BE MORE THERE

ANYTHING FROM FINDING SOME QUIET TIME TO ENGAGING WITH LOCALS CAN HELP YOU BE PROPERLY ON HOLIDAY

Ask people why they travel and not many would say their goal is to skim the surface of a foreign culture and take photos to share online while answering office emails. Yet, too often that’s the reality. Before you go away next, consider whether you could travel more slowly and mindfully and with a little more integrity. So you can connect with your surroundings rather than your device and social media feeds and enjoy the moment rather than racing through a checklist of sites. The following ideas from Sara Clemence, author of Away and

Aware (Piatkus), apply to any destination and budget. They will help you become a more considerate and respectful visitor, attentive to the people you meet and the places you see, travelling in a way that leaves your heart bigger and your mind broader. Taper off Try to extricate yourself from the stresses of daily life a few days before your trip begins. Consume less news, change your notifications, eliminate brainless browsing time. All this will make the transition into a mindful-travel mindset easier. Avoid stuffing your itinerary A great trip isn’t about cramming in the sites, activities and destinations. The most rewarding journeys leave plenty of time for wandering, reflecting, people-watching, napping and serendipity. Choose one or two activities to anchor each day and leave the rest to chance and whim. Play radio roulette This game will liven up a long car journey. Set an interval, like every ten minutes, to change to a random radio station. You might end up listening to folk music, rap, opera, jazz, political talk or religious radio.*