We're welcoming 2022 with a practical yet promising outlook.
Venturing outside your daily routine is like putting on a fresh pair of spectacles to view the world. It is also well known to have a positive impact on our mental and emotional wellbeing. With travel tipped to become more available in 2022 most of us will welcome the chance to broaden our horizons once again.
In a recent survey by Booking.com (canvassing more than 24,000 travelers across 31 countries) it seems that travel is predicted to be the most desirable form of self-care in 2022. Of those surveyed, the vast majority said that travel helps their mental and emotional health more than other forms of rest and relaxation.
So what is it about travel that makes us feel so good? Many respondents said it is simply getting out of their normal environment, experiencing a change of scenery or partaking in a different activity that allows them to reset and recharge.
To begin the New Year on a good foot, we're encouraging you to make plans to step outside your neighbourhood as a brilliant way to make a positive impact on your wellbeing with these tips on keeping it easy:
Take a Day-to-Day Approach
It often takes a day or two at the beginning of a holiday to unwind from the focus of work and home responsibilities. Easing yourself into your holiday and taking a day-to-day approach will allow you to relax and unwind at your own pace. This in turn will help you return to everyday life feeling revived and refreshed.
Travel Light
There is nothing worse than lugging your suitcase around full of clothes you don’t actually need! To minimise any stress in packing and take the guesswork out of what to wear while you’re away, focus only on pieces that can do double-duty and preferably easily transition from day to night. Limit yourself to travel-sized toiletries, and if you have any bulky garments such as a big jersey or jacket try to wear them instead of packing them in your bag.
Stay Local
Having spent much of the last 2 years confined to our proverbial 'own back yards', many of us have realised we don’t have to venture too far away to have amazing new experiences. Even if you can’t easily “hop a flight” to somewhere exotic, you could be surprised at the beauty and interest to be found within a few hours of your own home. How often do we remark on the fact that tourists have seen more of our own countries than we have? Now could be the time for you to enjoy just how incredible your own country is!
Take a Camera
Remember your camera! Capturing special moments to share with friends and family isn't the only reason why documenting your holiday is a must-do. Photography is a clever way to connect you with your environment, and enables you to be more aware of your surroundings. Once you start to focus on the details of a place, such as the texture of a building's façade or the way the light flickers through the trees at golden hour, you will absorb more of the world around you than if you were to just walk through it.
Practice Awe
Awe, an intense and usually positive emotion has the potential to nurture strong connections between individuals and their environment, although the uncertainly of recent times may have made it a difficult emotion to find. Travel experiences provide the perfect opportunity to begin Awe-Spotting, which Regan Olsson says can transform your life.
At SilkLiving we have missed the joy that travel can bring. We invite you to embrace every chance you get to put on your spectacles and step outside.
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