Mimi's Travel and Philosophy 101

"Travel is a fool's paradise" Ralph Waldo Emerson Everything Arthur Frommer, RickSteves and your Aunt Mabel didn't tell you about travel

One of my grandaughter Danielle's smart-alecky teenage friends looked at our map showing the 40+ countries my husband Tom and I have been in the last 25 years, and said "what are you rich or something?". Danielle said "No, but she always balances her check book every month". I still don't understand that, but it does have a Zen quality----like one hand clapping. Anyway, here is my website, applying some insights of philosophy to the art of travel.

"Change your thinking, change your life" Ernest Holmes

Most religions/philosophies have lists---the Eightfold Path of Buddhism---The 10 Commandments of Judeo/Christian tradition----the 5 Pilars of Islam, and the 12 Steps of AA. So as not to be outdone, we start with the Four Steps to Successful Travel.

1. Prioritize--everyone says they want to travel, but is it high on your list or somewhere after the 50 foot tv and liposuction? Decide on a destination and make it a goal. This is called acceptance.

2. Visualize--after you decide where you want to go, learn all you can about that destination. Plan ahead, reserve early, and use all possible resources to make that destination your own. We experience what we think about creatively. This step is called realization.

3. Get over it! Accidents, crime, terrorism, poverty, disease and, heaven forbid, ever encountering a rude person in that glorious European city? Guess what, there is all that right where you are living. With common sense (if you don't go looking for drugs and sex at 2 AM at home
you probably shouldn't do it in Rio either) and a few intelligent precautions everything will be just fine. This step is called denial, don't accept in consciousness what you don't want to experience.

4. "Follow your bliss" as mythologist Joseph Campbell advised. You gotta love it, the whole experience, the stuff that works out exactly right and the stuff that doesn't. Be thankful for the experience in any case. Choose your perfect destintion, right traveling companions or go it alone, pack your luggage and let's go! This step is called celebration.