When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.
~ Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Everyone who’s ever traveled has probably experienced some kind of travel-related stress, whether it’s due to a vendor ripping you off, unexpected political turmoil, or a realization that you left the tap running half a world away.
Does it have to be that way? No.
We all have the innate capacity to choose equanimity in the face of these seemingly stressful situations. And as with any other latent ability, we can nurture and refine this capacity through practice, awareness and perseverance.
I call this philosophy contemplative travel.
This blog’s mission: to help you find your calm center so that you can experience travel with courage, curiosity and compassion.
What you’ll find here
- Local guides. The more you know about a place, the more easily you’ll be able to get around without freaking out.
- Thoughts on pursuing a spiritual path while traveling.
- Interviews with full-time travelers, working nomads, and traveling families. The breadth and variety of their stories will inspire you to honor your own authentic approach to travel and transcend the “you can’t do that!” voices.
- Financial opportunities and tips to help you support your chosen lifestyle.
This blog is mainly geared towards people with an intentional travel lifestyle of some kind: working nomads, RVers, full-time families, and the like. However, many of the tips, guides, interviews, and articles will also be of use to first-time travelers, vacationers, or expats. If there’s something you’d like to see more of (or less of), just let me know.
About Antonia
When my husband read the first draft of this About page, he said, “How about you get rid of the word ‘tranquil’? Because…you don’t have a tranquil mind.”
He’s right.
- I obsess over unknown details, like whether or not water will be provided on a night train.
- I stress out when plans change unexpectedly or – argh! – if there is no plan.
- I pick at my nails, fidget, and occasionally pull out strands of my own hair.
- It took me over two decades to master making eye contact with other human beings.
- Everyday tasks such as making phone calls, going to the doctor, or asking someone for a favor cause my heart to beat fast and my hands to shake.
I don’t have a tranquil mind!
And yet, starting when I was a bub of two, I’ve lived, worked and traveled in over a dozen countries on four continents. When I was barely out of my teens, I moved across the USA alone with no savings and no job lined up. Several years later, I moved to Asia with less than $400 in cash and no return ticket.
I’ve successfully handled a solitary encounter with gun-toting Maoists in the Himalayas; I’ve lived in sub-zero conditions among strangers with no shared language; I’ve been kicked out of guesthouses in the middle of the night, cheated by cab drivers, surrounded by packs of snarling wild dogs; gotten desperately lost and, time and again, missed the last train.
By any sane standards, these are not situations an already neurotic person should seek out. And for years, I had a tough time coping with the stress that arose in my body and mind during travel. But I couldn’t stand the idea of tamely settling down in one spot for the rest of my life. What to do?
The problem was, I was fighting reality. You can’t be a traveler without missing trains, hitting brick walls, being cheated, losing stuff, and getting sick at the worst possible moment. That’s reality. And the more you fight reality, the more painful life feels.
When we stop opposing reality, action becomes simple, fluid, kind, and fearless.
~ Byron Katie
In the framework of contemplative travel, I don’t ask reality to be any different. Instead, I use the ups and downs of travel to explore my own mind. I’ve noticed an amazing thing: when I find my calm center, external conditions lose the power to control my experience.
I know that with practice, it will become easier to find that calm center. My experience of travel will be richer and deeper. And I’ll be able to help other nomads and travelers – like you – more effectively.
Thank you for reading. Please share your comments below or contact me.