Our bodies know what is best for us, even when it comes to where we should travel next.
The nose knows the beach is best / Photo: oblivion head
Recent studies in the world of nutrition have found that our nose knows what foods are best for us.
Our taste preferences for certain foods actually begin with how they smell, and researchers have found these preferences may be linked to the nutritional value of the food.
Not sure how McDonald’s fits into this scenario. But the idea of following your nose for the health benefits led me to ponder about what it might mean to follow your nose when it comes to travel.
No, I don’t think you can smell your way to the best locale of the moment. Yet, what connects the idea of following your nose when it comes to both food and travel is basic intuition. It’s the belief that our bodies know best, or at least a whole lot better than our brains do.
Instinct and intuition aren’t exactly the same thing, but they can both fall into the category of showing up as that first “hit.” This is the hit we often play down once we begin to think about the pros and cons of an issue.
What if you decided to follow the first hit you have about where you want to travel next?
So, what if you decided to follow the first hit you have about where you want to travel next, and stop yourself from going through the pros and cons process? You hop on Hotwire to find a last minute cheap hotel in that town you’ve been wanting to visit, or you log on to Couchsurfing and email a few people to see if they have an open spot.
Maybe Craigslist has a cheap vacation rental, or even a trade. If none of those pan out, you know it’s not meant to be. Or you throw the tent in the car, hit the supermarket to fill your cooler with food and ice, and just take off.
This may be easier to do starting with say, a day trip out of town, but who knows? That day trip may lead you to an overnight, a week away, or to becoming a complete travel vagabond.
Or you may end up back at home because you kind of have work and a family to take care of, and that’s perfectly fine, too.
Yes, it’s a bit of traveling without a plan, but it might just lead you to exactly where you are supposed to be.
Do you think follow your nose travel is a viable option? Share your thoughts below.
Community Connection
See how following her instincts led to amazing travels in Emily Hansen’s piece, Reflections From A Female Solo Traveler. Experience the taste of travel freedom in Carlo Alcos’ article, Why You Should Travel Independently on the Trans Siberian Railway.
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5 Comments... join the discussion!
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My husband and I traveled India, Thailand and Nepal for six months with no guide book and no real idea of where we were going. We found our way by reading books written by people who’d either traveled there or were from there. It was a great way to find places ‘off the beaten track’. We were only led astray once and even then we found a beautiful Jain temple as a result!
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I must say, while I love the taste of maccas (that’s Aussie talk for McDonalds) I don’t like the smell. So, it actually does make sense because it’s horrible for you.
I can’t remember what/where I read about “intuition” but we really should pay more attention to this, the “gut feeling”. I don’t think it’s magical, but our brains have processed some information on some level to make us reach a conclusion about something, that appears to be out of nowhere.
You’re right, we pro and con the hell out of our first instincts and lots of times that leads to problems and regrets.
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Someone once told me:
“The voice of Intuition
Is a Soft and Gentle Whisper…”…not like the shrill voice of our fears that screams all of those objections…
It’s stuck with me ever since, and has been serving me well!
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I love this. Bad things happen to people when they travel because we get scared in new enviroments, and the negative enegery attracts all the bad outcomes. If you go through travel with a positive spirit and think about how incredible and uplifting your next destination is going to be, thats how it will turn out.
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