Let’s be honest: we all have days when we feel like this little girl in the photo. Maybe we’d feel better if we just sat down and wailed until we got it out of our system.
How do you handle it when you wake up under a dark cloud whilst traveling? Or what do you do when you get triggered by an unpleasant interaction with someone in your travel group? How do you handle your exhaustion from jet lag or too much partying so it does not stop you from experiencing what a beautiful and interesting part of the world has to offer?
Recently I was traveling with a group of spectators for the Giro d’Italia. There was a small group of people within our group who called themselves “Axis of Evil”. Yes, really. I did not manage my travel plans well so I was exhausted by the time I joined the tour and once I was triggered it was difficult to recover.
Here is what I learned:
- Make more space for rest and recovery when I travel, especially with a group.
- For me, if I feel like crying then I am probably triggered.
- When I am triggered I need to get curious before I have invested too much time in the confabulation I will inevitably create. (I definitely get attached to my stories.)
- Stay engaged with people instead of withdrawing.
- Start counting the positive interactions with people to start a positive feedback loop and break a negative one.
We all make a big investment of our time and treasure. We spend months anticipating our travel plans. It is important to spend at least as much time as we do packing to ensure we truly enjoy the experience.
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