Monday, March 19, 2012

Travelin’ by night




Today’s strategy is about getting more from life.
Success is really about living fully.
I used to think there were three stages of travel.



1. First, the fun of planning the trip.
Where you will go. Where you will stay.
What you will see and do while there.



2. Next, the adventure itself.
It’s always grander even than you imagined.
It’s exhilarating to see the sun rise over the Rockies.
It’s romantic to watch it set in the South Pacific.
It’s mysterious to experience the London fog.
Or bright sunshine on the snowy Peaks of Europe.
Lights glistening on the Seine in Paris after dark.



3. Finally, retelling our adventures.
Don't lord it over your friends who did not go.
Dazzle them with your adventures. Never bore them.
Share the experience. Let them see it as you saw it.
Then I discovered a fourth stage.



4. Writing to relive the adventure.
We share our adventures in our newspaper.
We drove around France for two weeks.
I wrote about it for nine months.


My wife says she married a compulsive note taker.
Just writing about it makes the trip come alive again.
This is something that you might want to do yourself.
Now I’ve come to realize there’s a fifth stage.



5. You dream about places you’ve been.
I dream about adventures with my family.
I call that “travelin’ by night”. It’s in our dreams.
If you don’t travel, you can’t enjoy such dreams.
Where do you want to go next?
Time to starting planning.

For free travel advice, drop me an email note.
Send your questions and I’ll answer them.