Rituals: Why I travel so much
Changing my environment stimulates my creativity and forces me to get out in the world
Perhaps it's in my DNA or perhaps it's the adventurous, flighty Sagittarius in me, but ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had perpetual wanderlust energy, constantly seeking different cities to visit and live in.
“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.”
– Anais Nin
For comparison, my older (Scorpio) brother is a little different; he always knew he wanted to move back to our hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina after law school, getting married, and starting a family.
But for me, I always knew I wanted to travel to as many places as possible …like London! Paris! New York!
I feel incredibly blessed to have lived in those cities, too.
Frankly, I just always knew this would be my way of life as a citizen of the world. Travel aligns with my personal values, which include independence, freedom, self-reliance, and awareness.
Not to mention it dampens your naïveté, sharpens your IQ and EQ in personal and business decisions, and might even make you a more compassionate human being, too.
Content entrepreneur | Agency Founder & CEO | Author | Featured in Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Cheddar TV, HuffPost | Join more than 2,500 people who follow Shindy for unconventional lifestyle and career advice:
Wanderlusting from a young age
When I was young, my family wasn’t uber-wealthy, nor the kind that would book frequent destination vacations.
I yearned to taste big city life and soak in the sights and sounds, the fashion, the energy, the history, the international flair.
And starting around 10 years old, my parents started a brick and mortar business. That meant not really going anywhere and staying close to home during school breaks.
So, I vowed to make my own way to see the world.
I was 16 when I first left the country. I landed a partial French Club scholarship to spend part of my summer living with a host family in the north of France. I was lucky that my host family had two daughters–one my age and another several years younger.
The first week was rough, but after the initial homesickness and culture shock passed, we had a total blast.
Lazying away by the beach, walking along Granville’s boutiques among French tourists, boating around Les îles Chausey, moped-ing around town and partying … basically everything 16-year-old American me needed to feel the zest for my future life.
This transformative experience had a lasting impact; Jessica and I have grown up together and celebrated weddings, babies, and children, and commiserated over breakups, separations, and divorces, too.
No matter what, I can always visit Paris or wherever my French maman and the sisters live, and feel like I’m home.😌
Use education (and work) as an excuse to travel
I’ve always used education in tandem with travel opportunities and vice versa; my first time to London was as part of a UNC-Chapel Hill study abroad honors program.
Later, my executive MBA program enabled me to live in Paris and Rio de Janeiro:
Changing my environment regularly and intentionally
Today, I’ve come to be known as “the traveler” in my social circles. My friends and new people I meet are always amused or surprised when they learn about all the places I’ve lived.
I try to change up my environment every month or every other month, to familiar or new places. Too long in one place and I get restless.
It also helps that I have a like-minded network. Wherever I’m headed, I can usually connect with a local peer or colleague or friend which makes the destination even more fun. I also travel for Mastermind conferences so I can connect and maintain my social and professional network.
I know I’m in a fortunate position to do this, but I designed my lifestyle this way. I’ve started 100% fully-distributed remote companies which allow me to work from anywhere.
It’s not for everyone, but being that my work required/requires heads down, distraction-free work, in between lots of sales calls, remote work served me well:
I’m not always on the go. I actually can’t do digital nomadism, it’s too frenetic; I need a proper “home base” in between travel — I consider my homes my sanctuaries to provide some grounding, and necessary creative and quiet periods for focused, excellent work or writing.
Money doesn’t have to be the barrier; visualize, prioritize, and design it
I know that for many, money is the barrier to regular travel.
But traveling doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
Once you visualize and prioritize spending on experiences versus things, then you’ll realize that you can actually travel a lot and fairly comfortably.
Loyalty programs and memberships among a few select brands and hospitality groups also help.
They allow me to travel a bit more comfortable and know what I’m getting no matter where I am in the world (I’ll share more about said insider tips later).
You can also define your own set of dealbreakers and boundaries for when you’ll splurge versus save.
For example, I’ve heard many successful or wealthy entrepreneurs say they only fly business or first class for flights lasting more than 4 hours long. I tend to agree.
Anything longer and they’ll upgrade to ensure they’re well rested and set up for success once they reach their destination.
Love to travel? What are your travel rituals or habits? I’d love to know! Simply hit reply or drop in comments.
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Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok
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Rituals is a section where on the first Friday of every month, I’ll cover a regular daily, weekly, or monthly personal habit. It may be a lifestyle, wellness, or work practice that has become a valuable and beneficial part of my life. Enjoy!
I’ll bet you’re the fastest, most organized packer!
The photos were fabulous!
I’ll continue my travels by reading everywhere you’ve been!😂. You’re absolutely the most adventurous soul; I love learning about your next trip!!!!🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