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Have you ever been mindful of certain things. Meaning, you might have been alongside flowing water or maybe sitting on a beach gazing at the sea waves; what is it that you feel in those moments? Consistently looking at the flowing water source taking the same turn each second or the waves striking the shore right up till that little sand castle or maybe up in the mountains, each breath of fresh cool air making you come alive are few simple ways of how we meditate over such beauty of nature.
Vastness of the sea and grandeur of the mountains are entirely different than how we are used to spending our days - in closed chambers of our homes and offices. Out there in the wilderness, we get a chance to witness such beauty that stops us in our tracks and makes us wonder in the present, almost like a fancy meditation.
Now, you might be having your own ways of travelling. Some people like hopping places, with an intention to tick all their checkboxes, some like to savor the delicacies of a place, some people like adventure sports and some would board a city tour bus. I was in the first category, where I would create an overambitious itinerary to run around the place and watch each and every point to fulfill my wanderlust. But, slowly after 3-4 years this kind of travel didn't bring a lot of meaning to me than just posting a ton of photos from all corners of that place I visited. It looked cool on social media, but inside I wanted a fulfilling experience, I wanted travel to teach me things that I couldn't learn in the cities with people.
I have always been into a lot of books and luckily got my hands on the masterpiece "Walden" written by Henry David Thoreau. In Walden, Thoreau mentions about a way of travel with "nothingness". It was almost like you are in the present moment, listening to chirping birds while chopping wood to create your own wooden cabin and living off the land. He also strongly urges people to live in solitude away from the hustle bustle culture of mankind that is so strongly prevalent these days.
Another masterpiece I have read at least 100 times is the book named " Vagabonding" written by Rolf Potts. In Vagabonding, Rolf has shared so many quotes from world travelers who would patiently be at a certain place to become one with that place, even if it means a delay for years. This concept was fascinating to me. He also goes on to mention about the benefits of slowing down in travel and then gradually making it your way of living.
I had first experienced this way of travelling back in 2020 when the pandemic struck. I already had a subtle idea about remote working or working while travelling, commonly known as "Workation", but never even in my life I was lucky enough to take off so many days to travel esp. with a full time job in a corporate. It was Dec 2020 when me and my wife decided to leave for Goa for a few days. This time it was different; we didn't book our return tickets because there was no hurry. Indeed it was liberating and exciting to live in a certain place for more than 10 days :D.
My days used to start with coffee and a book while taking a peek at the sea early morning. I would go for a random walk on the beach listening to the waves and on some days music or podcasts. Me and my wife would talk for hours together sitting in a beachside shack while I would keep a track of any emails that would pop in my inbox. I would usually log out right before sunset to just stand and view the colors of the sky as the sun settled. Silent nights and lazy stroll in the nearby markets, exploring eating joints and sometimes checking in with local people. Such were the days where there was no hurry, no rush, no bucket list to be checked off. But over the course of 20 days, we had witnessed so many things that I hadn't in my last 7 visits of Goa.
“The value of your travels does not hinge on how many stamps you have in your passport when you get home -- and the slow nuanced experience of a single country is always better than the hurried, superficial experience of forty countries.”- Rolf Potts, Vagabonding
In the cities, we are so locked up in our patterns of being productive and achieving deadlines that even travel for that matter feels like a job. Trying to see too many places in too little of a time does nothing but burns you out. Travel in that sense, adds on to the stress that we already are in rather than a means to de-stress.
When I trek in the Himalayas, luckily I never get cellular network, plus I am in deep remote places of the country where sometimes civilization is yet to step foot. Imagine a fine evening where you are preparing to light up a bonfire while the sun sets on a beautiful mountain peak. You can't help but witness the entire journey of the receding sun and as the dusk turns into night. Out there, there are a very few people to interact with and a ton of time, so the conversations are deep and meaningful where the one person waits while the other is talking. More so, with a heavy load on your back and treading the path, you tend to clear your head and sometimes forget about the destination which is anyways far fetched ;P. Trekking in the Himalayas has for sure helped me slow down in my travels.
“Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito's wing that falls on the rails. Let us rise early and fast, or break fast, gently and without perturbation; let company come and let company go, let the bells ring and the children cry, determined to make a day of it. Why should we knock under and go with the stream?"- Henry David Thoreau, Walden.
But, you would ask - "I only get some 20 days off in the entire year and for me to go travel, I would like to cover as many things as possible". Makes complete sense! In my earlier days of travel, I would want to see as many things as possible, similar to achieving a deadline and then post on social media how great my trip had been that I had viewed so many places by losing on my sleep, taking multiple shared rides and eating food on the go. Wasn't the exact pattern I was following when in the city?
The only conscious change in my mini travels that lasts for 3-5 days is that there is no set itinerary. I mean, I know where I would like to put up and what stay I would like - hostel or homestay or hotel, but I would keep things open. To my surprise, a recent 3-day Manali trip with such an open-minded itinerary felt like we were a part of the place. We stayed in Vashist, walked a lot, trekked up till Jogini waterfalls and took a bath under those falls, spent hours talking to a local guy in a cafe and dozed off alongside Beas river. All this, while hopping so many cafes and enjoying such delicacies and even jamming in the night while it rained outdoors.
Even for a super mini two-day trip, do not push too hard to see everything. Take your time, embrace the surroundings you're in and just be a part of that place. That way, sooner or later you will get time to make amazing memories which would really not require you to show off some "Tiger point" :P.
The point I am trying to make is that although there is always going to be less time, always going to be a sense of urgency and always way too many new and secret places you could find on Instagram reels, you will never be able to visit all those places. And if you push it too hard, you will burn yourself out. What is the point of forcing yourself to travel in place of keeping it a sacred meditative thing that is close to you and that which helps you learn and grow.
Gradually, if you start slowing down in your travels, you will notice that you have started to live more deliberately in your day to day life. You will start enjoying your morning coffee while gazing out from you balcony, or you will spend hours on a random evening with a friend in a lakeside setting, or more so, you will appreciate the small things like the sunshine, the small rain droplets and long walks in your backyard.
May your days be fully "present", your nights be calm and peaceful and your travels be free of hassle, time and judgement.
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Thank you for reading this article. I hope it adds some value to your life. I am a certified strength coach and love to travel. You can follow my travel stories on Instagram : @outlaw_wander
For fitness related content and coaching, follow : @outlaw_lift
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