Travel has been the chosen vehicle to drive change and transformation throughout history. The concept of travel, as it relates to the tourism industry, destinations, tour operators, hotels and influencers, was somewhat a functioning dysfunctional system pre-pandemic. Over-tourism, the lack of sustainable practices and supporting local were big topics even before the world paused. Now, as travel becomes a more regular part of our lives again, I am eager to see how the industry evolves to address ways to improve. What I am most curious about is, how we, as travelers, will react.

There has been a term thrown around throughout the pandemic, “revenge travel.” It’s the act of making up for lost travel time by going on more trips. I’m all for this (as long as it is safe for people to travel), but I want to invite us to think further about “traveling with meaning.” Let’s ask ourselves these questions: What does travel mean to me? What has my view on travel been this past year?

As we step into the world from lockdown, here are easy tips that will support a meaningful inner journey and a memorable outer adventure. Travel is personal and these steps will be different for each of us, but I’m confident that if we collectively embody them together, travel will be much more fulfilling.

• One of the greatest gifts of travel is its allowance to disconnect from our current life, routine and inbox. Sure, having access to WiFi offers the luxury to stay connected from almost anywhere in the world. I invite you instead to instill these steps. Be present to the magic: Take deep breaths, look around, acknowledge where you are, sit still. This doesn’t have to mean avoiding posting on social media. Perhaps capture the moment and find a time later to do the posting. Try not to take away from your time being in the “” That is the magic. Enjoy any unique opportunity to connect with nature and yourself, while also disconnecting from the constraints of the normal daily routine. Sometimes there will be limited reception available, which can feel very scary. Just remember, we don’t need to constantly be connected. On one of our recent road trip adventures, one of the travelers told us how liberated, free and soul-cleansed they felt from being disconnected from the stranglehold of their phone. This was just over 24 hours of no service. Sometimes, a little break is all that is needed for reflection time.
• Pre-pandemic I was guilty of thinking travel with deep meaning usually involved getting on a plane and going far, far away. As I’ve traveled much closer to home these past few months, I now know exploring a new part of the neighborhood or embarking on an afternoon drive to visit that town you’ve always want to check out can create the much-needed adventure. You don’t need to go far. I started leading a beach bike tour in Santa Monica to share the unique history of the coast. When guests who have lived in the area for decades tell me they can’t believe how much they learned about their own backyard, it lights me up!
• During this past year, I spent several weeks exploring parts of Southern California I have not experienced in years. Since travel was forced to be local, I took advantage of the incredible offerings we have within two- to four-hour drives: the Kern River, Eastern Sierras, Joshua Tree. Going for long hikes, jumping in lakes, seeing the sunrise all helped me take that pause in uncertain times. I learned that nature is the best therapy.