Travel: It's a mindset
On finding ways to travel without much time or money.
An expansion of a topic in my book, Be Your Biggest Inspiration.
Now seems like a great time to talk about travel. I say this, admittedly because I feel like I can’t go on a trip right now.1
I won’t wax poetic about the benefits. A lot of what we love about travel is the exposure to different cultures, languages, and landscapes. That and the break from our routines. It changes us, usually for the better.
Let’s focus on how we can get creative and live the virtues of travel without large distances involved.
Sometimes our minds latch on to this notion that we need a long sabbatical traveling the globe, or we can’t travel at all. Like there’s no in-between. But even if you can’t finagle a week, or even a weekend, there is always a way (to travel). Who’s to say we can’t do a miniature version right now?
I like doing this with surrounding towns/cities because I can do it in a single day, or even a few hours. My most recent example: Arcadia, just outside of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Foothills.
Getting there: I’m still a big fan of public transit, even living in Los Angeles. For this excursion, I took LA Metro, which is inexpensive and generally safe. The other reason I took Metro is that it’s nice to be on foot when exploring an area. You can take in so much more and notice the little things. Bonus: I usually end the day having walked at least a few miles.
Stop 1: REI
Yeah, nothing special about an REI, except I had read that this one sells Angeles National Forest Adventure Passes, setting me up for more local outdoorsy adventures over the next year.
Stop 2: Hyper Coffee
I’m always down to try a new café. While I could have searched for the top-rated spot and tried to optimize my experience, sometimes I just go with what presents itself on the adventure. It’s more fun when you discover places like that. This day, I ordered a chagaccino (coffee drink with chug mushrooms) because it seemed like something you do on vacation. It was pretty good, and the barista was a really pleasant person. You could feel their calming aura.
Stop 3: Claro’s Italian Markets
I later found out this is a chain with 7 locations, but it was new to me and I love shopping at Italian grocery stores for the authentic supplies. This place had delicious deli sandwiches and I bought a few pastas, sauces, and cheeses. My dinner that night was like I was traveling.
Stop 4: Miss Holly’s Drinkers Hall of Fame
Walking around on the same street, I saw this classic spot with a name too good to resist popping in for. It was one of those rare 6am–2am spots, which usually means it has some character (and characters). Another interesting thing about this spot was that they always show horse racing on the television, given the proximity to the Santa Anita racetrack. I ended up chatting with a few folks there, including an off-duty bartender who was testing this delicious homemade salsa from her home kitchen operation.
And that’s it. That’s all it took to shake me out of routine and put myself in a new environment. It may not have been the type of experience you post on social media about, but I got the fix of experiencing somewhere new.
If you’re feeling like you’ve got the itch to travel, I hope you now realize there are always small ways to do it. You can bring a partner. You can research and plan out stops, but sometimes it’s just better to go and see what happens. I’ve been on plenty of micro travel experiences that were bigger busts than this one, but it always seems like a good use of my time.
So, where are you headed?
When you’re working, it can be challenging to get the time off. When you’re in between jobs (like me), you don’t always feel comfortable spending the money.
That being said, it’s wise to create a separate travel savings account and set up auto investments of whatever amount is feasible to you. When the time comes to travel, it’s a good feeling to know you have the money part covered.
It clears out our mindset!