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| September 15, 2006 |
Focus on Travel
Greetings!
We each have unique ways to fulfill our lives. One of my passions is travel. Last summer, I finally visited
my 50th state, Alaska. For quite a few summers, I explored Latin America. This summer I had the
extraordinary opportunity to visit China. This issue of the Noetic Coach Newsletter is all about
my passion of travel. I hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing this issue.
In this issue :
• I Love China
• Plan, Do and Review
• Memories
I Love China
I recently returned from an adventure in China.
Dennis and I shopped our way through Hong Kong,
flew to X’ian on his birthday and then spent a day
completely in awe of the Terra Cotta Warriors. We
flew over the infamous Three Rivers Gorge on our
way to Guilin to spend a full day of leisure on the
River Li viewing the most spectacular limestone
formations in the world.
For us, travel is a top priority. We both enjoy seeing
places we have never before seen, meeting people
that view the world differently, trying new, ethnic
foods and, of course, bargain shopping in markets,
both indoor and outdoor. We always pick up a piece
of artwork, often folk art and a mask to add to our
collection. We shop for our families, trying to find
each person one thing that is special, a piece of the
city or country we are visiting.
One of the highlights of our trip this summer was
learning about the culture of tea. We met a lovely
Chinese woman who taught us about the different
types of tea, how to make tea the Chinese way and
all about the importance of tea to the Chinese.
Naturally, we then purchased all the equipment,
including the pricey green and oolong teas, to have
our own tea ceremonies at home. Whenever we
make our tea, we are brought back through our
senses, to that wonderful day in Hong Kong.
Traveling, we often feel like ambassadors for our
country, or our state, or our city. Others are
learning about us, as we learn about them. What a
simple gift we give when we allow someone to stare
at us, or take a picture with us, because we look
different. I imagine, that at times, we have
inadvertently offended others, but more often, I
believe, that we have left behind a positive image of
a couple from another continent, the United States,
the state of Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis.
And I always come home with a deeper
understanding of people that are both, so similar and
so different from me.
Plan, Do and Review
Plan, Do and Review
Tips for enjoying the before, during and after of
every vacation: whether the trip is 2 days, 2 weeks
or two months, enjoy the entire process from
planning to remembering.
Planning
The first part of planning is deciding on what type of
vacation you want to take and how long you will be
gone. Finances fit into this step. How much do
you want to spend; will it be a budget, average or
first class trip? Once you have determined all of this,
then picking the destination is next. Enjoy the
complete progression of each step. While you are
deciding on your spot for this trip, you have probably
started a list of “next” vacations.
The next step in planning is listing what you already
know about the city or country you plan to visit.
Take an inventory of what you want to know
and think of ways you could find out the answers to these
questions. Talk to people who have visited or lived
there and find out what they recommend. Do an
internet search to find the top spots to visit. The
public libraries have great collections of travel books
to peruse. Whatever your method, focus on what
you like to do and look for a variety of activities to
get the most out of your holiday.
The final part of planning includes booking
flights and hotels, packing, stopping the newspapers and mail,
finding someone to care for your pets and plants and
all the other little parts of getting prepared for the
time away from home. This could seem like a chore,
but I like to think of all of this as being one step
closer to a great vacation.
Doing
Oh, I love the doing. The flight
out, the transfer to our first stop, sleeping in a
different bed, the first meal; I can’t think of a part
that I don’t enjoy. The only tips I have for this part
of the process is to get enough
rest, practice all of your patience, try something new
each day and compromise with your travel partners.
If you travel alone, make an effort to meet other
people and put away your book at meal times. This
piece is like the main course of a great meal; it
should be satisfying, filling and leave you wanting
more.
Reviewing
During the trip and after the most
obvious ways to review is by looking at the
pictures you have taken and reading your journals. I
suggest writing a “high spots” email or letter
to all of your family and friends, as well. If you are a
journal writer, reread the highlights, add details and
share them with anyone who will listen. If you are a
photographer, look at your pictures and write small
stories that go with your most picturesque
photos.
Talk to others about your trip. I always have one or
two very short stories that I can share with anyone who
cares to listen. If they are truly interested, they will ask
questions and you will have the opportunity to share
even more. Ask your travel companions to get
together a few weeks after the vacation and swap
your stories and share your pictures. Ask each
other “What was your favorite part of this or that?”
Spend time remembering your favorite days together,
what meals you liked best (I usually buy a cookbook,
too, and cook a few of my favorite meals back at
home), most awesome sights, and on and on and on.
A trip should last a lifetime. By taking
pleasure in the
entire process, the planning, the doing and the
reviewing, I can guarantee you that at least parts of
the vacation will be with you, and others, forever.
Memories
As I mentioned earlier, I collect masks and artwork
when I travel. I display both in my bedroom
hallway. I love walking by them each night and often
stop and spend a few, small moments in another
world.
Here are some other ideas for memory collections.
- Sand from beach locations: Find great glass bottles, label them and put them on display.
- Coins and paper money: Frame your collections in a collage or a shadow box.
- Shells and driftwood: A beautiful addition to your outdoor garden.
- Matchbooks or coasters: Keep them in a box, to open when you need to remember a story.
- Charms: Buy a charm bracelet and a charm from each vacation. Wear your memories.
- Pins and magnets: You can find these anywhere and everywhere; magnets for the fridge and pins for a favorite jacket.
- Postcards: Send yourself postcards along the way with small, memorable stories.
- Books and bookmarks
- Do Not Disturb hangers from hotels
- Flags
What do you collect? Do you display your
collections? Do you put them away and bring them
out to reminisce? I would love to hear your stories.
Go to my website, sign my guestbook and let me
know about your collections.
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