5 Things I Always Do When I Travel — No Matter Where I Am ✈️🌍
There’s something magical about being in a new place — the way time stretches, your senses sharpen, and life suddenly feels full of possibility. Whether I’m landing somewhere I’ve never been or returning to a city I love (hello, Madrid), I’ve realized I always do these same five things. They keep me grounded, inspired, and fully in my travel era.
Here’s the ritual — part intentional, part instinct — that makes every trip unforgettable.
⸻
1. I Always Start With a Walk
No agenda. No map. No pressure to “see something.”
Just me, a street, and whatever unfolds.
Maybe I’ll walk into a café that smells like heaven, or spot a tiny boutique run by someone with stories in their eyes. I let the city show me who it is before I decide what I want from it.
Pro Tip: Do this before you unpack — it sets the tone.
⸻
2. I Choose One Spot to Become “My Place”
Every trip needs a place you go back to.
A café. A wine bar. A breakfast spot. A corner where the barista already knows your order by day 3. It becomes the anchor — the familiarity inside the unfamiliar.
In Formentera, it was a tiny beach club with the crispiest rosé.
In Ibiza, it was a coffee shop hidden behind bougainvillea.
⸻
3. I Travel With Intent — But Not a Script
I love a plan… but I love a day that goes totally off-plan even more.
So here’s the rule:
I pick 1–2 things I have to do each day — something cultural, something delicious, something inspiring. Then I leave room for pure spontaneity.
Some of the best moments happen because you didn’t fill every hour.
⸻
4. I Try to Go Horseback Riding Everywhere I Travel
It’s become something I love — almost a new tradition.
If there’s a trail ride, a ranch, a beach ride, a vineyard tour on horseback… count me in.
There’s something about seeing a place from the back of a horse that feels different — slower, deeper, more connected to nature and the land. It’s a way of traveling inside the experience, not just observing it.
⸻
5. I Let Myself Be Fully Present
I take the photo. Then I live the moment.
I sit at the table for another drink.
I watch the sunset without rushing.
I stay in conversation even if the night runs late.
Every trip reminds me that life is happening now — not when I get home.
⸻
Travel resets me. It reconnects me with beauty, curiosity, joy.
It’s not about checking places off a list — it’s about taking pieces of them with me.
Whether you’re heading somewhere soon or just daydreaming about it, here’s your reminder:
Make space for wonder. Leave room for magic. And always, always choose the window seat.
💌 PS: Tell me — what’s your non-negotiable travel ritual?
