Well that’s a tall order for a vacation, isn’t it?

Hear me out.  Travel is one of the best ways to figure out what you’re made of.  It is life, concentrated.  Lots of activity, locations, emotions all in a short period of time. No matter how much planning goes into your trip, something will go wrong. When things go wrong you figure out how to make the best of it and just how resilient you are. When things go right, you find great joy in unexpected places.

• Your missed flight turns into a 7 hour layover, so you learn to find fun in the airport. You play silly games with your kids or treat yourself to that bestseller everyone has been talking about and enjoy the peace and solitude you never get at home.

• Your hotel overbooks or loses your reservation. You learn how to find another quickly and how to get a refund.

• You get stuck in a cab in a monster traffic jam. You learn to use the subway system.

• You’re super hungry and can’t find an English menu, you learn to guess at the local language and enjoy the pulse of life in a new place.

• The attraction you have traveled so far to see is closed.  You learn to laugh at your misfortune and go looking for other adventures.  At the very least, you learn not to swear in public.

Next comes the things that go right.

• You visit museums and realize there are a few artists or schools of thought you just adore!  Yay, a new hobby.

• You score tickets to a play, concert or ballet and find a new passion.

• You climb to the top of the tallest thing in the city and you are grateful for your health. Maybe you find out you aren’t so scared of heights after all.

• You happen upon a warm local restaurant on a cold night and find a brand new cuisine that you didn’t know you enjoyed.

• You sit next to a stranger on a plane and meet your soulmate

• You go camping for the first time and learn that you sleep deeply and fully outside. You find that you love to hike and that everything tastes better when cooked over a fire.  You realize just how MANY stars there are and stare at the heavens for hours each night.

• You keep up with a packed itinerary and you find that your legs are much stronger than you thought.

• You test out your new camera and find out that you have a knack for photography.

• You say yes to new experiences and learn that you are still young and fun after all.

No matter what happens you will come back changed.  You will be stronger, wiser, and more self-reliant.  You’ll have victories to remember for the rest of your life.  Share them if you can, you will change other lives too!