Hi there, welcome to Amy Hates Carrots! If it is your first time here, or your 100th 😉 (omg, that would be awesome)  – THANK YOU so much for stopping by m’dear!

My name is Amy Moore and I’m a TRAVEL-obsessed Mindset + Business Coach who helps amazing beings fuel their SOUL [instead of their carrot-chasing ego] and live a m(o)ore (heehee) INTENTIONAL life. That, of course, includes travel too!

 

So what exactly is intentional travel? Let me explain…

Have you ever…

• returned home from a vacation even more exhausted and burned out than when you departed? 
• felt like you needed a vacation FROM your vacation?
• rushed through your trip to squeeze in every single attraction on your list?
• barely remembered entire sections of your trip because of how exhausted and zombie-like you felt?
• shoved multiple countries/states/locations into a single day’s agenda?
• mourned the loss of your vacation + become sad/depressed when returning to your “real” life?
• used travel to temporarily escape unhappy times in your life?

 

I know I certainly have. And after years and years of traveling, I can now say that getting intentional while traveling is the only way I roll! I feel like traveling resets and recharges my life and I feel connected to the places I explore more than I ever did before!

INTENTIONAL TRAVEL  is defined as: Choosing to adventure away from your comfort zone in order to connect more deeply inward, while enriching your life with new experiences (rather than just escaping from it temporarily). 

When living on autopilot our thoughts don’t vary too much. The general day-to-day worries and running to do lists don’t allow much space for new thoughts or ideas to pour in. We have to actively make them happen and when nothing in your day is ever really ‘new’ it takes quite a bit of effort to achieve this.

Isn’t is AMAZING that when you remove all of the comforts of home, your daily routine and your jam-packed schedule, everything gets a bit quieter? Connecting inward is something that happens very naturally when we choose to leave our bubble.

And the best way to do that is by traveling. Travel opens the flood gates for the ‘NEW.’ New tastes, new sounds, new experiences and adventures. All which lead to TONS of new thoughts and ideas should we choose. 

Traveling with intention is just you allowing the newness to connect you more deeply to your destination and to your thoughts + ideas, rather than just temporarily using your vacation to escape the life you left at home.

You can also lean more about living intentionally in ALLLLLL the ways, besides just travel, by reading this post: Intentional Living – A Guide To Quieting The Carrot-Chasing Ego.

“Travel not to escape life but so life doesn’t escape you.” – unknown

 

Enter your info here to get a FREE Intentional Travel Journal:

We’re talking a super awesome printable journal to take with you on your next adventure to make it EXTRA amazing + intentional! Woo hoo!

 

 

How To Travel With More Intention

Whether you’re on a solo adventure, a family getaway or a long term adventure, you can easily choose to fully connect inward while adventuring outward. Here’s how:

 

STEP 1: Limit Your Planning

This one is super tough for me because I LOVE TO PLAN! Life, business and travel planning are my JAM! BUT the more you plan every single trip detail, the less opportunity you leave for beautiful surprises.

Tourist spots are touristy for good reason, but allowing yourself time to wander off the beaten path and follow recommendations provided by locals instead, may often lead to your fondest memories! Keep a list of your must see/do items, but definitely leave wiggle room for spontaneity.

Too much research also leads to expectations and long itinerary checklists. You want to be WOWed by the newness rather than playing the comparison game to a landmark that looked “cooler” on Instagram. 

Have an intentional game plan, but leave wiggle room for the unknown to wow your socks off!

 

STEP 2: Choose The Perfect Travel Buddy

WHO you travel with can change every single detail of your trip. Just make sure that you are both going on this adventure for similar reasons. If they are miserable at home (and in life in general), they are probably looking for an escape and a way to numb themselves into temporary happiness…it will be much more difficult to be present and connect inward with someone like that by your side.

Check out this blog post for more: How To Be An Ideal Travel Buddy

You and your travel buddy should both know that travel can change you for the better and you are both open to that change.

