A Change of Place for a Change of Pace!

What is it about certain trips that make them so life changing?  I once heard that if you have a dilemma or need to make an important decision, a change of place or change of geography could be just what you need.  It gives you a new perspective and helps you see the situation with fresh, new eyes and ultimately resolve your dilemma.
 
   We're creatures of habit. Without realizing it, years can whizz by as you live in a routine of safety, old repetitious habits and sameness.  Sometimes my life gets stale and it feels like the words on my shampoo bottle- Lather, Rinse, Repeat, Lather, Rinse, Repeat.  Ground Hog Day all over again every morning!
   Is it time to get out of your comfort zone?  When was the last time you stretched yourself, travelled somewhere new, maybe even felt some fear and travelled to someplace stimulating and new?  Last year I made a commitment to try to something bold, brave and new every day.  In fact, I have those words written on a sticky note on my computer.  How about a bold, brave, new travel adventure to an exotic place you've dreamed about for years? 
 
   Wanderlust (I love that, the "lust to wander") has led me to some incredible life changing trips over the years.  I rode the rapids of the Rogue River in Oregon with my family and fell in love with the head oarsman.  I backpacked through Europe with my sister and two best friends at 21 years old.  We laughed our way through 10 countries. I explored Africa, met Masai tribesmen in Kenya, saw the oldest Homo sapiens' bones in the Great Rift Valley of Africa.  I had a summer love with a handsome Greek while sailing the Greek Islands on a Greek sailing vessel with some other UCLA students.  Our mast broke when our boat crashed into Paul Newman's yacht fortuitously stranding us on the Isle of Mikonos for a week.  What crazy luck! We had a ball drinking  Greek ouzo cocktails and talking with Scandinavians, Germans and other young international visitors in Greek tavernas.  Travel makes you feel younger.  It invigorates your spirit.  You see things through childlike eyes.  I love seeing the panorama of life from a global perspective.  I rented a cottage with some English friends that had no phone or television in the South of France, cooking gourmet meals together and serving them alfresco at night while sharing delicious French wine and hilarious stories with each other. 
 
   I travelled to Tokyo with my father and rode the Shinkansen high-speed bullet train, sampling strange foods and learning so much about my adventurous, generous, gracious father.  I changed my life at Miraval Resort outside of Tucson, Arizona after suffering corporate burnout, took morning hikes in the desert, experienced the horse whisperer, and took meditation classes and mindful eating classes. I returned from that trip with ideas for a new business and a desire to bring more heart into corporate America.  I felt the thrill of flying in a rickety helicopter over majestic Iguasu Falls in Brazil.   I fell in love with Chiang Mai while elephant trekking in the Golden Triangle of Thailand.  Had some huge AHA's and decided to start my own business while doing some deep soul searching on my balcony at Caneel Bay Resort in the US Virgin Islands. 
 
   Yes - I realized at a young age that the sun doesn't rise and set over Los Angeles.  Travel always changes my worldview.   Every time I fly home to LAX and the plane touches down onto the runway, I feel like I'm a new me.  I've usually learned so much on my travels but still feel the thrill of arriving home and want to kiss the palm trees at LAX when I disembark.  Los Angeles is my home for better or for worse.  Getting away out of my comfort zone stretches me and expands my view of life. 
 
   Your next journey could be the life changing experience you've been looking for.  Your next holiday could even inspire your next job.  What were some of your life changing trips?  Are you ready for an adventure and some risk taking?  How about a trip to somewhere you've never been?  Explore new places.  It could actually end up being an amazing, transformative journey...into yourself!