There’s a magical vibe that you plug into when you travel solo. Solo trips away can sometimes bring on a sense of loneliness that is otherwise unfamiliar to me in my carefully curated life where I am for the most part, in control.
At home, I choose when I socialise and when I work solo, but when you travel alone, there are a lot of transit times that open portals and vibes for reflection and clearing.
pic by http://www.ccdoubleyouphoto.com
I felt that magical vibe immediately when I arrived at the airport, only to be greeted by my little suitcase that was gaping open in shock on the baggage claim console.
It had a busted zipper with my once carefully packed items clumsily strewn all over the place in a way that sent my overzealous OCD tendencies into a slight after shock.
The supervisor on duty that represented the airline I travelled with was sympathetic and apologetic about my little first world problem, albeit a little mortified to inform me that it was not company policy to replace broken zippers or handles on suitcase.
In case you’re interested, its part of the fine print that we agree to when we purchase our tickets through our chosen airline carriers.
Regardless of this, our banter back and forth was genuine, and she ended up going out of her way to find a suitcase that had been left behind in lost property that was due to be donated to Vinnies.
She didn’t have to do this. She certainly wasn’t bound by company policy. If anything, she was going out of her way to be kind and considerate when her employer didn’t give a shit. (I gave her a massive hug with my kundalini yoga biceps and possibly made the situation awkward, but who cares?)
I felt that magical vibe again when I checked into my accommodation. The last time I stayed at this particular location was with my dear friend from Spain, about 15 years ago.
Our lives are very different now (well actually, mine’s not all that different), but she’s now a mama to a beautiful 5 year old who keeps her busy in all kinds of delicious ways.
The memories of our shared experiences activated all sorts of sensations for me when I arrived so I face timed them soon after and got to chatting.
My minimal Spanish is limited to about 400 words so her little one quickly got bored with me after a few minutes when I could no longer keep up.
It’s funny, because our conversations flowed like they’d never stopped and we got straight into the nitty gritty of personal questions and too much information that is always the perfect quantity when shared with a kindred spirit.
When we hung up, I headed down to the beach to write her son’s name in the sand and then send a pic, like I promised her I would, and thought about the last time we had spoken.
It took a while to remember that our previous conversation had been the year before when I had travelled to Bali, and something about my travel experience made me think of her again.
The time before that had been when she had travelled to Greece and something about the way a Greek Australian girl had spoken to her triggered a memory of me in her.
It was so strong that it inspired her to get on the phone to call me, which promptly ensued another hour-long conversation about everything, nothing and all the important bits we’d missed in between.
The magic of travel is delicious, but the potency of doing it alone is amplified a million times more. Do you feel it as well?
I don’t know about you, but I have a little altar that I use exclusively when I travel, and all the bits and pieces in it have a lot of sentimental value, as they are precious objects that have been gifted to me from friends while we’ve travelled.
I guess you can call it a type of travelling talisman that remains so pure and protected, it immediately opens a world of infinite possibilities with magical vibes.
It’s like the act of being out of my comfort zone changes my frequency to ebb with a completely new vibration.
My time away in Byron has brought up quite a few things for me to clear, as well as integrate. The main realisation has been that I have been limiting myself, and as a result, I have kept myself, my actions, my life, my business and my potential.. for lack of a better description.. ‘small’.
I guess I must have needed to do this up until now, but in recent weeks, I’ve been exposed to people, relationships and situations that have absolutely blown my mind and as a result, my own standards have naturally lifted.
The time has come for me to step up and play a little bigger, and as a result, there’s quite a few outdated beliefs leaving my energy frequency that are no longer part of my new intention and growth.
In the words of ‘Chris Brogan’ –
“Don’t settle: Don’t finish crappy books.
If you don’t like the menu, leave the restaurant.
If you’re not on the right path, get off it.”