Many women travel to escape their busy lives. When they travel, all they can think about are quiet afternoons to read their books and sip a glass of wine at their final destination. The travel experience we often find instead are chaotic airports, delayed flights, hotel rooms not ready on arrival, lost luggage, etc. This experience is anything but ‘Zen-like”.
To try to find your Zen moment when your travel plans go sideways
Ditch the crowds
If you are in a crowded lobby or airport, seek out a corner behind a wall or a corridor out of the main thoroughfare. Close your eyes, read a book, whatever it takes to turn the volume down in your head.
Plug in
Take your headphones and drown out the crowd. Whether you plug into your laptop, iPod or mobile phone, just a little bit of background noise can help center you.
Hit the VIP Lounge
Many airlines today now sell day passes to their VIP lounges. While not inexpensive, if you think you may have hours to wait instead of minutes, open up your wallet for a place out of the sea of people. Hint: Head towards the non hub airline for your airport. If the airline isn’t based in the city you are in, the lounge is less likely to be full.
Build a luggage fort
Yes, I am serious. If you are stuck in a hotel lobby with nowhere to go, take your luggage and setup a few “boundaries” between you and mobs. It’s a temporary solution, but it may buy you the 10 minutes of Zen time you need to avoid a meltdown.
Seek out a peaceful setting
Even in a crowded city park, you can focus on listening to the wind blow through the trees, and not the honking horns from the taxis 100 yards away.
Make a connection
Talking to another person can help you keep your calm, or if nothing else, help you commiserate. Just make sure you find a “Steady Sally” and not a “Nervous Nelly” to talk with.
Just remember, if travel throws you a curve ball, focus on the real goal – that quiet afternoon reading your book and sipping a glass of wine at your final destination. Ahhh.
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