The values of society have changed over the decade. The way travels are conducted has also changed. Tourism grew enormous, until the pandemic, which made stop at everything.
However, tourism picked up again, but firstly with lots of consideration and precautions. In order to not go back to the unhealthy growth of tourism in the years before the pandemic, lots of destinations trying to change their reputation.
What can you do to make your travels more impactful for yourself and the destination that you are visiting? This blog post covers the meaning of conscious traveling and why it is important, especially in 2023.
What is consciousness
First and foremost, let’s have a look at the definition of consciousness. The definitions for consciousness in Merriam-Webster Dictionary are: “the quality or state of being aware, especially of something within oneself“ and “the state or fact of being conscious of an external object, state, or fact“.
So, consciousness is being mindful of yourself and externalities. Furthermore, psychology describes five stages of consciousness:
- Conscious – sensing, perceiving, and choosing
- Preconscious – memories that we can access
- Unconscious – memories that we cannot access
- Non-conscious – bodily functions without sensation
- Subconscious – inner child, self-image formed in early childhood
A quick internet search leads you to various sides that describe various levels of consciousness. It is based on Freud’s theory and the three levels of mind.
Moreover, consciousness is subjectively expressed.
When consciousness and travel meet
Conscious travel is broader than sustainable tourism, it includes being conscious about yourself as well. Take the break you need after touring the city and withdraw yourself from heated conversations. As well as, understanding different cultures and their customs.
Moreover, conscious travel implies being mindful of your actions and decisions in the place and community you visit.
Why is it important to travel mindfully?
The tourism industry generated $ 9.2 trillion in 2019, in 2021 it was approximately 5.8 billion. Those revenues are not beneficial to all the local communities and the environment. It can destroy local heritage and harm the environment.
Overtourism for example, was very harmful in places like Barcelona, Hallstatt, and Venice. Rent prices are rising, public places are cramped, and it acquired cheap labor from abroad.
Conscious travelers keep that in mind and look for ways to decrease the impact they have on the places they visit. They try to find ways to support the local economy, preserve the environment and learn along the way about the culture.
The reason why I believe conscious travel is currently so important is because of the change in values in society. Whereas in the 50s-60s duty, hard work, and family were of high importance, today the focus is on the quality of life and self-fulfillment. You can enlarge your quality of life when expanding your consciousness. Not for nothing is the supply of psychotherapy, yoga, and meditation courses so high. Because there is a demand for it. Society is ready to be more conscious about themselves and their surroundings. Why not integrate it into your travels?
How to Become a conscious traveler
Awareness of yourself and emotional intelligence
Let’s recall the definition above being aware of something within oneself. Did you ever get triggered? Were you aware of the emotions that arose through that situation? Did find the underlying reason for that trigger?
That’s the point where emotional intelligence comes in. Knowing yourself, your triggers, and your behaviors that are controlled by your subconscious mind is essential to become more mindful. Additionally, being fully aligned with who you are helps you set your boundaries more effortlessly.
Unfortunately, emotional intelligence is rarely taught at school or in upbringing. However, it is crucial to know your state of emotional being and communicate it clearly. In whatever situation you are. And believe me, traveling will be testing you on a continuous basis. One example of my travels is that, as an Austrian, I hate it when people assume: Oh, Germany and Austria, that’s the same thing. When researching why Austrians have this tendency toward Germany, I came across this article. The puzzle was completed, and with this in mind, lots of things made more sense.
Often your thought patterns and behaviors are strongly connected to your culture, cultural values, and beliefs. Being aware of that and understanding it better is half the battle.
If you are more interested in developing emotionally into a free human being. I highly recommend checking out Aaron Doughty’s Emotional Freedom Challenge.
Mindful planning
An important step in planning a conscious journey is to research the destination. Gaining knowledge about the location before visiting allows you to understand its culture, traditions, and values. The research phase can also help you to identify potential areas of concern or cultural sensitivities, and you can plan accordingly. Examples would be appropriate clothing is perceived differently from culture to culture. Communications, time perception, and physical touch are other instances. This doesn’t mean that you should research everything that you need to know about the culture and country. However, be aware of the possible controversies and observe consciously while traveling.
