By Milda Urban, Summersalt yoga founder

One of the best life lessons we get in life is the once learned traveling.

Packing bags to move on to a new destination – Hanoi to Bangkok to Siem Reap – it’s what’s on agenda this morning. It’s been more than a month on the road in Southeast Asia and 5 out of 6 countries are visited by now. Not enough time, not enough places seen, but regretting something on a journey like this would be crazy as it has already taught me so much! And if I had to describe what traveling is to me in 2 words it would be – living and learning.

Thailand so far is one of my favorite places here. My main goal for the time there was to just be and figure out the next steps personally and professionally – including how to make our retreats better, more interesting and a deeper experience for the guests. (Also – sunbathe, swim, eat Thai food and drink fresh coconut juice. Duuuh.). It’s what moves me forward: building on things, coming up with ways to make experiences better, and in the end feeling like everyone has gotten the most of them.

Well, but what happens when you travel and especially in a place like Thailand is that it draws you in and changes your well-crafted plans without you even noticing. Here’s what I’ve learned so far – my 3 life lessons traveling.

Life lesson no.1: LET THINGS HAPPEN

So, I did not sit in a cozy café (which Chiang Mai – one of the most amazing places I’ve seen – is full of) with my laptop and write down a plan or an outline. I did not spend a few hours daily discussing strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. And I definitely did not figure out my mission by scribbling endless key words in a notebook. My biggest conundrums were solved on a 4-hour trip back from Golden Triangle (where 3 countries – Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos – meet at the Mekong River). I wasn’t even forcing myself to contemplate, I was just sitting on the bus, and thoughts, ideas and solutions were flowing through me. I did not write down any of that at this point. (I did it on the 12-hour bus drive from Luang Prabang to Vientiane). It came to me, just because my mind was open and also shaken. Shaken by all the new things I’ve seen and maybe couldn’t put a finger at first. However, my brain took that new information, absorbed it, processed it, and included in the formula that was needed to solve my questions and dilemmas. To come up with the solutions I needed new information and new stimuli, something that my conscious mind could not describe, but the subconscious very well knew and I just had to let things happen.

Life lesson no.2: LET GO OF CONTROL – ACCEPT

My other plan for Chiang Mai was to go and sit and meditate in a temple. Cliché, I know, but that’s what I wanted. Well, it didn’t work out. I didn’t have time and the last day when I got to the temple in my neighborhood it was literally closing down for the night. You know what, usually I would be quite bummed out and disappointed, but after the bus experience I knew – I will find another chance, in another place. It’s okay. Sometimes I just have to let things happen without reacting to them, I need to accept them the way they are without trying to control the uncontrollable. That goes a lot against my nature (and to many of us I’m sure), but one of my small goals for this trip and generally life was to learn accept, let go of that imaginary control leash, see how it all pans out in the end and simply move on.

Life lesson no.3: SAY YES TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities in life come and go all the time. However, when you are in your comfort zone – in your hometown, surrounded by familiar places, faces and drills it is easy to become a little numb to new things, to not notice them at all, or feel just too comfortable with your current place in life. It’s different when traveling. Every little thing pops and seems to be new and exciting (or scary). And because you are already out of your comfort zone it is easier to grab those new things by the tail and just do it. So DO IT. I saw a cooking class – something I always wanted to do, but never got to – and I did it. It was one of the best things so far. Why didn’t I do it before you ask? I don’t know, but these moments are great reminders of how aware should we be about things happening around us, how mindful should we be about opportunities that sometimes hide in plain sight.

I am now starting my journey to Cambodia – I am sure it will meet me with new challenges, experiences, and emotions. I’m a little nervous, but it’s fine because nervous is good, it means it matters, I care and can’t wait to live and learn from it!

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