When you travel, what are you looking for, or expecting? Excitement? Adventure? Challenge? Direction for life? Rest? People connections? What about refreshment or rejuvenation? What about an opportunity to take time to breathe in — deeply breath in? What about finding space to simply hear your own thoughts without the incessant noise we face on a daily basis?

Where are your go-to places to have these desires and needs met? Think about that for a moment. Think about your last getaway. What were you hoping for? Did you find it? 

Take another moment to put yourself back in that location and see if you can relive the memories. Can you hear the sounds, smell the smells, recapture your surroundings, perhaps taste the delicacies you treated yourself to? Breathe it all in and give yourself permission to savour the memory.

Our most recent trip was to Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Specifically, Victoria. Our drive from Kelowna to the ferry in Tsawwassen took us through some of the most spectacular majesty of the Canadian Cascades. The view was simply breathtaking as we drove over the highest point of 1,728 m on the Pennask Summit, then proceeded to take in the beautiful Bedded Range that surrounds the Coquihalla Highway all the way to the Chema Range as we moved through Chilliwack towards the call of the Pacific Ocean. 

Then there was the ferry ride. What could be more perfect than a 90 minute ferry trip from the mainland to Vancouver Island? Gentle wind on your face warmed by the heat of the sun, the unique ocean smells and sounds, expectantly watching for sea life as the captain expertly manoeuvred the Queen of New Westminster around some of the Islands in the Salish Sea enroute to the Swartz Bay landing. And then another mountain range to feast your eyes upon — the Olympics Mountains in the Olympic Peninsula of the Pacific Northwest of the US.

This was not my first trip to the Island, in fact, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve taken that same journey, and yet I remain awe struck by the beauty of creation that provides such a banquet for the senses.

And that’s only the trip to get to Victoria! I think spring time is when the city shows itself best. The flowers! Oh my…so many blossoms that once more treat your senses to yet another delight. Trees in full leaf in so many shades of green for which I’m not sure we even have names! In his book “The Heartbeat of Trees” author Peter Wohlleben reminds us that …”the color green calms our minds and promotes healing processes in us.”

Then there’s the ocean — my happy place. Sitting by the ocean is its own delight. Childhood memories of growing up in Bangor, Northern Ireland come flooding back, times sitting by the ocean and just breathing in its healing power in places like Carvoeiro, Portugal, or Brighton, England, or Ibiza in Spain. I recall being reminded of the ocean’s power as we watched the North Shore Pipeline on Ehukai Beach on Oahu’s North Shore, as well as the peaceful eb and flow of the waters on the beach shore of Naxos, Greece.     

These days, what I most look for when I travel are places where my soul can be refreshed. For me that will always involve nature, top of list being oceans and forests. I remember a good friend telling us about shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing. Full disclosure, I thought it was a tad ‘out there’ for me. I have since changed my tune on that one. The origins of shinrin-yoku dated back to 1980 as a physiological and psychological exercise. According to National Geographic (add link), the practice was birthed in Japan as an eco-antidote to tech-boom burnout and an effort to inspire residents to reconnect with and protect the country’s forests. It’s a practice that became more widely embraced, and, as they say…the rest is history! 

As I sit and reflect on this most recent travel experience, it’s easy to close my eyes and relive the memories. I can hear the sounds, smell the smells, recapture my surroundings, and taste the delicacies I treated myself to. I can breathe it all in and give myself permission to savour the memory. 

Vacations, holidays, travels are times I will never take for granted. However, these memories can be made right where I am — I just need to open my eyes and ears to see and hear. I need to make time daily to get into nature. I need to take in the green of the trees outside my window, watch the growth of the herbs and flowers we just planted on our deck, ride along the Greenway and listen to the water flow, take in the tree-lined trail, the occasional eagle, herron, and a multitude of birds singing their songs of worship to the amazing creation we are privileged to care for.

What are you breathing in today? What are your senses longing for? Can you close your eyes for a moment and take in the nature around you…even if it’s just a house plant that can trigger those past memories where you took in all that you needed for the moment. Breathe, listen, and remember.

“With the sense of hearing, we listen to creation.” John O’Donahue

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