Yoga and Buddhist philosophy broadly preaches the idea of letting go and not holding on – to events, thoughts, emotions – whatever that may be happening that prompts some sort of reactivity that is normal for all of us. In my travels, I’ve realised these ideas are applicable and makes for a better travel experience. I’ve translated these ideas to actionables in the form of questions that have helped me make decisions and cope with the difficulties of travel:

(1) what am I thinking / feeling? What are my perceived set of opportunities/missed opportunities / what do I think I can do?

(2) what are my actual set of opportunities/what can I actually do? What are my options?

(3) what can I do to broaden the set of possibilities/opportunities should I want to?

These questions, along with idea from yoga on not fixating, sitting with, accepting, and moving on allows me to put the past as past, recognise the present as dynamic and malleable, and see that there are multiple pathways.

There is always a way forward

While on the move, the only way is forward. And there are always multiple ways to move forward from a certain point, and we make decisions about the way(s) forward by evaluating the set of conditions available for us. Dr. Pitamber shared a piece of wisdom from her friend Helen (who we will meet): you can only work with the set of opportunities you have. In travel, there are many decisions to make and many opportunities to take. In highly urbanised areas like where we’ve been to, there are multiple ways to a destination. Which route is best? Is there even a best route considering the different preferences of the group?

I’ve found that travel also expose us to situations for personal growth. These moments – often of discomfort for me – are moments I sit with quite a lot. I shelf them to examine later most of the times. Are there moments I need a little more quiet? Moments I want to be with people? Why do I enjoy alone time or feel that crowds are too much on certain days? How do I deal with uncertainty and discomfort? Does my reaction to certain situations say something about myself? What kinds of assumptions do I have? Do I like that about myself? Do I want to change my thought patterns and actions?

Going through these questions helps me to think through what I can do about them and maximise the conditions of possibilities I might have. 

One week of the trip is now over; its so true that time flies when you are having fun! I’m looking forward to events of the weeks ahead and the sets of opportunities that may be available to us all. Onwards!