What No One Tells You About Global Travel

Travel bloggers appear to be taking over the internet. Everyone is talking about global travel and it seems that #wanderlust has been trending for years. Instagram and Facebook are flooded with pictures of tanned travelers sipping cocktails in bikinis while lounging on white sand beaches with captions like, “Just another Monday afternoon!” But is it really all sunshine and daiquiris? Or is there another side to global travel? Read on to learn what no one tells you about global travel.

It can be the hardest thing you will ever do

If you think deciding how many shoes to pack is hard, just wait until you get off the plane. Global travel is full of unexpected challenges. You are going to be farther from home than you’ve ever been surrounded by people who don’t speak your language and don’t share your cultural practice. You learn so much from adapting to this change, but when you are thrown into a foreign world, it can take a while to find your feet.

Depending where you travel to, you might not have hot water or you might be served unidentifiable foods. If you are doing a global service project, you will be exposed to ways of life you probably never even considered before. By the end of your global travel you will have a wealth of new experiences and you will be a stronger, more worldly person. But first you have to go through the hard part: adapting, learning, and letting yourself change. For most of us change doesn’t come easy, but once we allow it, it’s the best thing we could ever ask for.

You will never quite recover from it

When you come home from global travel, things don’t go back to the way they were. You see everything with a new perspective and consider everything in respect to what you witnessed abroad. Whether it’s a six-month solo adventure or a one-week wellness retreat, you are going to come home changed. And before long, you are going to want to leave again.

There’s a reason ‘wanderlust’ became a trending term. The travel bug is a real infliction that you are bound to bring home with you. If you are expecting your global travel to be a one-time thing, don’t. But that’s what makes it so great. You get through the challenges and it makes you appreciate the things you have at home, but it also makes you realize how capable you are. It teaches you things. And before long you are addicted to places you’ve never seen.

It is also more spectacular than you ever imagined

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but global travel is worth a million. And there’s no number of blogs you can read or Instagram accounts you can follow that will express just how incredible global travel really is. For that, you need to go for yourself. Because beyond the challenges, beyond the cocktails on the beach, and beyond the travel bug, there’s a certain something that waits for you on the other side of the world.

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you travel to, but when you enter the world of global travel you learn something about yourself. You learn about the world and your place in it. And you come home with a fuller heart and a more complete soul. So if the challenges of global travel scare you, just remember this: it is always worth it.

6 Reasons Global Travel Will Change Your Life

We have all seen the pictures. You know, the ones of smiling men and women in front of stunning international backdrops. The ones that make you think, “I should go there”. But when all we have is a pretty picture and some vague idea that it would be nice to travel, it is hard to justify the cost of the plane ticket and the effort that goes into planning global travel. On the other hand, once you weigh all the benefits it is impossible to justify staying at home! Looking for an excuse to get your own wow-worthy photos? Here are seven reasons why global travel is totally worth it.

1. You will get a new perspective on things

Whether you climb up mountain peaks or stick your toes in the sand along the ocean shore, global travel is guaranteed to change the way you look at some things. We spend most of our lives in a relatively small area, be it within one town, one state, or one country. We see the same things. We eat the same food. Regardless of how we feel about it, we generally know one way of life.

That’s not the case when you start traveling. Maybe you will find yourself adopting a pura vida lifestyle in Costa Rica or dining on guinea pig in Peru. Wherever you go, you are bound to be exposed to ways of life that you never knew existed. From solo travel to global service to group retreats, all types of global travel are guaranteed to send you home with new eyes.

2. You will meet people who will change your life

It is human nature to surround ourselves with people that share our values and beliefs. That is especially easy to do when you live in one place where most people share similar backgrounds and life experience. It is not so easy to do when you embrace global travel.

When we travel, we are suddenly exposed to people of vastly different backgrounds from our own. Be it the locals or your fellow travelers, you are bound to meet plenty of people who challenge the way you think and encourage you to open yourself to new ideas. Their ways of thinking and interacting with the world can change your life. Some of them might make you reconsider ideas of your own, others might make you realize how important your beliefs are to you. Either way, you are bound to learn something from the people you meet during global travel.

3. And you will make friends to last a lifetime

Most of the people you meet when traveling are fleeting. You know them for a couple days while you are in the same country and though the bonds you form are real and powerful, they only last as long as your trip. Once you leave you go back to your friends and family and they go back to theirs.

But the rare few stick with you. Every once in a while you meet a travel friend that is going to be in it for the long run. And they are some of the most valuable things you get out of global travel. Because no matter where you go or what you do, they will always be there to remind you never to forget the things you experienced and learned while you were traveling with them. Plus, if they live abroad, you have free housing for your next global adventure. And who doesn’t want that?

