How do you travel like a free spirit?
If you are looking for a step by step instructions, then you will be disappointed. To put it quite simply, there is no science to it. There are no formulae. There is minimum to no planning involved. There is a key ingredient however. And that is trust. You have to trust that you are always guided to somewhere amazing, and you are forever embarking on an exciting adventure of a lifetime.
This is not to say that having a basic plan is a bad idea. If you are not the type that is entirely comfortable with finding accommodation on the day of arrival, then certain planning may be necessary. A plan is like a security blanket, it is a contingency. From time to time, don’t be afraid to roll up the treasured blanket, or occasionally have that blanket stained, resized, or replaced.
When we clutter our mind with goals, pack our schedules full with to-do lists for tomorrow, for the day after, then the day after – we are blinded to the golden opportunity that awaits now. It is when we allow ourselves to be empty, we are gifted with that which is unexpected, untried, but wonderful. Again, it is Trust and taking a leap of faith. Trust the unseen, trust the unheard, and trust the unknown.
How do you travel like a free spirit?
Be curious about unmanifested potentialities, unlimited possibilities, and unrevealed directions. Synchronicity abounds for those who are prepared to receive it. One of the Natural Laws of the Universe, the Law of Attraction, teaches us what we are genuinely looking for is also looking for us at the same time, and we will only need to meet it halfway.
Whilst in Prague, I was every now and then meeting tourists who had come from Berlin all telling me how much they loved the city. A pattern quickly emerged and caught my attention. Surely, the Universe was trying to tell me something? After a few days, this inner knowing grew stronger and I was more certain than ever. Unmistakably, Berlin was to be my next destination.
Curiosity leads us down new paths. Curiosity opens our eyes to what life has to offer. When we are curious about someone else’s stories, we may unsuspectedly discover another part of ourselves. When we are curious about the conversations we engage in with a stranger, beyond perceived divisions such as nationality, societal labels or cultural contrast, there may be more commonality that is shared deep down.
How do you travel like a free spirit?
Check in with your heart constantly and make moment by moment decisions. Indeed, it means to live in the present. To travel like a free spirit does not infer that in order to reap the most benefits, you will have to be reckless, scattered or disorganised. You are not oblivious to danger signals. On the contrary, you are open yet alert. You are open to new experiences, yet you are alert to false delusions. It is a practised state of awareness and that is why following your heart, intuition and instinct is so important. It is the moment by moment decision that guarantees the safety as well as the success of your journey.
Certainly, there are two sides to every coin. You can be a forgetful free spirit like me – with seven days in Lisbon but had failed to plan a day trip to Sintra, a major tourist attraction and a UNESCO Heritage Site. Or, you can also be an optimistic free-spirit like me – though dismayed at the obvious oversight, bounced back feeling hopeful reckoning that could be more the reason to go back for another time.
Continuous rainy days; unforeseen traffic jams; turning up at a museum outside of its operating hours, these can all create less than ideal scenarios. Things don’t always turn out as promised. Experiences may appear bleak sometimes if thorough research is not employed. At the end of the day, regardless of it being the experience that you had expected, you can take pride in your courage to step out of your comfort zone into the unknown. You have created something new, within you.
Astro Traveller 