Make a list: Beliefs about Traveling

Traveling does not trigger the same thoughts and ideas in everyone’s mind. For some, traveling means carrying a heavy load, while for others, it means feeling calm and relaxed. Some are stressed by the planning and organizing, while others imagine the views and the pictures they will capture. Some fear the unknown, while others look forward to great surprises.

This list-making post is for the travelers among us. It is for those who love traveling and the thought of going out of their comfort zone to a new destination excites them.

This post is also for those who have never traveled (much), but wish they did (more).

It may even be for those who have had no desire to travel until now…

I can write about traveling because I am a world traveler and love every second of it.

But I was not a traveler all my life. I have vague memories of a trip my family took with my uncle’s family when I was 10 years old. There were 3 or 4 more trips I remember, but no more.

My first overseas trip was at the age of 16. I was chosen to be one of the first youth delegates going from Israel to Egypt after the peace treaty had been signed. Although it was an official trip with lots of politics and official ceremonies, I cannot forget the amazing trip to Karnak Temple in Luxor – the highlight of my trip. Until then, I had never flown in a plane and although the flight itself was not very exciting for me, I think it was then I got the “traveling bug”. On the trip to Egypt, I realized there is a wonderful, beautiful world out there we cannot experience while doing our daily things, going to work, coming back home and looking forward for the weekend.

Traveling was not at the top of my list for another 10 years until we moved to Texas. Over there, I had an opportunity to travel a lot. With another couple who lived in our complex and had a kid close to Eden’s age, we traveled to some very exciting places in the USA for 2½ years. We traveled to Zion Park, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Disneyland, Houston, Sedona and more. We even had an opportunity to travel to the Bahamas and to Cancun in Mexico before we moved to Thailand for an even bigger adventure with lots more traveling.

When someone asks me about the most wonderful moments in my life, my traveling times always come up first. We were lucky enough to travel with kids between the ages of 1 and 20 years old and had the opportunity to travel for long periods that were very meaningful.

If you love traveling, it probably appears on many of your lists – your happy list, the 100 things you want to do in your lifetime, your list of expectations, your mistakes (places your could go to but did not), events that have shaped your life and your memories list.

What you think and believe about traveling determines your traveling experience. I can give you an example. A couple we know who love traveling very much (they traveled for 10 years before having kids) has a belief that traveling with their kids is impossible, so every time they talk about their desire to travel, they give it up because of that belief. Their youngest son is 12 years old already, yet they have put their travel desires on hold for 20 years while their kids are still around. Gal and I, on the other hand, have traveled extensively with our kids and all of us loved every minute.

Another example of how our beliefs about traveling determine the traveling experience is my sister’s trip with a friend to New Zealand. Her friend thought traveling meant living in (fancy) hotels and driving around in rental cars. They travelled together like that for 10 days. During that time, my sister’s friend’s day was ruined by every little discomfort, like a broken fingernail.

When her friend left, my sister told me she believed living in backpacker lodges and riding busses can be more fun and adventurous. So as soon as she returned the rental car and took a bus to the first backpacker lodge, her trip changed from sterile viewing-through-the-window to being full of excitement and wonderful new people.

When you make your list about traveling, you can find out what kind of travels you want to do in life and can find a correlation between them and your actual travels, for example: if you believe it will be hard for you to be away from your bed (or pillow), your travels may be shorter (day trips). However, feeling good about sleeping away from home will allow you to experience a lot more traveling.

How to list your beliefs about traveling

Here is a list of questions you can ask yourself to dig out your travel-related beliefs, motivation and preferences:

1. What kind of traveling do you like?
2. Who do you prefer to travel with (family, friends, kids, colleagues)?
3. What scenery do you love most (beach, city, mountains, country)?
4. What is the best duration for a trip?
5. What are the best times to travel?
6. At what age would you take kids with you and why?
7. What kinds of trips would you take kids on?
8. What do you think about traveling to see family?
9. What do you think about traveling during the holidays?
10. What do you think about traveling on your own?
11. What hobbies do you have that traveling supports (sport, art, history)?
12. What kinds of accommodation do you prefer?
13. What do you think about camping?
14. What season is the best for traveling?
15. What do you think about taking kids out of school for the purpose of traveling?
16. Would you prefer to take many small trips or one big one?
17. What do you think about working the whole year and keeping all your vacation days for one big trip?
18. What do you think about romantic time away from home?
19. What places in the world you would like to see?
20. How do you get ideas for travel?
21. Do you think it is better to travel when you are younger or older?
22. On your holidays/vacations, do you prefer to travel or stay home and relax?
23. What do you think about work and travel?
24. If you could travel anywhere in the world without limitation of time and money, where would that be and for how long?
25. What places you have visited in the past would you like to visit again and why?
26. Do you like organized travel or going on your own and why?
27. What do you do when you do not have the language to communicate at your destination?
28. How do you learn about a new place you want to visit?
29. What are the 10 things you must do before you go on a trip for a month (we had to arrange for our neighbor to take the garbage out and collect our mail)?
30. Would you take a camera, a camcorder or just enjoy the trip?
31. Do you ever look at your photos or watch your videos later?
32. Do you write a journal on your trip?
33. How long does it take you to fully relax when you are on a trip (if at all)?
34. How many clothes do you take with you when you travel for 3 days, a week, two weeks or one month?
35. How do your family rules change when you travel?

I think this list will give you a clear indication of what kind of a traveler you are. I have a very clear answer to each of the questions above, because I have traveled lots and (I believe) I know exactly what works best for me.

The world is a wonderful place, waiting for you to explore it. Enjoy traveling!

Come again next week to make the list “Rules I follow” or subscribe via RSS or email.

Happy travels,
Ronit