4. But it is yourself that you will get to know the best

The fleeting interactions and the lasting relationships are what you will remember most from your travel experience, but it is the bond you form with yourself that is the most powerful. When we step outside of our comfort zones (and global travel is outside most of our comfort zones) we are faced with obstacle after obstacle. Everything is new and different, which only makes it more challenging.

But when your entire foundation is challenged and nothing around you is the same, it forces you to find your center where everything is true and nothing changes. It is a small place inside of us, but it is inside of us—all of us. Most of us have never had a reason to dig it out, but the shock of travel brings it up. You stop identifying yourself with who your friends are and what you do while because none of that matters when you are traveling. Instead, your identity becomes who you are when all the other stuff is removed. That is the only thing that is left when you travel.

5. You will start looking at home differently

Eventually the time will come when you have to go home again. You will probably shed some tears and wonder when you can get back to global travel, but fear not. Some of the best lessons come when you return. Some of it is little stuff, like realizing how luxurious it is to have a hot shower and the ability to flush toilet paper instead of throwing it away.

Some of the lessons are bigger. A travel friend once told me that at least 50% of what you learn from travel you learn when you get home, and I couldn’t agree more. You start to see everything that was familiar for so many years as different. You start to compare it and reconsider it with the fresh eyes that only global travel can give you.

6. And you realize that ‘across the world’ is not so far away

Sure, the airfare and mileage doesn’t change after you travel abroad, but something else does; your view of it all. Once you’ve taken the plunge, global travel doesn’t seem so scary anymore and the idea of putting everything on hold to travel the globe starts to make perfect sense.

You also realize that even though on the surface everything is different, the countries and cultures of the world aren’t as diverse as we think. Everywhere you go you will realize that deep down, people are people, and that doesn’t change no matter what corner of the map you land in.

Shaktis Retreat Leaders Share How Retreats Impact Communities With Love, Power, Courage, and Awareness.

This will be Shaktis 3rd year to partner with True Nature Education and lead a retreat in Costa Rica. We are thrilled beyond words to have such a dynamic and vibrant trio of ladies as a part of our family. We are constantly inspired by the community they build with their students! We asked them, what they thought made their yoga collective so strong and present, and their answer was simple, retreats. Retreats are a fantastic opportunity to build bounds, break barriers, and form connections with your fellow yogis. Want to experience this magnetism first hand? Join their retreat today! Click here to learn more and sign-up. Explore more of Kelly, Jennifer, and Lauren’s Costa Rican retreat and how they foster this feeling of togetherness. Lauren was kind enough to share her thoughts and a little preview of the Pura Vida that is in store!

“One thing I know for sure is we all three connect with the ocean and each other. Kelly, Jennifer and I are excited to travel to the beautiful Costa Rica and lead our first retreat all 3 together. The three of us have known each other for over 5 years and we have supported each other in the growth of family, being students, teachers, studio owners, and community leaders. Kelly and I founded Shakti Power Yoga in Nashville in 2012, and a year later Jen founded Glow Yoga in Gulf Shores and just recently opened one in Mobile, AL. Jen We all three thrive on creating community and sharing our love of yoga with all we meet. Yoga has shifted each of our lives and it opened us up to something bigger. We want to make a powerful impact in our communities and generate love, power, courage, and awareness. This will be Shaktis 3rd year to partner with True Nature Education and lead a retreat in Costa Rica. The time we spend there is absolutely magical, seriously each moment is special and we have fond memories of the joy and restoration it brings us. We thrive on creating community and partnerships and our yoga retreats allow people to step away and create space for new relationships, for rejuvenation, for fun! Let me share just a little taste of our wonderful experience. We stay at a beautiful resort in Santa Teresa Beach. The journey from San Jose is adventurous and a special time to connect with the everyone on the bus and boat. From The moment we arrive we are greeted by the kind staff and taken to our bungalow. The smell and breeze of the ocean is present right when you arrive and you know you are only a few hundred yards from the sand being in your toes, oh bliss. The bungalows have hammocks hanging just outside, perfect place to cozy up with a book or a nice afternoon nap. There is a calm about the place and feel of home. Oh and the practice space, it overlooks the ocean and the sound of the waves remind you to breath deep and free. The warmth on your skin adds the extra heat to the practice allowing you to dive in and let the residue fade away. You are a part of nature, free to play, grow, and explore. The Costa Rican fare speak to my heart and body. You can eat clean and fresh and feel nourished everyday. The resort has an amazing restaurant team that cares about the food they are serving and most of all are so kind and welcoming to each one of us. We have created friendships over the years and look forward to returning and connecting with the amazing staff. The community service project we commit to each trip is one of the most memorable experiences. We volunteer at a local school. We play soccer with the kids, sing, teach yoga, paint, garden, or anything we can do to be of service for the school. I know we get more out of it than the students. Our hearts are filled when we get to make a real connection with children and the feel of welcome and love from this is inspiring to see. I feel we left more connected and stronger as a group after this project, we still talk about the amazing kids and look forward to returning next year. Kelly, Jennifer, and I have a strong connection and we do a great job of going with the flow and working together. I think we all 3 could be sisters! We each have our own unique way to connect with people, how we teach, but we all three are committed to impact and build community and to live an INSPIRED life. We are excited to share our love of the practice in Costa Rica Retreat in 2016. We hope you will join us! Pura Vida!

