How to Transform Your Travel Experiences Into a Lifestyle

Last year I experienced some roadblocks that prevented me from traveling.  I had a close family member suffer a medical emergency and much of the year was dedicated towards the recovery process.  Thankfully, things are finally back to normal.  Once my schedule began to free up my very first thought was to take a short getaway.

Traveling is awesome. I wish I could do it more often.  One day, traveling will be a more frequent part of my life. But, until then, I've developed a plan to infuse my everyday life with elements that mirror my travel experiences.  In doing so, my life will have a similar vibe to an exotic getaway. 

Here's how I'm transforming my life to incorporate elements from my most recent vacation.
Honestly, I'd love to take 5-6 mini getaways a year.  But time constraints are an obstacle.  Not to mention the costs associated with constant travel.  Since the frequency of my trips is limited, I decided to create a strategy to increase the impact of each adventure.

Thanks to the advent of Airbnb, I can rent out beautiful accommodations for a fraction of the cost of staying in a similar place in the states.   Instead of a small hotel room, I prefer to rent out an entire villa!  I purposefully chose places that look similar to what type of home I would love to live in.  For me, where I stay isn't just a place to sleep, it's a vehicle that will allow me to live out an intention. 

For instance, I've have a thing for modern backyard designs that feature a beautiful plunge pool.  My dream is to one day have a saltwater plunge pool where I can lounge and work from my laptop.  When I traveled recently, the one requirement when looking for accommodations was that it had an outdoor sanctuary with a small, modern pool. 

It felt incredible to wake up every morning and experience the sunrise from the turquoise pool.  Having my husband there only enhanced the experience.  For months I told him I wanted to update our back yard to a modern aesthetic but he couldn't visualize it.  Being there in the flesh really helped him to see where I was coming from.  Over the next year or two, our goal is to eventually transform our yard into a vacation worthy oasis.  Ideally, I'd like to feel like I'm on vacation every time I step out into my own backyard.

The backyard transformation will be a lengthy/costly process. In the meantime, I've already begun to incorporate other smaller elements from my vacation into my life.  For instance, the villa had modern furnishings and style elements.  We fell in love with their amazingly comfortable couches and quickly found the identical model online (in various colors).  They had clear serving bowls that I really liked so I purchased a few of them for our kitchen. Every time I use those bowls, I'll remember the experience of eating fresh ceviche and chips poolside with my favorite person.   

One thing I love about going on vacation is the change in environment.  Our days often consist of reliving the same day over and over again.  In all honesty, my environment doesn't change much during the week.   Unless I do something about it, nothing will change.  The solution involves making a conscious effort to place myself into environments that raise my feel-good vibrations.   I don't necessarily have to fly to another country for a much needed change in scenery.  All I have to do is visit a different part of town.  There's a lot of development happening in my city but I don't take time to visit those areas and explore.   This has to change.  I could create a micro-vacation by spending part or most of the day in an area of town that I don't frequent.  I can explore new neighborhoods, try new places to eat and surround myself with people that I don't normally interact with it. 

As you're planning for your summer getaway, think about all of your favorite aspects of vacationing.  Why are you choosing that destination? What are the fondest memories from your last trip? Are there certain elements that you can incorporate in your everyday life? If you love the extra fluffy robes from a high end hotel you stayed in, why not treat yourself to that same feeling of luxury at home?  If it's adventure that you seek, take a look at things to do locally that will stimulate your sense of excitement. 

Let's not wait until that once a year vacation to experience memorable moments. Work to design a life that you don't have to take a vacation from.