A Healthy Traveler's Mindset

I've been on enough of these trips to understand that they can be fairly stressful. The mental shock of experiencing not only a new place, but an entirely different culture can cause travelers to become irritable. This, in turn, can cause tension within a group of travelers, and lead to arguments and bickering. When you're locked up on a bus with these people for hours at a time on travel days, this kind of tension can easily ruin what would otherwise be an amazing travel experience. Mentally preparing yourself for the ups and downs of international travel can help you to avoid feeling some of this "traveler's stress."




1. You are in a foreign country. Not everything will be exactly as it is at home. Relax and accept this. One of the main reasons why we travel is to understand that there is a bigger world out there, and that people live thier lives in ways that are much different than our own. Don't let these differences become problems. For example, in Europe, you won't find ketchup on every table. So what?! Just roll with it!


2. Travel can be unpredictable. Sometimes things don't go as planned. Flights can be late. The weather might not always be sunny and warm (something that is difficult for Southern Californians to understand). If things don't come off perfectly, don't panic. Being impatient and irritable with the situation only causes further stress for all of your travel partners. Raining? No problem. Be prepared with a jacket. There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Delayed flight? Don't stress. We will get there. I'm the group leader. Let me do the worrying.




3. There will be differences in our group. Relax and accept this. The United States is a big and diverse country. Our travel group will be made up of people from all over the States. This might lead to a little bit of culture shock within our travel group. Some people in our extended travel group might have different priorities in touring Europe than you. Don't worry about that. There will be plenty of opportunity for you to branch off and experience Europe in your own way. A couple of years ago, I was matched up with a group from a very small town in Missouri. They made it a point to visit every Hard Rock Cafe in every city we traveled through. While this wasn't exactly my idea of experiencing Europe's cultural diversity, I just let them go. After all, I didn't have to go with them. Many members of this same group, upon recieving thier tickets to the Louvre from our tour manager, simply turned around and took off to find the nearest department store. Oh well, thier loss. It didn't stop me from enjoying a lengthy stroll through this amazing museum. The key to getting the most out of your tour is to join up with a group of people who have similar interests on this tour as you do. Make sightseeing plans with your group the evening before. If the group doesn't want to do the same things you want to do, find a group that does.


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