Paths and Connections, What Travel Means for Me

The gift of travel is the people we meet and the real conversations we have.

I often hear “You are so lucky to travel you must love it!”.

Hearing this really allows me to pause and wonder why we continue to tell ourselves stories about someone else’s life and what we think is happening for them.  These assumptions and the glorification that is created when we look at someone who is travelling always intrigue me. It is a privilege, a luxury indeed but it is not always what it seems. 

My love for travel began as a young girl when my father would often plan day trips or weekends away in the car. He loved being out, meeting people, and developing friendships. Whilst we technically would see new environments and scenery, it was about the people we would meet and the experiences we had together. It was the joy of really getting to know them, living in their world and respecting who they were, listening to their dreams and challenges but, mostly, connecting authentically.

I remember at times feeling quite privileged as I listened to what felt like my sibling sharing their most inner thoughts. It was all about those real conversations, the real meals at the table, or on the couch, or at a park where cartwheels would be a sign of energy flowing. Yes, I still do cartwheels, even as recently as at my TedX at Enniskillen. It’s about being the whole of you and bringing joy into life wherever you are.

Crossing of paths

There are no coincidences in life, there is only vibration and the ripple we create. I have learnt over time that we are all connected in some way. We may not understand it at the time and if we are not conscious and intentional, we miss opportunities or worse, we close doors before they fully open. It does not mean that everyone that crosses your path is there to stay, but what it does mean, is that they cross your path so that you can gift them something that they need.

Life is about what we can give, not what we can take. This basic understanding is what travel is for me. It has taken me many years to truly understand this but now, as I consciously become in tune with it, I practice it. I am still learning though, as it is a craft that can be continuously enhanced, be it on a bus or on the train but every journey is there to teach us something and to serve those whom we meet.

Patience, pausing, and knowing the impact you want to make are my practices, so I listen, lean in, and follow what I believe I am there to do. I don’t always get it right, but my intention is there for service. 

Travelling is about connections

At times, I have recognised that some connections are made to lead me to someone or to something else. There is always a path, there is always a reason, and there is always a lesson. It is by being present that we better understand it. Joyful moments will occur, as will those that challenge us, and it is through the challenging times that we gain more insight into who we are and how we might be able to strengthen.

Travel has shown me how much more I need to learn about myself, about the world, and about acceptance of myself and of others. Where possible I like to spend time where the locals hang out, people watching, walking side streets, watching children play and laugh, and talking to strangers.

Like many others, when travelling for work I have often felt the guilt of slogging away as work travel is a cost and needs to see an output delivered. But I have learned to build in “down time”. I am connecting with people so I can be the whole of me, so now I build in time for joy, time to interconnect and I give myself the opportunity to really create impact – well beyond the transactional way. This gives others permission to do the same.

This has been how I have developed real friendships that have stood the test of time. Friendships that extend beyond work and, at times, the pouring of the soul into matters that would only be shared with family and those we know will protect us.

Peeling back the layers

Travel sometimes enlightens us on the reality that sits behind the scenes, it is not until we peel back the layers that we truly see what is in front of us. I have met the most inspirational humans in my travels, not because of who they are, the positions they hold or any attachment to material aspects, but because of what sits at the core of who they are and their ability to be vulnerable, kind, and giving of time. I see this through the way they are with me, their friends and, at times, with my family. 

I observe how their priorities lay on those around them, and how they empower others. I have begun to recognise the energy that I absorb and the energy that I generate as these are all telling signs of where I need to invest my time and how.

Whilst travel expands our minds, it also expands our hearts and our vision of what we want for those around us and the world.

Travel is so much more than what meets the eye. It may say something about the privileges we hold in the ability to travel, but the real value comes from what we choose to do with these privileges and whom we choose to spend them with and to serve what purpose.

Travel is like language – look for what is not seen to better understand

If we walk through each travel experience like a tourist, we only see what others choose to show us. Worse still, we intentionally make that choice to live at a surface level and to portray what we think others want to see.  I'm not saying that you shouldn't do touristy things but I also encourage you to be open, vulnerable, and to be present and prepared to have conversations that are real. To make a difference in the lives of those around you and perhaps in many more.

As I write this article, I have a rolling image of the people who have shaped me in my travels and who have celebrated with me as we continue to walk a path of service. I am grateful for the lessons learnt and those that I will continue to learn.

Just like my Tedx Talk, my lesson and message continue to be “Don’t sleepwalk through life”.