Update From A Sofa In Mexico
Hey,
How was your week?
My brain is a bit scattered today (might be the super strong winds that kept me awake most of last night) so I'm just going to give a quick update and then a quick thought about the benefits of slow travel that you might find useful.
UPDATE: I'm Now Doing Yoga
Not right now of course. Right now I’m sitting half-naked on my sofa wearing only a flower-patterned blue sarong, with sweat pouring down my chest due to the heat and lack of wind. My left contact lens is a little foggy for some reason but I’m drinking a tall, yummy glass of water, local honey and lime.
Anyway, never thought I’d be doing yoga. No idea what type of yoga I’m doing actually but I’m stretching and twisting and downward dogging every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning. Sure, my body is sore, I’m not so much into the spiritual aspect and I almost vomited during one class, but when I stood on my head for a moment the other day, before quickly crumbling to the ground shortly after, it admittedly felt mighty good, I think.
And somehow, as a result of these classes, and some influence from those I've met here, I’ve now become an active, early morning person for the first time in my life. Took some getting used to, but I love it. I’m up at 7am every day and usually without the aid of an alarm.
Are you an early morning person? Have you ever tried to be? I'm curious about your own experiences with this.
POST: My Struggle to Take Good Travel Photos
I’m also hoping this yoga-created increase in flexibility and strength, both physical and mental, will help me with my photography struggles. In case you missed it, I wrote a post last week about this very topic - how difficult it is to consistently take good travel photos, especially of myself.
It’s not as simple as pointing and shooting. Oh no. So much more is involved, such as pain and a constant desire to throw my camera into the air, and here is my, mostly sarcastic, view on it all:
It's a Struggle to Take a Good Travel Photo
THOUGHT: Slow Travel Saves Money
Being here in Playa del Carmen is great. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have the urge to pack up and travel somewhere else quite often. It’s a constant back and forth in my head.
In the end, though, my preferred travel style is to mix it all up. Move around for a while and then stay put in one place for a month or two.
This allows me to continue exploring new destinations or revisit some of my favorites and at the same time, when I stay put, I can get into a rhythm and fill part of my days with activities, such as this wacky yoga stuff, that truly bring me joy, that keep me healthy and allow me to meet plenty of interesting, kind people on a deeper level.
And besides, the longer you stay somewhere, the cheaper travel becomes too, which is an added bonus.
Here in Playa del Carmen, for example, if you stay long term you get all kinds of discounts. Yoga costs half-price for those ‘living’ here, paddle-boarding is the same. Some cafes give you points with every purchase, guesthouses/apartments offer better rates for longer stays, you can do a variety of activities on your own for a few bucks instead of paying $50 for an organized day trip due to limited time and you also don’t have to spend money on bus journeys, train rides or flights if you stay in one location.
You have more time to find the best local places for food and drinks too, saving you even more money.
Every aspect of travel typically becomes less expensive as you get more comfortable in a destination.
I’ll take my $2 fresh fruit juice from a local stand I found over a $5 alternative from a more touristy place any day. $14 vs $35 per week if you have one every day!
So if you want to cut your spending, it might be worth slowing down your travels. Or when you’re planning a journey, perhaps it's worth reducing the number of places you plan to visit. It might go against the type of travel you think you want, and you might not get to see ‘everything’ on your list, but the benefits of slow travel might also be something you find difficult to resist once you experience them.
It happens to many people and for good reason.
You can always try it out and if it’s not for you, there’s nothing stopping you from packing your bag again and hitting the road.
After all, I’ll be packing my bag again soon - off to Belize later this month, then India, Nepal and beyond starting in October.
Are you a fast or slow traveler? Do you mix it up? If you're new to travel, what are your thoughts?
Thanks for following along and I shall leave you today with these words:
“I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.'” - Kurt Vonnegut
Enjoy your weekend!
Derek