Anyone who has ever heard me talk about hygge might know that I'm a bit obsessed with the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark. The fact that a research group seems to exist purely to figure out how to make us humans happier makes me SO HAPPY!
I've devoured Mike Weiking's books, Hygge and Lykke, and so today when I came across an article he wrote about making travel memories just days before I head out on a trip to NY, of course I had to give it a read.
I had a great travel revelation on my last trip with my husband, and I can say that I love our new mindful approach to travel but it is a bit of a change for me.
I tend to over-plan and be very controlling when I’m traveling. I want to make sure I maximize every moment of my precious vacation time!
That hasn’t really worked for me, though, and what I normally end up remembering from those vacations are the slower moments of downtime spent just hanging with friends and family, instead of the crazy rush back and forth between activities.
For example, my favorite memory of my husband from our first anniversary trip to Seattle is how he looked laying in the bed of our rented apartment when the light was shining in the window that morning.
In a society where we plan our travel around the best restaurants on Yelp and the most instagrammable foods and locations, I’m excited to try a more mindful way of exploring the world.
In my next trip I’ll be staying in New York City and then at home with my family in NJ for a few days. So, I can’t really follow Mike’s #1 tip of going somewhere new. But I plan to make a point of exploring new places while I’m there. A restaurant I’ve never seen or a park I’ve never been to. Even though I grew up close to New York there are hundreds of spots in the city I’ve never seen.
I also plan to check in with my senses more often while I’m there. I want to notice what I see, what I hear, what I feel, smell, and of course, taste. I’m planning on taking out my journal for at least one quiet moment each day to note what I’m sensing in the moment.
I love Mike’s tip about getting a souvenir. My husband and I try to get a Christmas tree ornament as a souvenir of each trip we take together. This way, each year we get to recall all our trips and memories while we’re celebrating and trimming our tree. If I’m traveling alone, I try to buy something I know I’ll use regularly, like a coffee mug or a pencil case, so my memories become part of my daily life.
The hardest tip for me to follow will definitely be the final tip: Don’t be afraid of things going wrong when you travel!
I’m definitely a hope-for-the-best-plan-for-the-worst type of traveller. I’m consciously working on surrendering more to the Universe and trusting that everything will work out O.K. and that I’ll be fine, even if it seems stressful in the moment.
How are you planning to make memories during your summer travel? I’d love to know!
Tell me in comments or message me at @megangillman on instagram! I’m also open to all your recommendations about new sights, sounds, and tastes to try out in NYC and NJ!