travel Archives | The Aligned Life

Summer time and the living is easy!

Well, normally it is. But let’s be real: this summer (2020) has not been so easy breezy. COVID-19 is keeping most of us at home. While I’m happy to live in a place that’s dealing with the crisis very well, it’s still been a lot to manage. (For everyone!)

However, I’m happy to see that people are beginning to travel in Europe again. I still haven’t gone anywhere but I have begun to think about it again–which is an improvement over just a few months ago.

I also realized that I’ve never written about travel and manifestation here on the blog–even though it’s one of the most potent manifestation tools there is.

There’s just something about travelling to a new place that makes you a super manifestor–and today I’m explaining why that is!

Okay, so many of us are still homebound in this moment and that’s okay too. It’s perfectly okay to dream and plan for our future travel outings. So why not learn about the power of manifestation and travel today? I hope this post gives you some new perspective for your next travel adventure–whenever that might happen to be!

5 Ways Travel Makes Manifestation Fast

How Travel Makes Manifestation Fast Reason #1:

The Ultimate Vibe Shift

Manifestation is all about shifting our vibe! But sometimes that can be a Herculean task. Yes, it’s all in your mind and ultimately all up to you. But when you’re doing the same things day in and day out, it’s all too easy to fall back into your old (un-magnetic) vibe.

When you go somewhere new, you automatically give yourself permission to step off your old well-worn treadmill of worries. Instead of going through the invisible laundry list of all the things you normally give your energy to, you get to think about other (new! fun!) things.

When you’re going through the world feeling happy and curious, amazing things tend to fall right into your lap! I’m sure you can think of a time when this happened to you while on vacation and that’s no coincidence. So embrace the expansion here and start noticing what happens for you.

(And PS yes of course this is available to you at any time. So you can do this when you come back home too!)

How Travel Makes Manifestation Fast Reason #2:

Smash Your Old Patterns

Routines are wonderful for staying on target and putting things that are important to us on autopilot. But as wonderful as they can be, they can also get in our way at times.

Case in point: when it comes to manifesting with the Law of Attraction, one of the most helpful things we can do is to get out of our old subconscious patterns and ways of being. The best way to do that is to throw ourselves into brand new situations.

That’s because our subconscious mind runs so much of our life, especially when it comes to routines and set patterns. Basically, your brain is just going to do what it always does unless it has to do something new. Only problem? We already know what doing things the old way creates! (ie. your world the way it is now.) If we want new results, we need to change the inside first. And that’s why travel is so great for this.

You can definitely play with this idea without travelling, just by forcing yourself out of your regular routine once in a while. But travel in particular makes us get outside of our comfort zone.

There’s nothing like navigating your way through a new city, using foreign currency or trying to speak a foreign language to switch you from subconscious into a conscious state. This is the perfect way to break the old patterns that you didn’t even realize were holding you back.

How Travel Makes Manifestation Fast Reason #3:

Identity Shifting

Identity shifting has been one of my favorite manifesting tools as of late! That’s because you will only ever be able to call in what you think you’re actually deserving and capable of. So when we’re too attached to our old not-so-powerful ideas about who we are, it’s difficult to break free and step into who we want to be.

But travel opens the door for this change automatically! Who are you when you go somewhere new? Who are you when you’re not fitting into what your friends and family expect and project onto you? Who are you when you get to start from scratch?

While we could try this out at any moment we choose, travelling to a foreign land hands this to us on a platter. You don’t have to be who you’ve always been and now you get to decide on who you want to be.

So who’s that going to be lovely? I would take this moment to consider your Future Bad-Ass Self (the one who’s already DONE all the things you want) and start to embody that vibe starting now.

How Travel Makes Manifestation Fast Reason #4:

Perspective Shift

When you’re in the middle of your same ol’ life and same ol’ problems, it’s all too easy to get stuck in your same ol’ way of seeing the world! And that ultimately becomes one of our biggest manifestation blocks.