To the practical part of planning: If you wish to be a conscious consumer and traveler, it is crucial that you are aware of the values and business practices of the organizations you intend to brace while purchasing items for your upcoming trips. Supporting the local economy doesn’t start at the destination, but at your home base.
Finally, you should ensure they have the necessary insurance to cover any possible risks or mishaps that may occur during your trip.
Cultural awareness traveling
Cultural experiences are at the core of conscious traveling. From discovering and engaging with the customs, cuisines, and stories of the location, cultural experiences can add a new level of depth and appreciation to your travels.
They can provide the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the people and the place you are visiting, as well as the potential to form meaningful connections with them. Examples of culturally conscious traveling are taking cook courses held by a local, or a city tour guided by locals or homeless people. Visiting a cultural festival, a local market, or a less touristy neighborhood. It is crucial not to exploit or harm the local community and culture.
The benefits of conscious travel can include a heightened sense of self-awareness, an appreciation for various cultures, and a greater understanding of different worldviews. Culturally aware traveling enriches not only you but also locals.
Ethical Considerations
There are several ethical considerations to keep in mind when exploring the meaning of intentional travel. Ethical considerations encompass a set of moral values that travelers used to guide their actions. It is important to understand the consequences your actions have on the country, culture, people, and animals of the country you are visiting. As you can see, many topics are interlinked with each other.
Ethical Consideration can mean many things, from supporting local artists and craftspeople with purchases to looking for an ethical travel guide to ensure that our travel experiences are authentic and respectful of the areas we visit. Furthermore, ethical considerations include animal welfare. Is the animal sanctuary treating the animals, right? Is the animal’s wellbeing their highest priority?
Environmental conscious travel
This is the part where sustainable tourism plays a role. Sustainable tourism gets more important. However, sustainable traveling is difficult. You might ask yourself how you can make your trip less harmful to the environment by adapting your travel behavior. Environmental-conscious traveling encompasses transportation, consumption, accommodation, activities, and much more.
As an environmentally conscious traveler, you can start by avoiding single-use plastics, using less CO2 in transportation, or packing light. Just think about your actions on local ecosystems and strive to leave minimal footprints when you visit a new location.
Another great way to travel environmentally consciously is to volunteer. You can choose from multiple opportunities like trash collection, reforestation, or national park conservation.
The challenges of conscious traveling
Conscious traveling isn’t an easy task. It takes a lot of consideration and sometimes you might fail. Also, I had failures to travel more consciously: I have struggled with refusing single-use plastic in Mexico. I have been struggling with responding in a nice way when people make assumptions about me or give me unquestioned advice. I have struggled with choosing more environmental moods of transportation.
Always remember, being a more mindful traveler takes time. It is an ongoing process of self-discovery, and it takes constant effort to cultivate meaningful connections.
Why is Escaping World focused on Conscious Travel?
While Escaping Worlds has changed its path from sustainable travel to conscious travel is important to point out that sustainability is part of being a mindful traveler. However, conscious traveling included so much more. Especially in today’s society, it is easy to get distracted or influenced by others’ opinions or behavior. Therefore, it is crucial to stand up for your own values and beliefs, despite the judgment. In my opinion, conscious travel has a lot to do with self-development (consciousness expansion). Not becoming an easily triggered person, but taking yourself out of a difficult situation or not snapping at someone or pigeonholing them.
This is a process that takes time, and when you think you are at a point where you are super conscious about yourself and others, harder challenges arrive. It is a never-ending learning process. And also it is important to stay compassionate with yourself.
Escaping Worlds is about Conscious Traveling because that’s how I identify my personal travels the most. The consciousness in my travels came over time and by having discussions with other travelers (offline and online). My travel style was certainly not always like that, but looking back, I was always eager to learn and grow as a person. And so does this blog.
The author of the blog
Lisi is an adventurous, mostly solo traveler from Austria. She likes to travel slowly, discover underrated countries/regions, and of course, learn about cultures. She has been traveling the world and creating travel content since 2016. With a degree in tourism management and a passion for travel and cultures, she wants to tell stories that inspire her readers and help them travel more consciously.
