When we travel, we're essentially inviting ourselves somewhere, and that gives us a certain responsibility towards the place we're visiting. We receive so many things when we travel: memories, experiences, insights, new points of view, wisdom, beauty... If we want to respect the process of giving/receiving, it's only natural that we should also offer something in return to the place we're visiting.
Conscious travel means respecting the places we visit, seeking to establish a real connection with the different places and being aware of our impact as individuals.
Connecting with the place
Often when we go somewhere, we don't manage to synchronise ourselves with the place, or we don't take the time to really establish a connection with the place, because our presence is only ephemeral. The result is that we remain a foreign intrusion during our time there, which is a shame.
There are ways of doing things differently: when you arrive somewhere, take a moment to connect with the place, to really become part of it. Take a few minutes to BE in that place, without doing anything. Just be there in silence: silence on the outside and silence on the inside. This will allow you to feel the place and synchronise with it, and it will allow the place to recognise you and welcome your energy.
I connect every time I arrive somewhere. It's really amazing to see how the connection with the environment changes completely and to feel and see how that environment accepts you, welcomes you straight away once you take the time to establish a connection. Instead of disrupting your environment, you merge with it. Life takes its course and you become part of it.
Becoming aware of energy
Every place where humans have passed carries the memories of all those passages. If you go to tourist spots, not only does the place carry the energy and memory of everything that has happened there in the past, but it also carries the energy of all the people who have set foot there. People who fight, who are ill, who are unhappy, who are traumatised... everything leaves its mark.
If it's a place where a lot of people pass through, you can imagine the energetic baggage of the place.
It's a good idea to do a little (energetic) cleansing when you arrive somewhere and again when you leave. This will help you to feel good and not to be affected by energies/emotions that don't belong to you, and will ensure that the place doesn't become weighed down by your energy.
You don't need to be an expert in energy rituals to be able to cleanse a place. All you have to do is consciously send a cleansing energy through your thoughts in the way that comes to you spontaneously. For example, you could do a meditation with the intention of cleansing or purifying, or simply thank the place for welcoming you.
The simple fact of becoming aware of the energy of the place and the energy you leave behind in that place, as well as feeling gratitude, will already make a world of difference to your travel experience.
Conscious consumption
Money has become one of the most important levers in the world and it is therefore largely your consumer choices that determine the world in which you live. Every purchase tells a story about the things you support or the things you oppose, and that doesn't change when you travel. We all have a responsibility as human beings and together we create the reality we experience.
By choosing quality products and services that respect people and the environment, even if it costs you a little more, you are supporting the development of a sustainable world.
An example: We've just done a jungle tour in Santa Rosa. There are several agencies offering this trip. If you take the cheapest one, you'll find yourself in groups of 10-12 people. It's not easy to see animals when you're driving through the jungle as part of a noisy tourist locomotive. These "cheap" organisations feed the animals so that tourists can get close to them... which completely takes away the animal's natural instinct. Also, the guides don't properly inform the tourists, who empty the bottle of insecticide or toxic sun cream onto their bodies just before diving into the river, thus poisoning the dolphins...
Every action has a consequence, at home and elsewhere.
