I love the version of myself when I'm traveling. I love being able to get to know the cities from a cafe sitting down watching locals and tourists come and go, and walking until my feet hurt because I don't want to miss any tourist spot.

Surely at this moment thousands of moments that we live when we travel come to our mind. There are moments that we hope that they last forever. Nevertheless, there are other moments that cost us a bit like being away from home, missing family, or the comfort of our room.

And in the midst of the adventures of the solo trips I love to maintain my connection rituals with myself:

1️⃣ 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲

I do small meditations of 8-10 minutes to be able to set an intention for my day and not start the day automatically.

Many people think that to meditate you need to be in a zen position and 100% focused all the time; however, even though that would be ideal, there are other ways of meditating called active meditations.

For example, concentrating on listening to the sound of nature for 5 minutes, or you can be in the present while you do your exercise routine, noticing every movement your body makes and how you feel. To begin with, it helped me a lot in my practice to concentrate on observing an object for a period of time, like seeing a flower and being able to delve into its shape, color, its characteristics, etc.

PRO TIP: Do not judge yourself if thoughts come to your mind because it is normal, the important thing is not to judge them but to recognize them and let them go.

2️⃣ 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

I write in my own diary, I wrote, designed it myself and it is available for sale! Writing is a practice that has changed my life. I love it because it allows me to externalize my thoughts and feelings. I can also save all the stories I'm living on paper to keep them as memories and remember them over and over again when I read them. I love collecting the details of each place on paper and in photos.

3️⃣ 𝐆𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞

I love going to coffee shops and reading, or just people-watching. I love trying to understand how different we are and how much in common we have with people even though we come from geographically different places.

I was in a coffee shop in Amsterdam and they were selling marihuana. During the time I was there, 3 people entered, and I could perceive the way they asked for it. For example, a person asked with great suspicion; while another person asked for it as something natural. But what is the point? That the same situation can be perceived differently depending on the perspective of each person. And it's so interesting to be able to see different points of view and realities because that expands ours.

On every trip I take, I really enjoy being able to see people's daily lives, and how they enter and leave restaurants or cafes. Some are passing through, others take their time, others go alone, others are accompanied, others are on the phone, some arrive and make noise, and others are very quiet. I love how we are surrounded by so many people so different and so alike at the same time.

✨ 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩

I really enjoy being able to write everything I experience in every place I go, I always learn something from someone, from some situation, and from someplace. I love sharing cultures because I feel that I feed my soul with new experiences. I love coming back from my travels and telling my family and friends about all my adventures, all the doors that have opened, all the places I've discovered, and the people I've met.

I have seen many benefits of writing as part of my daily routine and being able to write on a trip helps me to live in the present adventure and be grateful for it. As well as being inspired by perceiving the world I'm living in something I can preserve like a diary. I would like to be able to share more about this topic, surely many of us can connect with this topic.

❤️ 𝐀𝐧𝐝, 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬!

Traveling is a privilege, and being able to do it with yourself seems to me to be one of the most rewarding experiences of this life. So, enjoy those little moments, the cities will be there whenever you want to come back but the version of you that is experiencing all those places never comes back, so enjoy every minute you are in each place, be thankful for the privilege of being present and share your adventures to inspire others.

And as I always say: Believe, let go and trust. Everything comes and everything is as it should be, live in the present, dream as big as you can, never hold on to anything, and experience each day to the fullest.

I would like to tell you in other articles about my top coffee shops in various cities, my plans for a date with myself, rituals, books, and my journaling tips.

👩Vale Loaiza is from Ecuador and loves solo trips. She is a digital marketing strategist and human design reader. So She considers herself a spiritual person. She loves to create digital content, meet people and connect. She dreams to live in Bali someday.