For the past three weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to travel through Europe scouting new MedTreks trips. Life on the road felt a little different without a MedTreks group beside me. I had a little more time to observe, talk to people and wander on my own schedule. It made me think about some of the things travel continues to teach me.

1. Soak in the “wow” the energy is infectious.

I was lucky to have several dear friends join me throughout the past month, and almost every day, one of us would stop and say, “Wow.” It reminded me of the power of awe in travel and how experiencing something new can spark this wonderful sense of being a little more alive. I watched it happen in myself, and I watched it happen in my friends…and I watch it again and again on our MedTreks adventures. 

The “wow” often came in the smallest moments: eating fresh bread baked from volcanic steam, the challenge of hiking over a 4,000-foot mountain pass with stunning views, sitting with a cup of coffee in front of snowcapped peaks, or eating gelato carefully designed into a shape of a rose on a cone. 

Getting out of our routines, experiencing something new, and simply giving ourselves more opportunities to say “wow” is so important. Travel has a pretty incredible way of reminding us how good it feels to be fully present and alive.

2. Less can be more – leave room for random moments.

“Of course you don’t have your itinerary perfectly planned – we are the worst at planning our own travels,” a fellow travel company owner said to me when I arrived in Slovenia.

It made me laugh, but it also made me think about why this is true for me.

I have learned to enjoy leaving some open space in an itinerary – or at least not planning it down to every single detail. You need room to let random things unfold, because those moments often become the hidden gems of a trip: you meet someone who tells you about a place you never would have found on your own. You stumble across a trail, restaurant, swimming hole or little town that changes your plans completely. These random moments are often the best travel experiences…and often times show up on future MedTreks CME adventure activities 🙂

3. Take the time to eat the peanuts and drink the beer.

Some of my favorite moments of this trip happened around 3–5 p.m., when we would find a salty snack and a cold beverage…and just sit. Sometimes we were hiding from the sun. Sometimes we were nearly dozing off. Other times we were just staring in awe at whatever landscape happened to be in front of us.

There can be a temptation when traveling to fill every hour because there is so much to see and do. I still struggle with trying to fit it all in.

These little “travel siestas” are such an important part of soaking it all in.

4. 10 minutes: talk to your hosts, servers and shop owners.

You can learn so much about a destination simply by leaving an extra ten minutes to ask a few questions. At one point on this trip, I asked a shop owner which jacket was better for the Mont Blanc Tour. He was clearly an alpinist himself and had some strong opinions to share! Ten minutes later, I walked out knowing more about layering, wicking technology and choosing gear for different mountain conditions than I had probably learned in the previous ten years.

Travel books only go so far. The people who actually live, work, hike, eat and spend their lives in a place will almost always teach you something you didn’t know to ask.

5. High season can be tiring. Travel graciously.

For many of us, our vacations happen during the busiest season in the places we visit. After a few days of noticing what felt like a little “gruffness” from some of the wait staff, one server shared something that completely shifted my perspective.

“We are not fake polite,” he told us. “Think – it is the end of August. Many of us have been working without a day off since the middle of June. We are very tired.”

It was such a good reminder that while we may be arriving for the vacation we’ve been looking forward to all year, the people taking care of us may be nearing the end of an incredibly long season.

It reminded me that responsible travel also includes how we treat the people who make our experiences possible. A little patience and genuine gratitude can go a long way.

6. A smile or a hug can be the highlight of your day.

You don’t have to speak the same language. Knowing a few words, taking the time to say thank you, laughing together when communication gets a little messy – these tiny interactions can open the door to connections that can change your whole experience.

During our Iceland road trip, we arrived late one cold evening looking for somewhere to camp. A campground host went out of his way to find us a campsite with electricity. We were so grateful that we gave him a big thank-you hug.

I watched tears come to his eyes.

It was a brief interaction with someone we will probably never see again. Somehow, it became one of the highlights of my day.

That is one of the things I love most about travel. Despite our different languages and ways of life, there are countless opportunities to connect. We just need to slow down long enough to notice them.

These meaningful travel tips are simple, but they changed how I moved through this trip.

I hope you continue to choose travel. Choose to explore and stay curious. Talk to the people you meet along the way. Leave a little room for plans to change.

And yes, sit down in the afternoon and drink the beer.

Keep learning from this big, beautiful world.