The way you think about things is everything. Finding the shift is often the most difficult part of manifestation! That’s why sometimes the best way to get out of that old way of stinking thinking is to literally change your perspective.

When you’re in a new place looking back, your seemingly big problems will have magically shrunk up. The world that seems so overwhelming suddenly seems so much smaller. And with that, perspective. Don’t be surprised if you start processing things differently and suddenly come up with the answers to old problems that have been plaguing you.

Remember, as A Course In Miracles defines it, a miracle is simply a shift in perception. Travelling to a brand-new environment is a guaranteed way to create that shift in your own world!

How Travel Makes Manifestation Fast Reason #5:

Processing From The In-Between

One of the most curious things for me about travel is the prolonged state of in-between-ness. Of course, in reality, we’re always in a state of transition. But that transition state becomes a lot more obvious when we hop on a plane (or boat or whatever).

For me, flights always open this particular door of magic. There’s simply something special about being in that in-between state for hours at a time! We’ve left one place and are headed somewhere new. But we’re not quite there yet. So that in-between time opens a window for us to think about both places.

What can we see differently about where we just left? What do we hope to experience about where we’re going?

In real life, we seldom slow down enough to ask these questions. But on a long haul flight (without wifi and an often not-so-great selection of onboard movies), what better thing to do than a little self-reflection? Let yourself process where you’ve been and also set some intentions for where you’re going next.

In the end, that’s the most magical practice of all!

So what about you? What are your favorite travel-related manifestations? Which tip gave you some new inspiration for your Law of Attraction practice? And where are you headed next–when it’s safe to do so?

Even if you’re not jumping on a plane anytime soon, I hope these tips inspired you to think about travel in a new way (and also to be that much more grateful for it when we are allowed back in the skies!).

PS Looking for more? You might also want to check out this post about how to feel worthy or this one about how to become unfuckwithable.

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I’ve just returned from a whirlwind week in London with my parents and it was fantastic. I love traveling, even just for short spurts. One of the reasons is that it always gives you a fresh perspective on your own life. Just taking a little distance between yourself and your usual world allows you to see things in a fresh way. I always return from a trip (even a short one) feeling reinvigorated and inspired.

But with that said, traveling can also be energetically exhausting.

There are several reasons for this but here are three of the most common ones:

Traveling forces us to become really present in our day, which is actually a great thing. (That’s also why days feel so long while we’re on vacation.) It forces us to go off the auto-pilot way of living that we all fall into, where our brains and bodies can seemingly let go and relax. It forces us to really think about what we’re doing in every moment, to figure out schedules, transit and food. It forces us to process every little thing around us instead of just the important things. None of this a bad thing! But being fully present is not how we’re accustomed to living, which is exactly why it’s so damn exhausting.

The disruption to our regular routine is another reason. Last week not only did I skip my regular meditation practice but I found myself consuming way more beer and pub food than I ever thought possible. Part of any trip is the loosening of our normal routine. It’s fun and even healthy to play hooky from our normal behavior. But it doesn’t take long to begin to feel completely out of balance and ultimately more susceptible to stress, irritability, poor sleep and even illness.

And, finally, where we sleep always has a big impact on us. Hotels, as lovely as they can be, are just never as good as the comfort of our own bed. From an energetic perspective, this makes absolute sense. Everyone carries an energetic imprint where ever we go. And the place where we leave the most of that imprint behind is the bed. Beds are soft and absorbent to this energy. Plus we spend hours of time (our most intimate and unguarded moments) in them at night. Beds accumulate energy incredibly quickly. So of course, hotel beds are always full of the energetic gunk left behind by other people. And of course, that’s not very relaxing!

So as amazing as travel is, it’s definitely not without its hurdles! Identifying the issues is only the first step; after that, it becomes much easier to learn how to cope and make the whole traveling process more relaxing and enjoyable. And fortunately, there are loads of ways to increase ease and make traveling a more spiritual practice.

