the key travel practice we almost always overlook – and it makes trips so much better!

There’s almost nothing more exciting than planning for a trip. It’s fun considering options, researching the location and imagining all adventures I’ll have.

But we often set out on a trip with the wrong focus. We make elaborate plans of what we will see, do and eat. Yet we forget to get clear on what we want from our trips.

This missing piece to travel planning can make the difference between a great trip and one that you’d rather forget. Setting your intention for your trip can change everything.

An intention can help us magnetize the experiences we want to have beyond what we can plan. It can help us stay centered when travel plans shift. Consider these inquiries:

What kind of experience do you want to have?How do you want to feel?How do you want to be in the face of it all?How do you want to return home?

Some examples of travel intentions include:

In Hawaii, I am present with my husband on our honeymoon. Among all the activities and adventures, I intend to be present with him and with us. I use this time to connect and to solidify our commitment to each other and to our marriage. All the planning and decisions will be made with this in mind – connection, commitment and fun.

In Paris, I feed my curiosity. I discover new things and am open to the unexpected. I feel engaged and active but relaxed. I make time to linger in cafes and parks. I am sure to spend time with friends and make new friends. I am open to visual stimuli that makes its way into my art. I return home refreshed and full of new, creative ideas.

Set your travel intention

What about your upcoming trips? What intention might you set? Try this exercise from my Magic Journey, Magic Journal class to find and set a powerful intention.

Do a free-write about your upcoming trip. Write about everything you want to see, do, eat and experience. Write about what you want to feel. Go wild and make all the wishes you want for your trip.

Set a timer for 10 minutes and start with the prompt my intention for my trip…

Then, read through it and pull it into one or two sentences. Write your intention for your trip in the front of your travel journal. You can use rubber stamps or do your own lettering for your intention. You can also set an intention for your journal.

My own travel intention

I’m headed to Paris soon, where I will spend three weeks on my own.

While there, I will catch up with friends. I’ll absorb patterns for my 100 Day Project and explore new adventures in the city. There’s the Portes Ouvertes Belleville, which is a fantastic artist open studio weekend in Belleville. I might do a Coffee Cupping at Belleville Brulerie (in French!).

My intention is to have new experiences, fill my creative well and come back refreshed and ready for a great summer and work on my book.

Because I have been going to Paris every year since 2000, I often get requests for information about Paris. Last year I wrote an ebook with my approach to Paris that includes my favorites and resources. You can get your copy of Visit Paris Like an Artist here. It’s also a useful creativity guide for anyplace you are traveling. Here’s what a recent buyer said about it:

“I’m loving Visit Paris Like an Artist. It could be applied ANYWHERE one visits. Your book is wonderful reading… thanks.”

Get your copy here!

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