Going on an African safari changed my life. As far as I’m concerned, everyone should go to Africa at least once. But maybe your dream vacation isn’t Africa. Maybe it’s Italy or Japan or the Maldives. Maybe it’s in the United States–an Alaskan cruise or a luxurious resort in Hawaii. You’ve thought about it many times; you’ve even gone so far as to research it, but there are so many factors to consider. There’s the time off work and the expense. The logistics are challenging. You have pets or children who can’t go with you. Flying scares you. There are limitless, justifiable reasons to explain why you can’t take that trip right now. So you relegate your dream vacation to “someday”, trusting that the opportunity will present itself later.
But there are also some pretty compelling reasons why you should take that trip now that I want to offer here.
Life is short, but optimal timing is even shorter
In the book Die with Zero, author Bill Perkins suggests that we should be maximizing for net fulfillment over net worth. He posits that at any given stage of life there is a finite amount of time, money, and health available to us. When we are young, we might have the time and the health to take a great adventure but not the money. Yet this is the exact age when taking a risk might be the best choice because there’s not as much at stake. Similarly, many of us put off our dream vacations until we retire. However, if a dream vacation includes any sort of discomfort–like traveling over 24 hours by plane to reach another continent–it might be that by the time we retire, our backs can’t handle that kind of prolonged positioning, and then we’ve missed out on the opportunity altogether. Choosing to prioritize taking that dream trip now means living in the moment. It’s seizing the day and the exact experience we want, and claiming that for ourselves is powerful.
Travel is transformative
I believe that there’s no substitute for travel when it comes to learning about the world–and ourselves. There are differences in the way other people around the globe live their lives and what they value, and this can enrich our understanding of politics, history, and socioeconomics. Moreover, when we immerse ourselves in another culture, we broaden our horizons and push beyond our comfort zones, and this allows us to open up parts of ourselves we might not have discovered otherwise.
For example. I would never have known that I crave adventure had I not experienced cave tubing and hiking in a rainforest in Belize. Similarly, there are no words for the way that seeing animals on safari spoke to my soul. Recently, scientists have started researching the incredible effects of awe for our emotional well-being, and it is universally acknowledged in studies around the world that nature is one of the primary generators of this emotion. The night we followed lions hunting at Phinda Private Game Reserve, I felt overwhelmed by peace, humility, and gratitude. It was one of the most spiritual moments of my life. I was simultaneously struck by my utter insignificance in the world as well as the agency I possessed in making this moment happen. I was both recipient of and contributor to the universe’s gifts, and that was profound.
Experiences are the essence of long-term happiness
In her book The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin writes, “Because money permits a constant stream of luxuries and indulgences, it can take away their savor, and by permitting instant gratification, money shortcuts the happiness of anticipation. Scrimping, saving, imagining, planning, hoping–these stages enlarge the happiness we feel.” Indeed, a number of researchers have found that the anticipation of a trip is the happiest part, and I am inclined to agree with them! We had to wait four years to save up enough money to do Africa the way we wanted to (four years to save up for South Africa and Zimbabwe in 2018 and then another four years to save up for Uganda, Kenya, and Zanzibar in 2022), but the wait only added to the excitement of each vacation. What’s more, we learned that it was worth saving up credit card points to fly in Qatar’s Qsuite on our second trip, and that was almost as delightful an experience as trekking with the gorillas!
As the ultimate experiential investment, travel is uniquely able to deliver three stages of happiness. There is the happiness of anticipation, the joy of the trip itself, and the immense pleasure of reminiscing over the vacation with companions and anyone willing to look at your photobook for years afterwards. Money spent on experiences over things provides exponential returns, and travel specifically is unmatched in its return on investment–especially when it comes to a vacation you’ve spent your whole life dreaming about.
A dream vacation is a dream manifestation
There has been a resurgence in interest in manifestation over the last few years, but I like Mel Robbins’s definition best: “Manifesting is the process of training your mind, body, and spirit to HELP you get what you want.” As I understand it, manifesting is not just magical or wishful thinking; it’s visualizing your dream in such detail and feeling it so strongly in your very essence, that you are propelled to do the work to make that dream a reality. Going to Africa was a lifelong dream. I wanted it more than anything else, and when I told my husband my intention, and he said, “Ok, let’s start saving,” my entire mindset about money began to change. I became strategic about putting aside money and earning more; I read books by Dave Ramsey. There’s too much to share about my efforts to save in this post, but the point is, I had the vision, and I found a way to make it happen. Perhaps that’s not manifesting; it’s just goal setting, but it feels bigger because it triggered a determination I didn’t know I possessed. I had to work hard to afford the dream vacation, and it was everything I wanted. I learned that I could make my dream come true, and that sense of what is possible has translated into every other part of my life now. Maybe money isn’t what’s keeping you from taking your dream vacation. Maybe it’s commitments or work or the season of life that you’re in. Those are all understandable circumstances. Once you decide you really want to take that dream vacation, though, I think you’ll find solutions to those limitations. And maybe that will propel you into taking action on other desires, too.
I promise that making your dream vacation a priority and turning it into a reality will change your life. It’s not the journey or the destination; it’s both. I’m excited for you as you embark on this first step towards fulfilling your dreams and welcoming more joy into your life!
Wildlife & Water Adventures 