A Quick & Easy Guide To Spiritual Travel

1. Bed Thwacking

Bed thwacking is something I’ve learned about from the queen of space clearing, Karen Kingston. Karen recommends bed thwacking regularly, whether you’re living on your own or not. But it’s especially important to do at the end (or beginning) of a new relationship. (Who wants to invite the energy of the previous relationship into the new one?) It’s also important for hotel rooms because of just how many people spend time in the space.

So before you climb into your hotel bed, it’s time to give it a good thwacking! This one’s super fun to do though! All we’re really doing is dispersing the accumulated foreign energy out of the bed and into the air where it’s much easier to get rid of. Ideally, this is done with something like a baseball bat but we’ll have to improvise since we’re on the road. Just hit the bed with your fists, making sure to get every little bit. Thwacking will let you sleep more soundly and calmly – as well as help to remove any leftover travel tensions!

2. Space Clearing

Space clearing is my all time favorite for fixing the energy of a space, therefore allowing yourself to truly relax. And again, the hotel room is one place where this is really needed.

I’ve written lots about space clearing over here so go check up on it. The process is easily adaptable for hotel rooms but you’ll have to take a few extra precautions. Sage is super-effective for space clearing but also very smoky. So for hotel rooms (where you really don’t want to set off a fire alarm) I recommend opting for a small piece of palo santo. As a bonus, it’s very easy to pack!

3. Bring A Travel Altar

Traveling is often about saving space and moving around with as little as possible. But I always save a little room for something special. A travel altar is a great way to center yourself in your space and remind you to indulge in your regular routine. Just as an altar is a highly personal thing, your travel altar can be composed of anything that’s important for you.

I almost always have a crystal (pink quartz FTW) with me, but you can bring a photo, mala beads or tiny figurine. I don’t recommend using a real candle in a hotel room but a battery-operated one is a great substitute. Set them up somewhere you’ll see them (like on a dresser or nightstand). Then throughout your visit, take a moment to stop and take some deep breaths whenever you see it. (Read more about creating personal altars right here.)

4. Mini Feng Shui

Take a look around your hotel room for any obvious Feng Shui no-no’s. There are often quick switches you can do yourself to improve the room’s Chi. If there’s a mirror facing your bed or aggressive images on the wall, try to cover it up with a scarf. Remove any pointy objects that are directed to the bed. Open the windows and let in some fresh air if you can (another great way to help dispel any lingering energy). Keep your bathroom door closed to avoid flushing away any positive energy. Try to avoid beds that face the door or beds that back onto windows. If there are things you can’t change or if things don’t feel right, go ahead and ask for another room.

Then unpack your things as soon as possible and try to keep your room neat and organized. Clutter is problematic even in a temporary space!

5. Create Mental Space

Travel is a whirlwind of activity and noise so making time to sit down and process it all is key! Journalling is a quick and easy way to let your mind start to process. There’s no real trick to this: just open up a blank page and go. I love to use my computer but some people prefer to do it by hand. Either one works. It’s the process of letting your brain go unfiltered that’s the magic part; the tools are just a matter of personal preference.

If journalling isn’t your thing, think of another way in which you can slow down and process the contents of your day. Going for a walk (without an agenda or phone to distract you) is another favorite way to do this. Simply allowing your mind to go off unfettered is amazingly for reducing stress!

6. Meditation

Meditation is the best way to become centered and present in your body and mind. The process of meditating isn’t about beating your mind into submission; it’s simply about creating some distance between you and your incessant thoughts. There are multiple ways you can try to meditate; for beginners I suggest going for a mantra or doing a guided meditation. There are loads for free on YouTube! I recently tried this meditation from Jessica Snow and I highly recommend it.

I hope this helps you in your spring & summer travel plans! Let me know how it all goes.

5 Ways Travel Makes Manifestation Fast AF