Thoughts From a Train...

The act of #travel, is trending right now. It used to reserved for the adventurous souls yearning to find ways to get more out of life. But now, it seems everywhere you go, there are groups of tourists taking over even through the most random of places. This may be the direct result of the Information Age we are currently in. 

Over the past decade it is as if we have unlocked the vault that holds all the data, statistics, images and information we could ever want and it is being thrust down our throats through the internet at our fingertips. Seven years ago, when I committed to my first year of playing volleyball overseas in Maribor, Slovenia, it was rare to find a family member or friend who had heard of it before. But, it was an opportunity to further my playing career, so I packed my bags and boarded the plane, destination: Ljubljana-absolutely butchering the pronunciation until my feet hit Slovenian soil and a local was able to correct me. Maribor was, and still is to this day, a quaint, small, Euro town. Never in all of my time in Maribor over the past seven years would I imagine it being a tourist destination. 

Yet here we are, smack in the middle of the #travel trend. And even Maribor is being put on list for tourist groups to go. I am passionate about travel. It is after all, my job and livelihood. And on a deeper level, it is apart of the person I have become. The countries, cultures, and people from all over the world have played a large role in molding my view of humanity. So am I excited to see people traveling? Yes, of course. But somewhere in the entire process of buying the ticket and going on the trip, a step is being missed. There needs to be a, why. I challenge you, find your why; travel mindfully. Growing up as an athlete, one of the lessons my coaches preached was to play the game mindfully. In other words; don't just go through the the motions. If you're going to take the time and energy to get yourself to practice, if you're not all in physically and mentally, you might as well stay home. The same can be applied to #travel. Since Easter weekend this year, I have been traveling all over Europe. And in that time, I have developed a new life challenge for myself: to travel with purpose and to travel mindfully. 5 ways I will do this: 5. Observe my surroundings, the culture, the people, the food. 4. Respect my surroundings. Imagine if strangers began bombarding your home. Which is basically what we are doing as tourists. How would you want people to treat your home? 3. Learn about my surroundings. Travel has given me the perspective that I am merely a dot on the spectrum of life. Many major people and points in history have come before me and will come after me. AKA.. don't sweat the small stuff. Learning about history and how things became to be, help this mindset grow. 2. Be my surroundings. Travel has also taught me, there are endless amounts of ways to live life. Maybe the way someone has chosen to live their life is not for me, but maybe they can teach me something unexpected.

1. Get outside my comfort zone. Be adventurous. Try new things.  Don't travel to check places off a bucket list created by social media and the internet. Travel to learn something new about the world and to become a better human in this world. Slow down, observe, be polite, have patience, go through cities with respect, don't lose your sense of adventure and return home with more than just Instagram photos from a selfie-stick. Return home with a new view of a different corner in the world. Return home with a mindful experience.  

Whatever you are, wherever you go; be a good human. xoxo #goingplaceswithguru