If you’ve been following my journey, you’ll know I’ve recently been on a four week journey, traveling to LA, Mexico (to offer a variety of yoga workshops) and Costa Rica for module four of The 360 Emergence apprenticeship I’ve been committed to for the past 12 months. I was visiting both Mexico and Costa Rica for the first time so I was extremely excited to explore new cultures, taste the food and to test out my Spanish (I lived in Ibiza, Spain 2011 – 2012) after not using it for a long time.

Pre Covid I was traveling and teaching yoga internationally full time, I did not have a home base or Winter for nine years and was fully immersed in the nomadic lifestyle – yes before it was a normal thing to do 🙂

Life on the road teaches you so much about yourself, including how you deal with the unknown, your priorities and what’s your go to in uncomfortable situations. Here’s a few tips and tricks which have helped me along the way.

1. Take a stash of your favourite herbal tea bags.
   I’m not normally a herbal tea drinker at home but on the road I found having some tulsi tea bags with me bought a sense of comfort. Not all accommodation offers tea or coffee (if they do it’s the standard kind) but generally there’s a kettle to boil some water which makes a simple morning ritual very achievable. Bonus hack! Having tea which includes turmeric or ginger can also help strengthen your immune system and ward off any travel nasties which you may get exposed too. Plus one tea bag can easily be brewed multiple times!
2. Do the things that calm your neurosis!
   Traveling to new places can be daunting and even scary at times (especially if you’re on your own) so please know that it’s ok to put a chair against the front door if this helps you sleep better at night. Order in or have Uber eats deliver you food if you’re not comfortable venturing out to eat at night time. Take a walk around the block so you have a sense of where you are and what’s around you. Google maps is great to look at but nothing beats the real first hand experience!
3. Equipped yourself with some of the local lingo.
   It’s best to assume that not everyone will speak your language where you’re going so learn the basics as a sign of respect! Simple things like hello, thank you, good bye, good morning, how are you etc will give the impression that you’re interested in their culture and are trying to connect with the locals. In my experience they appreciate you trying to communicate with them in their own language, it immediately dissolves any barriers between you and them and may result in a conversation filled with curiosity and kindness. When in doubt use google translate to help you.
4. Know the address of where you’re staying, even just the street name or a landmark which is close by!
   Super helpful if your phone battery dies or you lose your bag so you’re not relying on anything else but yourself to get home. If there’s business cards take one and put in your pocket or somewhere incase you need it.
5. Getting lost is ok too!
   Maps are wonderful inventions as they help us to get from A to B but sometimes they can hinder the journey. I’ve stumbled across the best cafes, galleries and shops by getting lost and find it’s a great way to explore a new location. I’ll do my best to remember the landmarks, street signs and my surrounds but this doesn’t always go as planned. Remember that you will find your way home in good time, try and retrace your steps and you can always ask a shop keeper or someone. See number 3 about learning some local lingo.

Stay tunes as part two is coming next month! In the meantime please share this blog post with any friends who are traveling soon to help their journey with these travel hacks.