Five Ways to Travel with an Open Heart
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
“The traveler sees what he sees; the tourist sees what he has come to see.” – G. K. Chesterton
Whether you’re planning a three-week vacation, a weekend retreat or just a day at the beach, venture out with a traveler’s mindset. As Chesterton so aptly implies, the tourist comes with a preset idea of what he’s going to see and experience. And heaven forbid if the journey doesn’t deliver exactly what the tourist sets his mind to. The traveler, on the other hand, moves through his journey with the wonder and grace of an open heart.
How to travel with an open heart:
Leave your expectations at home. While planning a trip, it’s natural to start imagining what you'll do, what you'll see and what the people will be like. You start setting expectations for what you’ll experience. The problem is that expectations are attached to a specific outcome. What happens when your favorite restaurant is closed for vacation, or the museum you visit doesn’t live up to your imagination? Fixating on a particular outcome not only leads to disappointment and frustration, it blinds us to what is around us and stifles our spontaneity.
When we shed our expectations and our rigid itineraries, we allow the day to unfold organically and effortlessly and to bring us what we truly desire. And when we welcome the unexpected, we become true travelers.
Set an intention for your journey instead. Expectations are external and tend to focus on a specific action. Intentions are internal, and focus on a feeling, an attitude or other internal experience. Some intentions for your trip might be:
To relax and avoid stress
To be open to new experiences
To commune with nature
To be more adventurous
To immerse yourself in the local culture
To meet new people
To live as much as possible like a local
Whatever intention we set for our trip is what we attract along our journey. I remember the time I set out for a daytrip through the Oregon countryside, certain I’d stumble across a charming Victorian town. And I’d find the perfect café to write in — one with quiet music, food and late hours. And I was sure I’d discover a scenic hiking trail along the water’s edge.
Reality seldom matches our expectations. As in this case, my adventures led me to an unattractive town out of a western movie with no pedestrian access to the river, and the only coffee shop closed at 2 pm. By cementing the picture of the Victorian town in my head, I was fixated on what this town didn’t have, instead of seeing all the gifts it had to offer.
The intentions for my daytrip were to see something new, stimulate my curiosity and get some exercise. The western town I discovered did fulfill those intentions. I had only to open my eyes.
Tap into your child-like sense of wonder. Remember how wide-eyed and innocent you were as a child? Everything was a new discovery. That part of you still exists. Just as you leave your expectations at home, leave your preconceived notions about the culture, the food and the people behind as well. Even if you’re going somewhere you’ve been to many times before, put aside your jaded “I’ve seen it all before” attitude. Open your heart and view everything around you with the eyes of the child within. It’s sure to be an entirely new experience.
Create time for detours. While planning your itinerary, be sure to leave plenty of free time. Traveling with a light itinerary means you won’t be rushing through your day. When I travel, I want plenty of time to wander and to make unexpected discoveries. If a beautiful street beckons me to explore, I can follow my intuition and discover its delights. If someone recommends an exhibition at a museum, I’m free to go. If I meet a fellow travel or a local, I have time to enjoy their company over a drink. Leaving time for unexpected detours leads to a richer travel experience.
Give and receive love wherever you go. No matter who you meet on your journey, send that person love. Smile at a stranger. Share directions to your favorite daytrip destination with a fellow traveler. Offer to take a family’s photo. Pass on a restaurant recommendation. Share the love no matter what you receive in return. If the waiter is cranky, send him love. He surely needs it. You are a traveler on the road of life. If you stumble upon a tourist, send him love too.
Traveling with an open heart leads to more meaningful adventures. You’ll return home not only with a phone full of photos, but with transformative experiences, lasting connections and meaningful memories.
Do you have a story of traveling with an open heart you'd like to share? Was there a time when you received an unexpected dose of love on your travels? Did a last-minute detour lead to a new discovery? Please comment below.
