The Cotswold Way is a long-distance walk that provides a taste of quintessential English countryside. The route is home to ancient castles, Neolithic burial grounds, idyllic villages and breathtaking views. When my friend Lisa recently returned from walking a portion of the Cotswold Way with her husband, I was curious about her trip and she kindly agreed to let me interview her about her experience.

I consider myself creative, just not in the art class sense. I have always gravitated away from drawing and painting and lean toward photography and digital creations. But recently I’ve felt a tug to play around with paper, pens, colour, and paint.

My love of travel is intertwined with this creative longing. On recent trips, I gazed with interest and curiosity at people who sat quietly while sketching their surroundings. I saw this among the ruins of Pompeii, the shoreline of Nova Scotia, and on a cobblestoned street in Trapani. I have readers who paint from their travel pictures and my heart flutters at the idea of recreating a travel memory on canvas.

“Slow down, Tracy” Catherine whispered as I walked the forest path. Silently chuckling, I heeded Catherine’s advice, slowed my pace and focused on the forest around me.

Slowing down is a skill I attempt to practice in many areas of my life, but I didn’t expect a nature and wildlife photography tour to be the immersive experience I needed to “find” my slower pace. hmmm

Not surprisingly, children experience awe more frequently than adults. Their natural curiosity and openness to new experiences make them prone to wonder and awe. But as adults, we can renew and re-engage with these feelings by actively seeking opportunities and noticing moments. Good news!! When you approach it as a PRACTICE, like yoga or working out, you’ll find that the more you engage with awe, the easier it becomes to find it and feel it. The more moments of awe you feel, the stronger your capacity is for more!

Visiting Pompeii is an awe-inspiring experience. The site is massive - it’s a CITY, so it's helpful to plan ahead to make it as stress-free as humanly possible. There is no ONE right way to travelling well but allow me to share my experience of Pompeii. Learn from my mistakes, try out my recommendations, or do your own thing and strike out on your own path. However your day at Pompeii looks - we can marvel together at the incredible window into the past.

If the thought of long-distance walking gives you an exhilarating thrill and feeds your adventurous spirit - I’m with you! Besides being one of the growing trends in active tourism, there is an irresistible allure to spending time outdoors, walking through natural beauty, and learning about a place on foot. Europe in particular, boasts a remarkable network of meticulously designed paths that weave and wind across the continent and has long embraced the culture of long-distance walking and thru-hiking.

Discover the numerous reasons why people choose to walk solo in this blog post. From physical health benefits to mental well-being advantages such as reduced stress levels and enhanced creativity, there are countless compelling reasons to embark on a solo long-distance walk. Step outside and experience the wonders of walking alone.

Have you ever experienced that nature smells sweeter, food tastes better, buildings seem more photo-worthy, and people-watching is far more engaging when you are travelling?

It’s not that these simple experiences are never “as good” at home, but rather foreign or different settings can heighten or deepen the way we process these as a travel experience. It’s largely psychological: our minds are primed by unfamiliar surroundings, stimulated by new challenges, and highlighted by emotions. Travel (and solo travel especially) puts us into a state where we notice more and feel more.

I am passionate about travel and well-being as important, healthy, and meaningful and my messages are often about personal development, growth, and stepping out of your comfort zone. “Fun” sounded less important. But then it dawned on me…oh yeah, of course! Travel is also fun! And fun is really good for us too.

You are in very, very good company if you feel pre-trip jitters and the frightening discomfort of travel anxiety before you embark on any kind of trip or vacation. It's normal to worry before you leave home. Travel is a change that distances us from our comfort zone.

A travel story not far from home. There is a tributary of the Campbell River on Vancouver Island called the Quinsam. It is small and quiet, with a maze of beautiful riverside paths that wind through the forest leading to a fish hatchery. My husband and I often camp in the Campbell River area and love to explore this beautiful place not too far from where we live. I’m a nemophilist, a term I learned recently that describes someone who loves the forest for its beauty and solitude. Canada (and especially Vancouver Island) attracts fellow nemophilist visitors from around the world.

I know I’m in my challenged state when my vision narrows and my brain turns my outside world into a fuzzy blurriness. My body slowly moves like I’m going through heavy water, and butterflies emerge from their slumber and slip into my belly, tickling my insides and lathering up my stomach acid. This state of challenge can be uncomfortable and scary, especially in a foreign or unfamiliar place.

I have no memory of my grandmother. She is described as a formidable woman, who expressed emotions not through words or hugs, but through hard work and baking. Growing up, my grandmother and her six siblings were often written about in the Chilliwack newspaper’s society column.

I remember nature walks as a child with my mother. Sometimes down a forest trail but more often along a beach, she would always point out little things like a colour, a plant, a rock, or a seashell that I would have blindly passed by. Our pockets would become heavy with heart-shaped stones, sea glass or twisted driftwood. Sometimes my load would become so unwieldy that I’d have to flip up the front of my t-shirt like a kangaroo pocket. Her ability to notice unexpected things made walks feel like treasure hunts.

For some people, trip planning is a thrill and a joy. For others it's a nightmare. If you've gotten to know me through my articles you'll know that I fall firmly in the joy category!

I have two friends visiting southern Spain as I write this and I am so thrilled and excited that their trips look very different from mine. Not because they are doing it better or that my month in Spain was anything less than amazing, but because they created highly personalized travel plans. THEY are the heart of their itinerary - not any instagram influencer, not a guidebook, not a tour company, and not me.

The concept of belonging plays a significant role in our well-being. In fact, belonging hangs out, right alongside love in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Belonging is fundamental to us as humans. Given that I also believe that travel offers people a way to foster well-being, I got curious about the relationship between belonging and travel.

Often when friends reach out to me for travel planning advice I quickly get swept up in sharing their excitement and anticipation… almost as much as with my own planning! I love to help maximize travel time and dollars while matching activities with a person’s dreams and goals.

Awe is one of our most complex and mysterious emotions. Awe comes in various forms and we have all experienced it at some level: your jaw dropping in amazement, those little goosebumps on your skin, your breathing halted by a feeling of wow, even a sense of fear or uncertainty in the presence of something incomprehensible.

One year ago I began to prepare for my first solo long distance walk. My approach was focused on the physical preparation of walking and the organization of my itinerary. I made the assumption that any aha moments on my carefully crafted journey of self-discovery was going to be as a result of being solo, not from walking.

I was wrong. Walking was the catalyst for learning about myself as much, if not more, than being on my own.  Along with good science, the experience convinced me that there is a self-development connection between walking and wellbeing.

I’m not afraid to try something new especially when it has something to do with travel and wellbeing. That doesn’t make me immune to feeling frustrated or even incompetent while learning – in fact it invites it.