Fancy A Cuppa: Lets Talk Travel Moments

01Nov

Speaking of travel moments, mine’s a caramel tea – I’ve still got some left from the Mauritius trip.

Nice mellow, creamy taste, not sugary sweet.

I always try and grab some tea as a souvenir to bring back home and also to retreat to throughout my stay somewhere. ☕️

Travel Moments: Lately

Keeping the travel flame burning when you’re not travelling has become more of a talking point lately.

I’ve mentioned a few things that can help with this before, but I don’t think I talked much about memories and moments per se.

When I hear car horns beeping in busy London traffic I close my eyes and imagine the sounds are coming from tuk-tuks in India or the buses in Barbados. 😌

Underrated and perhaps overlooked – but re-creating some of those memories, sights, sounds, tastes and feelings is quite ‘do-able’ with a bit of imagination and perhaps a few prompts.

A balcony in Cuba, Plaza De Armas, Old Havana

When the sun comes out, I close my eyes, feel the warmth on my face, and imagine I’m somewhere else, on a hotel balcony or siting outdoors having breakfast somewhere hot – the beach just a few steps away and the sound of flip flops adding to the laid back mood.

(I love the smell of new flip flops lol – and Ive got a couple of pairs that haven’t been worn yet so they’ve still got that new rubbery smell ). 🔆

If you’re at home – make yourself a tropical rum punch, fruit cocktail or mojito with lots of ice, then swiftly return to those moments. 🍹

The magpie squawks and other garden bird sounds – could easily be tropical birds high up in the palm trees – just imagine. 🌴 🦜

The rain could be the aftermath of a tropical downpour; open the window listen to it, and smell that earthy/grass smell. 🌧

That church spiral in the distance and bells on a Sunday, could well be a land mark from another beautiful European city. 🕍

Sounds from a construction site become an exciting new beach front hotel in the making. 🏖

If your alarm goes off early for work – pretend you’re getting up for an exciting excursion to a new place. 💫 (or maybe not, I know…. ⏰ 🤣).

Cooking smells from the neighbours turn into the exotic dinners waiting for you in the hotel for the evening – or the local restaurant you’ve made reservations for. 🍽

Sunsets and sunrises can easily make us think of being somewhere else too 🌅 🌇

Looking ahead: Slower Travel

If your imagination can stretch far enough – all the above is possible!! You can quite literally take yourself back to some of those moments – holidays or otherwise.

I don’t know about you but I think this pandemic has helped me appreciate and take more time to recall ‘moments’ rather than taking for granted that I’ll simply repeat them again soon.

The next time I travel (hopefully), I’m vowing to really be in the moment as much as possible, every little detail – nothing will be insignificant – I think that’s part of what they mean by ‘slow travel’. 😉

It’s easy to get caught up in a cycle of ‘what’s next’, but don’t let the excitement of future travel plans dull the edge of those past travel moments – those moments are to be treasured, to take you back there, time and time again.

A random photo of locals talking just outside a sugar mill factory in Cuba, San Juan de los Remedios…..and just before we boarded a fabulous locomotive steam train, just a few steps away.