If you’re feeling thee need to tune-in on your next travel adventure, then you’re going to love these mind and body travel tools.
Travel is an ideal launching pad for recharging health and well-being.
An opportunity to slow down the pace, check-in with ourselves, and reset the mind & body.
Wouldn’t you love your next travel experience to:
- sync your mind & body
- cultivate better well-being
- better connect you with yourself & others
Yes you say? Read on!
The pandemic has reminded us that wellness matters and that self-care is a necessity, not a luxury.
Travel is a great avenue to take a break from the daily grind and nourish the mind & body. To connect more deeply with ourselves.
Having a toolkit for well-being is an important part of flourishing in life, as well as dealing with challenges that come up along the way, things like stress & loneliness.
So, let’s expand your wellness toolkit with some practical tools.
Why Taking Time for Self-Care Matters
Tending to well-being couldn’t be more important, because everything we do comes back to our health and well-being.
Self-care is a conscious decision to reset your mind, body, & spirit. It’s also an essential part of maintaining your health & well-being.
Travel in and of itself is an act of self-care.
Yet while traveling, we can go beyond and intentionally work in the small but mighty things that can really nourish the mind, body, & spirit.
How? With some simple tools!
These are just a few of the tools used most often in my wellness travel lifestyle. As well as, the tools that I champion for in my work as a travel coach. These are the tried and true favorites of both myself, and countless others.
5 Mind & Body Travel Tools
A tool is simply something you use to reach a goal and they are go-to’s for tending to your mind & body.
When we use tools to improve our health & well-being, they they often turn into habits. Then over time habits become practices that help us deal with change and anchor us in the good times and the bad.
Your mind & body are powerful allies, so taking time to tune-in extends into every part of your being.
If your goal is to tune-in, thrive, & transform during your next road trip, then these 5 simple tools will help you to do just that.
The great thing about these five tools, is that they’ll help you to find well-being from the inside out.
They are simple to incorporate into travel because they involve you and just a few things, which you probably already have. 😊
1. Set a Morning Intention
Setting intentions is a way to make self-care work for you, a simple way to kick-start the day on the right note.
A travel intent gives you a lens from which to experience your day.
Just a few minutes in the morning can inspire you and help direct your focus towards the way you want to be in the world.
When we’re more mindful of how we want to spend our day, we are more likely to align our choices with that mindset and have travel experiences that support those intents.
Since self-care intentions shift with personal needs, it invites flexibility with personalizing your routine.
Meaning you could set a different intent every day or make one per trip.
For example, your trip intent might be about “connection” or “being open”.
Or perhaps you want to tune-in and have a more personal focus with “calm”.
Write it down, note it on your phone, or share it with your travel companions. Remind yourself in the way that best resonates with you.
Personally, this is one of the more recent additions to my travel toolkit. All I can say is that it’s so easy, but has such a directing influence, that I wish I would’ve started it sooner!
2. Use Mindfulness to Take Notice
Nourish your mind & body by giving yourself the gift of the present.
Practicing mindfulness is the way we arrive in the present moment.
It’s about paying attention to the present moment with curiosity and flexibility. So, it helps us make the most of our days, including our travel experiences.
In addition, mindfulness is an ideal way to fuse your inner and outer worlds, making you one with your body.
There are many ways of practicing mindfulness that can reap health benefits & promote mind-body unity.
You could practice mindfulness with a formal practice like meditation, yoga, or a guided relaxation. Or integrate as you go about your day by using your senses to anchor you in the moment.
The ability to practice mindfulness anywhere & anytime makes it one of the most flexible mind-body travel tools.
3. Breathe Your Way to Well-Being
Breathing has got to be one of the easiest self-care tools in the world. It’s one many of us overlook, yet it’s a simple way to tune-in to your mind & body.
Free and available to all 24/7, breathing is a quick and effective way to relax & unwind.
Here are a few ways breathing plays out specific to travel:
- Feeling frazzled from transportation delays? Just take a few deep breaths.
- Want to calm your nervous system down? Do a few minutes of slow breathing.
- Looking to take in the awe-inspiring view in front of you? Take in a deep breathe & savor the moment.
Breath work can be healing, transformative, and rejuvenating.
Making it an ideal way to calm the mind & body on your next day trip, weekend getaway, or vacation.
4. Journal for Your Mind & Spirit
Journaling is a powerful tool for well-being and can help you meet a wide array of goals.
It’s a form of self-expression that allows your creativity to flourish, while at the same time helping you to find meaning.
In addition, it allows you to reflect on being present in the moments of travel, which also makes it a mindful travel tool.
Journaling is an empowering way to clear your head and identify your emotions. It’s also another easy way to tune-in to your mind & body anywhere you travel.
Write to be creative, write to express yourself, or write to record your experiences.
Journaling your travel helps you to keep the memories, reflect on personal connections, and take stock of what you’ve learned along the way. Making it the perfect tool for personal development and self-reflection!
5. Find Flow Through Photography
Yep, you read that right, photography!!
It might seem odd to find photography as a tool to better well-being, yet…
There is growing evidence showing that the benefits of photography extend well beyond just something we do for just for fun.
One landmark study found that taking one photo a day and sharing it on-line with friends improved well-being in three different areas (self-care, community & reminiscing). Pretty great, right!
In addition, photography promotes mindfulness, which is a cornerstone of well-being.
Really, those of us who love travel and photography know that they go hand in hand. It just feels good to capture life all around us.
I mean seriously, who can travel without taking photos??!! Definitely not me. 😉
Of all the tools to nourish the mind & body, hands down mindful photography is my favorite! Photo walks are always on the top of my self-care travel agenda.
Regardless of whether it’s a mindful walk in a big city like Warsaw or London or a photo hike in the mountains, there’s something good about taking time to nourish my mind & body in the fresh air.
In addition, I love that it checks multiple boxes for well-being by combining walking, mindfulness, & photography.
In truth, photography hits a sweet spot for self-care!!
There’s no denying that travel is an awesome way to reboot & reset. As well as incorporate simple activities that bring us happiness.
Given the rise in mental health issues from the pandemic, it’s more important than ever that we work in healthy ways to support our well-being.
I hope these mind & body travel tools help you reconnect and be the self you strive to be.
Wishing you happy, nourishing, & adventurous travel my friends!
until the next time…
…live well – travel well – be well
You might like these:
- 35 Simple Activities to Relax Your Mind & Body on Vacation
- A Morning Routine for Travelers: Start with Well-Being & Win The Day
- 7 Mindful Photography Locations in Glasgow
- 8 Wellness Things to Do in Krakow
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