For the sake of clarity, these are the definitions that most resonate with me and how I have come to think of mindfulness and conscious travel…

 Jon Kabat-Zinn (founder of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction) defines Mindfulness as: 

“paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgementally.”

I interpret this to mean: being present in a particular moment, feeling connected to it and having a conscious awareness, and acceptance, of that moment as it is. 

Kyle Michaud (founder of Experience Expositions) believes Conscious Travel is about:

“connecting with the place, the community and the people, and genuinely doing something purposeful.”

I would add that it is also about being aware of and intentional about your impact — socially, economically and environmentally — on the destination you’re visiting.

Perhaps because of my own experience, I believe that travel is the ultimate tool to foster self-reflection, self-discovery and connection. Inherently, travel encourages us to connect, not only with others, but with destinations, causes, cultures, nature, experiences and, ultimately, with our true selves. Because we are exposed to peoples and cultures that may have a different set of values than our own, and to destinations that might look and feel completely foreign to what we’re used to, travel creates a space for us to re-evaluate our own reality and our place in the world. It can be a challenging and even scary prospect at times. Many of us, finding ourselves in the midst of such a realization while visiting a destination abroad, might initially experience some resistance to all this internal upheaval but, if we are open to it, travel can beget an extraordinary process of new insight, transformation and expansion. I believe that practicing conscious awareness throughout this process, staying present with it as it unfolds, paying deliberate attention to the moments it creates – in short, being a mindful traveler – can lead us to develop a greater understanding of ourselves and a more meaningful appreciation for our travel experiences.

 Mindful moments in a beach maze

Travel constantly puts us in situations that are out of our comfort zones and these are the moments when, if we can just lean into the fear and discomfort, amazing things tend to happen…the sorts of things that special travel memories are made of.  In those instances, if we can find a way to just be and sit with the moment, be aware of it, observe it as it unfolds around us, not trying to change anything about it, just giving ourselves permission to experience it fully and embrace it for what it is, that’s when we will create the memories of our travels that will have the most meaning and resonate the strongest. Of course, we can’t live every moment in our lives, or even during our travels, with this level of non-judgemental awareness and presence…we have too much going on, so many distractions around us at all times – memories of the past, visions of the future – it’s incredibly difficult to be fully present. However, the connection and growth that can happen when you make an effort to experience a few mindful moments in your daily life and throughout your travels can be undeniably powerful. In fact, I think travel heightens all of our senses so much, that this level of conscious awareness, this grounding in our present reality, this mindfulness, somehow feels more within reach when we are traveling. 

The thing is, this journey towards self-actualization that travel encourages us to embark upon, ultimately has no destination. Being in alignment, being open and receptive, connecting to our truth, is an ongoing journey, a daily practice. I don’t know about you guys, but I have a hard time committing to something where there is no set goal in mind, no end point I can work towards. But that is the way it is, because change is really the only constant, undoubtedly while traveling and certainly in life. You are always changing and the world around you is constantly in flux…and that’s OK. Nothing is permanent, and that is a good thing, because it means we can have new experiences, change our minds, alter our itineraries mid-trip, design a new lifestyle, foster different relationships, develop new perspectives, continue to learn and grow and expand. Having said that, I recognize that change is hard; we are often resistant to it. For control freaks like myself, change is difficult, because it makes us feel like we’re losing that (illusion of) control. Like travel, change often pushes us far outside our comfort zones, our routines, our mindsets, our limiting beliefs, and this can be really anxiety-inducing and disorienting because we don’t know what’s going to happen next or what to expect.