Travel Is My Therapy

"To travel is to live” is a quote I hold dearly in my heart. During the pandemic, traveling was difficult and restricted.

However, post-pandemic has allowed people to travel with less restrictions and requirements. Despite living with lung cancer, I have continued to travel as part of my life.

Prioritizing safe travel

My firm belief is that traveling can improve my mind, body, and spirit. But my time, money, and commitment should be required. My oncologist encourages travel but with extra care.

I choose to travel, but putting in place conscious efforts for safety and protection is at the top of my priority. Despite mask mandates being lifted, even on airplanes and trains, I still wear masks in enclosed and crowded places.

My take is that any virus or sickness can spread in any setting with so many people. For a high-risk individual like me, having an extra layer of protection for sure helps.

To go visit places is bonding time with people you travel with. It is a time to enjoy each other’s company and forget the busyness of life. I love my hubby as my travel buddy.

The chatting and jokes between us spurt out spontaneously. Just like old times when we were kids free. I am thankful my husband’s job has allowed us to travel during his conferences and meetings.

Meaningful travel experiences

Traveling involves planning and educating myself about the places I visit. I am a person who wants to have a clear picture of what to expect.

Thanks to Google Maps and Google Earth, I get to see the street views and landmarks. Traversing places gets easier these days with the availability of information highways.

I see great tips and suggested places to visit. With phone apps with maps, travel becomes so easy.

My purpose in traveling is to make more fun and happy memories, especially with my family. Life is short, so they say.

Making most of the time I have and for as long as I am able. Having adult children with jobs and a growing grandson gives me a reason to set goals of traveling together. I love going places with my family.

Traveling with a purpose

Another purpose of my traveling is to learn about the history and culture of the places I visit. The experience takes me out of my comfort zone and inspires me to see, taste, and try new things.

Much more exploring new surroundings and engaging with different people is embracing my travel adventures.

Lastly, being prepared for unexpected detours that may crop up in my travels is a must. Traveling entails my mental and physical alertness.

Flight delays or gate changes are common due to a shortage of airport staff and airline shortcomings. Walking distances to boarding areas take longer in big and busy airports. Overcoming obstacles is part of traveling.

Traveling leads me to live now and be happy. I can save money for travel and put the purpose of rewiring my brain.

Despite posing challenges in my travel choices and decisions, I can gain confidence with more trips and add value to my traveling experiences.