It’s Okay to Mourn Canceled Trips

Did you cancel any trips this year? Oh, you did? I get it, I see you, and I feel the same way. In March, I canceled a big, important trip that I had been dreaming about for 10 years. While on the phone with the airline arguing for a refund rather than a flight credit, my heart sank. As the date of my canceled trip approached, and the number of infections and deaths in the US increased, I only felt worse until it was suddenly the day of my planned departure. I looked at my phone that morning to see a reminder from Google Calendar and a New York Times pop-up detailing the horrors being experienced in New York City at that time. 

I felt like shit. My sadness for the loss of my trip was overshadowed by my guilt for feeling so sad. The world was in chaos and here I was wishing I was in Italy. Am I a terrible person?

We’re staying home for a good cause. But missing travel doesn’t make us selfish. 

Travel is a basic human desire (or at least it is for many humans). Over the past year, lovers of travel have described the shutdown of travel operations in many different ways. Personally, I’ve missed the anticipation and excitement that comes with planning and counting down to a trip. And because my livelihood is dependent on people traveling, I’ve felt anxious, unsteady, and unfulfilled these past nine months.

How does the lack of travel make you feel?

While the freedom to travel is a right, traveling — especially internationally — for pleasure is a luxury. And I don’t know about you, but every time I’ve leaned into my sadness about travel I’ve ended up feeling a little… icky. Like, the world is facing a global pandemic, people are dying, economies are collapsing, and here I am feeling weepy that I haven’t had my passport stamped in over a year — the sadness is followed by guilt. 

But, look, you’re not alone in your misery-turned-guilt-turned misery cycle AND there’s a science to why you’re missing travel so much. 

Travel makes us happy

Tourism that we’d recognize today started in the 17th century when British nobility took Grand Tours across Europe. From there the tourism industry expanded to include normal old citizens who took planes, trains, and automobiles to far corners of the world. 

That deep desire to explore the world could be tied to our DNA. Humans were a nomadic species for thousands and thousands of years, so maybe our love of travel is inherent. Regardless of what drives our wanderlust, travel makes us happy, gives our lives direction, and increases a general feeling of well-being. This isn’t just my opinion, it’s science! 

“To understand why people like to travel, you have to consider the psychological needs that travel meets,” said Seth Meyers, Psy.D., a licensed clinical psychologist. “At [its] root, travel is a psychologically stimulating activity on a physical, visual and social level. Travel offers a break from the monotony of daily routines and often pulls people out of their comfort zone to the point that they often try new or unusual activities they wouldn’t be inclined to try from … their home base.”

Travel is a break from the mundane, but it also pushes us to try new things and explore new environments. Our brains love this adventure, and the thrill of novelty (with just a sprinkle of danger?) makes us into better, more well-rounded people. THIS is also science!

Travel is the best kind of personal development

In addition to putting a smile on your face, travel also improves your productivity, problem-solving skills, and can even increase your chances of getting promoted at work! It turns out that pushing your boundaries by exploring far-flung destinations toughens you up mentally and emotionally. 

One of my favorite benefits of travel is a solid boost in creativity. According to Adam Galinsky, a professor at Columbia Business School, visiting a foreign place and immersing yourself in their local environment, increases your cognitive flexibility. Galinsky has written about how engaging with local cultures stimulates creativity and a 2015 study confirms this. That study examined the creative directors of 270 fashion houses and their creativity, "the brands whose creative directors had lived and worked in other countries produced more consistently creative fashion lines than those whose directors had not."

Any writer or artist has probably experienced this, but creative thinking can benefit professionals in every field. Creativity also seeps into our personal lives — creativity changes the way we approach relationships and our own personal wellness. 

Feeling inspired to travel? Safe, advisable travel is on the horizon!

Fingers crossed that 2021 holds more adventures

This year has been hard, historically so, and our list of worries and concerns is long. In addition to everything else — health, safety, finances — is travel on your list? Don’t feel bad if it is.

In case you need a reminder — travel isn’t frivolous. For some travelers, trips are a break from their routine, a way to recharge and reset and go back into their day-to-day life refreshed. For others, travel is that and more — inspiration, creativity boost, and even a way of life. We build our careers around travel, it brings us together with people we love, and introduces us to new friends. And for me? Well, travel is how I make my money, maintain my sanity, and find myself… over and over and over again. 

This travel-less year has been hard. And it’s okay if you feel that deeply. If you want to chat about the emotional aspect of travel OR if you’re ready to start planning for travel in 2021, I’m here and happy to talk! Take a look at my calendar and schedule a call.