If you had both money and time, what would I do?
One of the most universal responses is, “I would travel.”
Many people live their lives without either realizing or pursuing these dreams. Obstacles come up and are prioritized. Life happens, goals and desires are set aside and sheathed by a litany of excuses and reasoned away. Giving power to excuses is far easier than working towards dreams. And often our excuses are framed as fears and doubts of our own capabilities. Reaching our biggest dreams may come with sacrifice, a trade off, or a shift in values. And that is no easy feat.
However, no need to feel discouraged. As the idiom goes:
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
A travel and mindset coach can help get you on your way. A companion on this sensational adventure of personal growth, happiness, freedom, experiences, connection, and resilience. Imagine having a consort who understands your concerns and encourages you to pursue and fulfill your dreams. Someone who helps you devise plans and foresee possible roadblocks so you can be better prepared to face those hurdles with grace.
In this post, we’ll explore how a travel and mindset coach can help, and how you can benefit from their unique expertise.
Lori, a seasoned traveler approaching retirement, had always dreamed of incorporating more adventures into her life. However, she felt overwhelmed by the logistics and planning involved. She was hesitant to travel alone, struggled with “sabotaging my own fun,” and felt guilty about leaving her ill father for extended periods even if it would benefit her own well-being.
By working together to address Lori’s aspirations, needs, concerns, and feelings one by one, we whittled away at the self-sabotaging habits in pursuit of her dreams.
She ultimately opted for a group tour of British Columbia and felt relieved not to coordinate everything herself by finding an itinerary which checked off some of her big bucket list activities like a whale watching cruise. She made plans with her family members to ensure her father would be well cared for in her absence, prioritizing her happiness and reducing her stress for the betterment of her family.
As her departure date approached, new self-sabotaging thoughts popped up including potential personality clashes with fellow group tour members and fearing to be “stuck with them.” By identifying her triggers, we created action plans for managing what she could control and how to detach herself emotionally from situations beyond her control.
Lori left for Vancouver feeling excited about making the most of her vacation, embracing the adventure she had longed for without letting her fears hold her back. She felt relaxed and prepared, made lasting friendships, and confidently booked her next trip shortly after her return.
Understanding the Role of a Travel and Mindset Coach
A travel and mindset coach helps you define and understand what you truly want, why you want it, and then supports you on your journey to get it.
Why do you need this vacation?
This exploration often reveals what’s missing in your everyday life and what you are seeking.
Travel offers incredible benefits for the human spirit. It also offers a unique opportunity to view the world differently. Travel shakes us out of our routines and introduces novelty and challenges into our lives- two things proven to promote happiness. Whether you are fulfilling a curiosity, a desire for adventure, a break from everyday stresses, or the reconnection with yourself or loved ones, understanding the underlying core desire behind your travel plans can lead to a more meaningful experience.
Once that is clarified, they partner with you to create a plan that guides you toward your dreams. During which, they support you and keep you motivated and accountable as you move closer to your goals.
Self-limiting beliefs and uncertainty are common obstacles. But what if you could shift your mindset and overcome those fears? A travel and mindset coach can help you make those leaps with confidence and help you reshape these attitudes with empowering thoughts that propel you forward.
Asking for support to feel your concerns are heard, can be just as big and scary as the dream itself. Finding the right coach for you, can give you both the tools and the platform to explore new perspectives, supporting you emotionally and mentally as you flourish. They are your partner and ally, your personal cheerleader.
Tara was a stressed stay-at-home mom with two children under the age of three, struggling to cope with her first harsh winter in Chicago. Her husband had a demanding, high-stress job that required frequent travel, leaving her feeling isolated and concerned that they weren’t spending enough time together as a couple or as a family. She relied on her partner to plan their trips in the past and felt insecure about proposing the idea of a vacation to reconnect.
She hesitated to voice her necessity for rest, relaxation, adventure, personal time for herself away from the kids, as well as quality time with her partner. Through travel and mindset coaching, Tara was able to clearly identify and articulate her needs without judgment and practiced various positive presentations of the idea before approaching her partner. By prioritizing an open discussion about what they both felt was missing and desired, they were able to come up with a plan.
This open communication led to a beautiful holiday and escape to warm and tropical Costa Rica. The trip fulfilled the needs of their entire family. She felt empowered in taking initiative, and the vacation provided the much-needed relaxation and adventure they both craved, as well as strengthening their communiation and bond as a couple, leaving them more connected and refreshed.
How Coaching Can Work It's Magic
No journey is the same, just as no traveler is the same. Each individual’s needs, desires, and challenges are different, so there is no one size fits all package. However, these are just a few of the services a travel and mindset coach can help with.
