If you are planning on traveling the world, you are no doubt wondering if you have family you’d be missing. Probably wife, husband, kids, parents and siblings would be the most missed during world travel. Since I am personally planning a trip around the world next year, here are my reflections on this subject.
World travel opens up one’s spirit like nothing else. Changing one’s environment, even for just a while has the effect of clearing up one’s perspective on life and helps to shape it’s future. Of course, the comforts and stability of home are far more reassuring and easy to do than taking off, gallivanting around the world. Family is a significant magnet to staying comfortably at home and never leaving one’s province. Is that what you want for yourself though… to never have seen the world but at least to have been with the family every single day of our life?
To me, when you decide to shape your life by traveling you get a global vision of the world, the state of your own affairs, your community and your family. Traveling tends to make you be more open to all kinds of people and helps you be more self sufficient and appreciative of your own familiar surroundings. Gone is the monotony and wonder comes back into every day life. After having missed your family during travel, you will tend to be way more affectionate, expressive and tender with your loved ones after your return.
Once you arrive from a trip, especially a trip to lesser developed countries, you will be so grateful for your own comforts at home. Another wonderful effect of travel is that travel makes you that much more interesting. Imagine the positive effects you will be having upon your family when you report to them all kinds of experiences from across the world. You will ultimately enrich your family’s life by showing them pictures of your travels and by retelling the stories of the awesome, scary and fun experiences you had on your trip.
Focus on savoring the experience of travel. Make the most of every minute on your trips and keep souvenirs and memories of each place you visit so that you are well equipped to tell the stories of your travel to your family. If you are missing your family a lot during travel, you can document, take pictures and videos of the travel locations you go to with your family in mind. Speak to them in the video and tell them what you are experiencing and that you miss them. This will alleviate your sorrow and help you feel as though your family is with you on your tip. Skype, email, facetime on iPhone and Facebooking can also be great tools in staying close to your family without depriving yourself of world travel and the expansion it will bring to your soul.