 

 

STEP 3: Know Your Travel Style

Everyone has their fav things to do and see while exploring a new place. When visiting a city with a famous museum I used to always make time for that, even if it took away from my chance to do an outdoor exploration day…I now know that I NEED nature more than I NEED to see the latest exhibit. 

We KNOW what we like to do at home, but sometimes when traveling we are swayed into shifting our likes and dislikes just because someone else is telling us to. Be open to anything that comes your way but also be REAL with yourself about what your travel style is.

Do you love live local music/theatre or taking a local cooking class perhaps? Do you like to lay at the beach and read a book or do you prefer to spend your time on a day tour learning about history? 

Make a list of your favorite types of things to do before you plan your trip and it will help to limit your planning and keep you on track to make the most of your time by sticking to your favorite activities.

 

STEP 4: Pack Less

Nothing takes up your time quite like the THINGS that you bring with you. Where will you store them? How will you transport them? Hours spent getting ready, unpacking and re-packing. Your stuff tends to own you (your time and space) regardless of where you are in the world.

Just bring what you need to be safe [avoid theft by taking a few extra steps in your product purchases…they may not always be necessary but they provide peace of mind]. Be respectful [dress to fit in with the culture you are visiting]. Be comfortable [bring clothing and shoes that you will be comfortable using, stored in a bag that you can actually lift easily].

Check out this blog post for more: How To Pack (As Little As Possible) For Your Travels

Simplify your entire experience and create more travel time by bringing less with you.

 

STEP 5: Slow Your Roll

If you can be flexible with your time, choose stay in one place longer than a few hours or even a single day. You can rent an apartment or AirBnb, buy groceries at the local market, explore the local neighborhoods and truly LIVE like a local to soak in all that your destination has to offer. 

More time in a new place allows you to connect inward. When quickly rushing through a bucket list of must-sees, rest is the last thing on your mind.

I’ll never forget my first trip to London, I was soooo excited to see everything but especially looking forward to see Big Ben (ya know, Peter Pan made me love that darn clock as a wee child LOL)…I was too tired to get off the bus so I handed my friend my camera and asked her to take a pic for me. #SMH – perhaps if I was a tad bit more rested I could have really been a part of that trip, but I missed so many moments because I was running on empty and rushing through a checklist.

Allow yourself to rest, reset and recharge. That’s when the deep reflection + fabulous epiphanies will happen more naturally. 

 

STEP 6: Run With New Thoughts + Ideas

You’re going to see, smell, taste and hear NEW stuff allllll day long. Let your mind run with it and get more and more curious as new thoughts and ideas pop in your mind. These are the moments that naturally connect you inward.

When you return home, instead of mourning the loss of your vacay, take some time to add some of your new ideas and favorite details about your trip into your daily routine. The trip already enriched your life in some way, but applying any of your fav ‘NEW’ things from your trip to your daily life enrich it that much more!

“When you’re curious, fun just has a way of just showing up.” -Curious George

 

STEP 7: Journal, Journal + Journal Some More

Something magical happens when you hand write your thoughts and ideas, especially when you do it away from the comforts of home. You will be amazed to discover so much about yourself and the detail of observation and appreciation for the new culture you are visiting.

Use a journal to dive super deep into your big picture and your true self’s dreams. Write down all of those new ideas and thoughts while traveling. In the AM you can set some intentions for the day and in the PM find gratitude for all that the day brought your way.

I have a super handy printable journal that you can take on your next adventure! Get it for FREE below!

 

 

Don’t forget to grab your FREE Intentional Travel Journal:

Coming to your inbox stat! Print it out + bring it on your next adventure – I can’t wait to be your intentional tour guide!

 

 

Taking a barefoot twirl break to connect and show gratitude for my journey while road tripping in Montana.

 

You shouldn’t NEED a vacation from your vacation. Getting intentional in life AND travel provides the balance needed to find joy in the day-to-day routine at home AND the adventure that awaits in a new place.

I hope that you will join me on this journey to more intentional travel! I can’t even wait to see all of the amazing discoveries you collect!!

*Tons of Travel Hugs* -Amy