Sunday Souvenirs // 12

Hi, my name is Callahan and I’m a chronic planner.

Blame my Virgo moon, but having all the information makes me feel safe and secure. Knowing the plan and the expectations allows me to relax into the moment. So when I travel, I like to have a full itinerary, usually laid out across several spreadsheets. Having all the big decisions secured leaves me free to go with the flow in the moment. I’m not worried about where I’m sleeping or how I’m getting home, so I can let those parts of my brain unplug and be totally present with my sensory experience of a place. This allows me to look at the weather and decide whether to walk through the historic city center, or take in a museum instead. It’s a close-held partner dance with the Universe. I feel the directions and pressure it offers because I am actively engaged in the plan. I bend and adapt my schedule to accommodate whatever moments of wonder might present themselves.

So for me “slow travel” requires a lot of forethought. I understand that this is not how everyone works, of course. There is also much to be said for having one or two big unknowns in your trip and allowing the Universe to fill the space with surprises. I know some folks who “slow travel” by only booking their first night’s accommodation and then feeling it out from there. Maybe they decide to change hotels to be closer to a part of town they didn’t know about beforehand. Maybe they meet another traveller and decide to go with them to a different city altogether. This is a different type of trust altogether, and I would like to try it out one of these days.

Both of these work well with the more traditional planes-and-hotels forms of travel, but what happens when you try to apply either to backpacking and camping? We found out last week.

Remember last month when our best-laid (if not fully-formed) plans had to change multiple times? Well, we finally got to follow through and even then things didn’t go exactly according to plan. But it was just what the doctor ordered. Read all about it (and see all the pony pictures!) on the blog!

xx,
Callahan

READ

ICYMI - I wrote a piece on giving your heart to landscapes for Trust and Travel. There's also an audio component for you to listen to! Experience it on their journal. (Trust and Travel)

Feeling like time is moving in some weird ways this year? This interactive article from Reuters explores why that might be. (Reuters)

WATCH

The Olympics have been postponed, which means we have to wait a year to watch the first-ever exhibitions of skateboarding, climbing, and surfing. Japan's top skateboarding hopeful shares how she's biding her time. (YouTube)

This is an accurate representation of how I'll look on the way to the airport as soon as Europe will let me back in. (Twitter)

EXPLORE

Photography and style inspiration from The Beats. (Larry Fink Photography)

Kintsugi is the Japanese craft of repairing broken objects with gold. What if you repaired your neighborhood basketball courts that way? (Colossal)

IT’S COMING!

This week, I sent my first book off to the printer! Take This With You When You Go is a collection of mindful meditations for travel.

We talk a lot about slow travel, but this will offer some practical exercises to help you really be present, wherever you are. 

Presale will start soon! Stay tuned!!