But studies have shown that
there is power in your own interpretation of
your experiences. You can use travel, along
with meeting new people and trying new
things, as an opportunity to reevaluate the
values and beliefs that you normally take for
granted.”
To turn your next vacation into
a transformative one, make your approach
strategic. Here’s how.BEFORE YOU GO: SET AN INTENTION
“If you want to make changes, it’s important
to understand your why before you even
leave home,” says Michael Bennett, the chief
adventure o cer of transformational travel
tour operator Explorer X and a cofounder
of the Transformational Travel Council. He
suggests writing down or just thinking about
what you’re hoping to get out of the trip:
new adventures, a deeper understanding
of yourself, renewed motivation. Having
a clear idea of your hopes and goals makes
the di erence between having a moment
pass right by you and letting it inspire you to
take action.ON THE TRIP: PUSH YOURSELF
Vacations that send you out of your comfort
zone are the most likely to create a change,
because they compel you to think and
act in completely new ways, Michael says.
Experiencing a di erent culture, for instance,
can feel exhilarating as you navigate a city
where you don’t speak the language, eatunfamiliar foods, and strive to understand
new customs. This makes it easier to gain
fresh perspective of yourself and others.
A getaway that requires you to challenge
yourself physically can also be life changing,
sparking a sense of newfound strength and
capability. Sign up for an activity-based
tour that’s focused on something you don’t
regularly do, like kayaking or bouldering,
or take an extended trip around an activity
you engage in only casually, like a weeklong
biking or hiking trek.
Spiritual retreats that focus on yoga and
meditation or nature-based getaways
also have the potential to send you in
a new direction. “An adventure is anything
that challenges us and invites us to shift
perspectives of self, others, and the world,”
Michael says. “A weeklong meditation retreat
can be just as intimidating and exploratory
as climbing a mountain.”BACK HOME: CEMENT THE CHANGE
Karina suggests making notes, in your
phone or a journal, of especially meaningful
moments, along with some specifi c changes
you’d like to take home with you. If you went
on a group bicycling tour, for example, you
might write down when you felt powerful
(like on the morning of day two, when you
got back on the bike despite your tired legs)
or especially serene (quiet early-morning
rides). Return to your notes when your
vacation high and motivation fade, and you
start to forget why you wanted to make all
those changes to your normal routine. “It
helps you reconnect to the situation that
triggered the transformation, so you’ll keep
going,” Karina says.Immersing
yourself in travel
experiences
can change
everything.
TEXTMIREL ZAMANPHOTO123RF.COMT
he ultimate getaway is one where you uncover personal insights and take
your revelations and experiences home. “When we leave our everyday
environment, we remove the distractions and habits that are connected to
it, and this makes us more open to new situations that have the potential to
inspire transformation,” says Karina Stewart, a cofounder of Kamalaya Koh
Samui, a luxury health resort in Thailand, and a master of traditional Chinese
medicine. If you approach your trip in the right frame of mind, the experiences
can help you unearth old passions, explore new interests, reconnect with your
life priorities, and permanently change your perspective.SHAPE AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019 | SHAPE YOUR LIFE | 19