Whether you are an LDS on an Israel tour or a Catholic who just wants to recharge your spirituality, it’s necessary that you let go of the bad habits we tend to do when traveling. Avoiding these can make a big difference in your journey.
Snapping photos
Let’s admit: In this day and age when taking pictures and sharing them with the world take less than a minute, we are all tempted to do it in every place we visit—even in a restroom with the perfect lighting included. While there is nothing wrong with snapping photos to keep memories, we sometimes forget why we went on a trip in the first place.
As soon as we get the perfect shot, we upload it and before you know it, you are responding to all the likes and comments your photo has garnered. Later on, you’re back at the chaotic world of social media defeating the purpose of your spiritual journey.
If you want your travel to be spiritual, unplug from technology temporarily and make memories without its help. Rely on your natural camera to store the images that you will look back to for as long as you can remember.
Kvetching
No matter how much we plan for our trip, there are things we cannot control; these unexpected things can make a small or significant change to our itinerary. One of the most common is delayed flights or bus trips. When these happen, the typical reaction is to complain. However, when we start grumbling, we let in negative energy and that can ruin the whole point of the journey.
Instead, be thankful for everything that happens throughout the trip—good or bad. If your flight is delayed and you will miss a pre-planned activity, have a plan B, C, and so on. If the place is not as nice as you expected, learn to appreciate it for what it is. You can talk to the locals and learn more about their culture. You can also find out more about their history. This new information will help you gain a better understanding of why the place is not what you expect it to be.
Missing the forest for the trees
Sometimes, when we travel even on a spiritual trip, we are so consumed by many thoughts that we forget to recognize the small things that the journey is worth. Case in point: the number of places to visit. There are times when we want to be in many places in the limited number of days we have that we end up place hopping and getting exhausted after.
Other times, we want to experience as many activities as we can—bird watching here or snorkeling there—that we allocate an insufficient amount of time for each one. Both of these are sometimes provoked by our desire to get our money’s worth.
While this is understandable because we don’t have the liberty to take a week off very often, it does little to strengthen our spirituality. We just knock ourselves out from all the places to visit and experiences to try.
The better option is to limit the places and experiences and indulge in each place or activity until you connect and appreciate it.
Whenever you are on a trip—spiritual or not—always indulge at the moment and be grateful so you won’t miss the best experiences.