“FOR LOVE IS HERE AND NOW” ALANA’S INSIGHT ON TRUST IN THE UNIVERSE AND ON SUP YOGA

“Ma’ane’i no ke aloha,” is Hawaiin for , “For love is here and now.” Every day of this summer has been led by love. It has been a journey of heart expansion. Since my first retreat with True Nature Education this past January in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, I have learned that home truly is where the heart is. Living from the heart is a way of Be-in. It is not something that can be learned, rather it is something to be returned to. It is a home coming.

I have been undone by Costa Rica. I am being rebuilt with Love. Last year, I lived in Costa Rica for 6 months. I moved there thinking I would get married to my then boyfriend, buy a home there, have some kids, settle down, teach retreats, happily ever after, etc. Things do not always work out the way we SEE them working out but I know that we are all in good hands with the Universe. My plans didn’t pan out the way I thought they would. However, they have turned out to be better than I could have fathomed.

I left the boyfriend. I decided to move back to the States after my January Retreat. My heart is with yoga and showing others how to find compassion for themselves and the world by SEEING the world. This is a BIG piece of my Path. It is what lights me up from within. That is how I know. A great teacher once told me, “Listen closely to what the heart deeply desires and follow it with complete abandon.’ I knew I would continue to teach in Costa Rica . The retreat turned out to not only be a life changing experience for my students but for me as well. I was shedding my old snake skin to become an empty vessel for Spirit to use. All I knew from that moment on was I was meant to help others by using the faculties that God gave me. My inherent gifts and passions. I knew that I was meant to inspire others to do the same. I had no idea what the details between these points would be, but I trusted the Universal Spirit to take care of it… and so it is.

I made a vision board in early 2014. On it, visions of beautiful retreats and service work, a career and Path in yoga, yoga photography and modeling, singing kirtan and beyond, writing, having a beautiful home, paddle boarding and surfing, traveling the world and connecting with myself and nature in a way I hadn’t before. All of these have come to fruition in different stages since.

After Costa Rica, I moved to Boulder, CO to settle down and come back to after teaching retreats. What happened the following month after the move was totally unexpected. Boulder was highly competitive and my saving was dwindling. I know from experience that my Creator does not want me to struggle.. I prayed and meditated on what was I to do next. I had the inspired thought to call a new studio that had opened up just before my Costa Rica adventure. I asked the owner if there was space for me at the studio to teach full time… her response was that and beyond. I would fly back a week later to become a manager and lead teacher of the studio. This studio is founded in love. I absolutely LOVE Ruah. Through teaching at Ruah I met this wonderful lady who owns a stand up paddle board yoga company called SunriseSUP. She knew I was in love with surfing from my time in Costa Rica and thought of me for teaching with her in the Annapolis area.

I have been teaching all summer and while I don’t have the West Coast swell here, SUP keeps me connected to the water and ultimately keeps me grounded and humbled. I am a beginner at yoga all over again, both teaching and as a student. I am re-learning basic postures like Warrior 1. I absolutely LOVE it. It is ultimately making my earth practice much stronger.

On top of everything else I am continuing to write my first book and just recently got connected with some amazing Kirtan artists and I am going to begin training to be a Kirtan singer as well. To add icing to that, I met the man of my dreams here. We are deeply connected, desire the same things, and have a free spirited zest for life. I never thought I would end up back here but can I tell you, I am so happy I did.

My retreat for Jan 2016 is full and we are now checking into overflow options for guest! I am incredible grateful. I am preparing to launch a second retreat in Peru with True Nature Education (Stay tuned!). The more I TRUST in the Universe, the more I am miraculously taken care of in ways hadn’t even dreamed. The gift of it all is I can be PRESENT for these gifts today because of my continuous practice and desire to experience life fully. Join me for love, laughter, adventure, and yoga abroad.

Mahalo,

Alana

“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” Marissa Mayer

Interested in checking out a Costa Rican yoga retreat? Check out all of our retreats here!

"FOR LOVE IS HERE AND NOW" ALANA'S INSIGHT ON TRUST IN THE UNIVERSE AND ON SUP YOGA