TRAVEL GETS ME THINKING AGAIN - BEING CONSCIOUS

When do we begin to be conscious of our choices as we travel?

?The thought crosses my mind again as I begin another journey and sit on a flight recognising the privileges of being able to travel.?I then begin to think about the habits we seem to accept in ourselves when we are travelling; things we would not do at home but seem to become subconscious about when we are in a hotel away from our routine – the extra long shower, a bath and another towel to be washed. The extra consumption of food, because it’s different or because it’s a buffet after all. All of these are habits and patterns we seem to accept as being ok when we are not in our daily routine, but what is the impact we are contributing to?

?When we travel to a new destination, I know I become conscious of the my privilege to be in the presence of another human being living in an environment that is different to mine, to stop and talk so that I better understand a little more of who they are, to hear about their beliefs, their ecosystem and how they have lived for decades or perhaps centuries in some cases.?The food they eat and how they have survived, their shelter and the very air and ecosystem that their communities rely upon to live. In some cases, their history has become difficult to preserve but as many of us do, we take some of these things away with us and then go back to hotel, or back to our reality and treat the trip as a “bucket list” item to ticked off OR NOT?

?Is this what travel is all about?

?We may have been born as explorers, and it is a wonderful opportunity to learn and better understand differences and other cultures, so my thoughts come back to – “at what point do we become disconnected with our conscious self to become an entitled individual that needs to concur the highest mountain, the farthest destination or the most remote place to get to tick that box.” Is it not time now that we know the outcome we want to achieve as we travel so that we may create a positive ripple in the world and become more aware , more conscious and more awake to leave a place and its people in a better place than when we first met them?

?I was once asked "How many countries have you visited?"

?As I paused, I recognised I did not know, I still don’t, but it was never something I valued or aspired to reach a goal with.

?This too got me thinking about the unconscious and bias way we travel. Yes, I take a photo and I was there so have I too become unconscious of the intentions of my travel?

?Is there a balance??

?Are the photos to serve as a memory of the influence and impact the people of the city or country have had on me or have I too become a person who shares a privilege??As I reflect, I begin to recognise that my travels have made me more conscious of who I am, where I have come from, but more importantly who I choose to become.

?Am I finding myself as I explore??

?What do I want to take forward with me? If we infiltrate a community, an ecosystem do we consider what impact ( positive and negative) we make ?

?All inclusive packages deny us the ability to integrate, to connect and to better understand differences so are we contributing to the Improvement of the people at the destination or are we destroying a culture? What do we hope to achieve?

?Will you ask the questions of yourself the next time you travel? We all can choose how we contribute and who benefits from our actions.

?Is this another paradigm shift that can be discussed,?what do you think?

?#travel #communities #impact #conscious #culture #habits