Creating Awareness
Sometimes you don’t know why you need that vacation. Or why you have always had a draw to go to Morocco. Creating awareness offers clarity to the things that have been holding you back and a greater understanding for why you want to go.
- Partnering with you to get a deeper insight into your desire to travel.
- Exploring how travel would benefit you.
- Helping you determine what you hope to achieve by traveling.
Goal Setting, Achievement, and Accountability
Accomplishing big goals alone can feel daunting. Establishing goals with a partner who keeps you accountable is a wonderful way to make larger strides. Someone who asks, “how’s this going for you?” These could be steps towards your financial goals, health goals, work/ life balance, setting timelines for making decisions, booking accomodation, and / or being prepared prior to traveling.
- Helping you set clear travel and personal development goals.
- Creating actionable plans to achieve these goals before, during, and after travel.
Overcoming Barriers and Self-Limiting Beliefs
Our thoughts can be our biggest saboteurs. This can involve reclaiming confidence in your abilities and changing your mind’s narrative to ALL of the world’s great possibilities.
- Techniques to address and dismantle self-limiting beliefs.
- Challenging your negative beliefs and thinking to achieve your goals.
- Helping you identify what has been holding you back and creating strategies to move forward.
- Illuminating behaviors in your life that have worked before and incorporating those.
Confidence Building and Communication
One of the best outcomes with traveling is the confidence and resilience you can gain. There are also opportunities to meeting new people, immersing yourself in foreign cultures, and being open minded to new outlooks.
- Exercises and practices to build confidence and to embrace new experiences.
- Encouraging you to step out of your comfort zone and welcome new challenges.
- Helping you identify and communicate your needs to yourself, your travel companions, and people you meet along the way.
Health, Mindset and Perspective
Have you ever felt hangry or moody when thrown out of a routine. Identifying your needs is a big part of traveling. Things come up sometimes within our control and other times outside of it, our perspective and how we choose to handle the situation will make the biggest difference.
- Supporting you as you create action plans to overcome challenges that arise.
- Helping you prioritize your mental, physical, and emotional health needs for your overall wellbeing while traveling.
- Helping you embrace responsible, kind, and open-minded travel to create deeper connections to reduce your impact on a community.
Pre-Travel Coaching Sessions
Preparation is the key to success. Travel is unpredictable, but preparing for what you can, will give way to a more meaningful and rewarding experience.
- Preparing you mentally and emotionally for your journey.
- Setting intentions and letting go of expectations for the trip.
On-Trip Support
Like I mentioned before, things come up. This could be loneliness, travel burnout, overstimulation, un-met expectations. But this is not something you have to workt hrough on your own. Talking through these stressors can turn your travel-rut around.
- Providing remote support during travel for ongoing guidance and motivation.
- Availability for virtual check-ins and problem-solving.
Post-Travel Reflection and Integration
Who says you lose your vacation vibes when you come home? Embracing new experiences at home can be just as meaningful. Adapting the views and lifestyle you had while traveling into your every day life.
- Assisting you in reflecting on your travel experiences.
- Integrating insights and lessons learned into your daily life.
- Reacclimating post-travel reverse culture-shock.
Globetrotter A. was on a health and weight loss journey, eager to incorporate more outdoor experiences like hiking, swimming, and biking into her travels. Although she was no stranger to spontaneous trips, she often felt she was misusing her time by not planning effectively.
She struggled to find resources to help organize and research her destinations, frequently misjudging distances and travel times. As a result, she found herself spending more time driving than enjoying her destinations, leaving her feeling let down by her own expectations. Additionally, she often went out of her way to accommodate her travel companions, feeling that she compromised too much of her time and interests for others.
Throughout our coaching sessions, we reflected on her recent trips, recognizing patterns and behaviors that were holding her back. We focused on developing new, healthier habits before her next trip and building her confidence to pursue them. This included broadening her discovery of travel resources, assisting with planning for more immersive experiences, exploring similar fitness experiences locally and establishing boundaries with people in her life who took advantage of her flexibility.
As we continued to work together, Globetrotter A. began to feel more fulfilled and happier while traveling. Her newfound confidence and clarity even led her to make the bold decision to work remotely for several months in India, fully embracing her health journey and love for travel.
There may never be a “perfect time,” but each day marks an opportunity to transform your dreams into your reality. Setting those steps into motion can transform your life and your travel experiences into incredible opportunities for personal growth and self-discovery, joy, connection, and balance. If you are seeking a partner to help you embark on this journey, reach out to a travel and mindset coach today. Your adventures await!
For more information about the coaching check out the International Coaching Federation.
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