Why It Is So Important To Travel

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The importance of travel.

Travel changes the mind. Expands the soul and connects us to our spirit.

I have a rule that every 6 months I must travel and try to get out of whatever city I am living in. It is so important to reset the energy and get a fresh perspective. Without movement in the everyday mundane-ness of life, one can be caught up in even the tiniest dramas. I find my vision becomes tunneled. And finding answers to the simplest of life’s problems gets lost in the fogginess of the mind.

I crave travel and pushing myself out of my comfort zones. Foreign cultures excites every fiber of my being. Wondering if you will get lost on a street or a train and not be able to find your way back home is intoxicating. I salivate hearing people talk in foreign tongue and having not a clue what they are saying.

When you finally unplug from your every day life and routine it is easier to find answers to your own questions.

Getting out of my head.

Before I booked my recent trip to England I was stuck in a dark state of mind. I could not propel myself out of this hopeless prison. No matter how much meditation, yoga, healing, and self-help I did I came up short. I was entrapped too deep into my dramas. And to top off the end of the year my job stole every moment of my waking hour. Which made it even harder to dispel any negativity. I was drowning in the hell of my own mind searching for the light at the end of the tunnel.

One emotional breakdown after the next had the ones closest to me worried about my mental health. Not to mention my physical health was declining. During the agonizing course of 2017 I had lost 15 pounds which showed on my already thin stature. Then the last couple months of the year involuntarily I had lost 5 more.

One evening right before New Years Eve I looked in the mirror and saw a hollow skeleton of a face. I stood in disbelief as I looked as though I was dying. I ensured everyone around me that I was fine. Plastering a smile on my face seemed to hold them off. Explaining to them that the latest drop in weight had to have been from working extra hours and not drinking alcohol. But the truth of the matter was I was mentally not well.

Climbing out of the hole.

Since I was 22 years old I have been working on manifesting a trip to England. It remained on my bucket list for 16 years before it finally came into fruition. At the time that I booked my flight I was beyond broke. I felt a little guilty for spending money on, what felt like a luxury, when in reality I could not afford this journey.

As the days got closer to my departure I no longer wanted to embark on the adventure. I wanted to stay holed up in my bed under the covers. Despite my current state I knew traveling was exactly what I needed. Not to mention all the extra hours I put in at work around the holidays now let me afford the trip. The Universe definitely had my back long before my human mind could rationalize.

Despite my ego’s retaliation for anything nurturing I packed my bags. I took a car to the airport and boarded my long flight from Los Angeles to London. The moment the wheels left the ground the energy shifted dramatically. The chains that had tethered my mind to my own personal hell shattered and I could breathe.

Welcome to England.

9 1/2 hours later we descended into the Gatwick airport. I glided through customs despite the fact I did not sleep a wink on my over- night flight. A young heavy-set English man named Darren greeted me at the airport exit to transport me to my hotel. I was staying at a boutique hotel in the quaint city of Brighton. England was exactly how I had imagined it. The air was cold, the sky was gray, and the rain dropped on the windshield our entire 45 minute drive. As we made small talk my heart was singing at the sound of his accent alone.

For the next week I touched buildings older than the United States. Every morning I woke up to a perfect view of the English Channel with winds whipping by my window. I met up with old and new friends. I drank endless amounts of cider in various pubs. Dined at a restaurant that overlooked all of London. And I had one epiphany after the next.

Falling forward.

My monotonous everyday life in Los Angeles began to fade away. There was no time clock, no job, no schedule. The stress of what was in the bank account was not even a thought. There was no more drama or obsessive thoughts. There was no family, close friends or lovers. It was just me, traveling alone, completely in the moment of my life. And each moment lead me to a familiar face or standing on a train platform surrounded by strangers. For the first time in over a year I felt free.

This trip was life changing, but not because I was blown away by what I saw or what I did. It was a lot more personal than that. I reconnected with myself and reclaimed my independence. I started to remember who I am and what I still want to accomplish in this life. Pure gratitude and self-love embraced me. And finally I was able to see that sparkling light at the end of the tunnel. PEACE.

source: medium.com