What is travel coaching? (part 1: pre-trip preparation)
In the world of travel, coaching is a fairly new concept. And while it’s beginning to gain some momentum, there may be confusion as to what it is exactly. How is a travel coach different from a travel agent or trip planner? Why would someone need a travel coach? What are the benefits?
In my travel coaching practice, I like to break down the coaching experience into three parts: pre-trip preparation, mid-trip engagement and post-travel reintegration. In this first post, I will talk in more depth about pre-travel prep – what it is (and isn’t) and why it’s useful – and then will explore the mid-trip and post-trip parts in subsequent posts (so stay tuned)!
I’d like to start off by saying that pre-trip prep is NOT about planning every detail of your trip. After all, sometimes the spontaneity of travel is the best part! It’s about taking time to better understand what is calling you to travel and then allowing that awareness to help you travel with more intention, with more clarity around what you want to get out of the experience. (And for the record, being spontaneous and open to new experiences, particularly if that’s not a normal occurrence for you, is a great intention!)
Let’s say this is you – you want to be more spontaneous, but that’s not your MO. Once you clarify that, you can look at the WHY underneath it. Why does that feel so important? What will you gain from showing up in this new, spontaneous way?
From there, you can also look at what’s likely to get in the way of you showing up this way. Are you introverted? A creature of habit? Unfamiliar with the language or unsure where to start? Bringing more awareness to the obstacles that are likely to arise allows you to prepare for them, to acknowledge more quickly when you’re getting stuck in them, and have a backup plan that will help you travel in greater alignment with your goals.
The awareness you can create in this first phase of travel can not only help you show up on your trip the way you want to, but can also help you clarify what kind of travel you’re wanting to do. The logistics of planning – picking where to go, for how long, what you will do while you’re there, etc. – can be overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure where to start. So why not start with your vision for the trip? For example, if you discover that what you’re actually wanting to do is disconnect (or reconnect with yourself, as I like to think of it), to be surrounded by tranquility and solitude and nature, then going to a big city may not be the best fit. But you may not know that until you pause to think about what it is you’re really wanting out of your travel. This is where a coach can come in to actively listen, ask helpful questions, challenge you and share observations and insights.
So while coaching isn’t the logistical planning part, it can help make that part a lot easier through providing more clarity. It can also offer some much needed accountability when it comes to the planning part. A big piece of coaching is creating an action plan—a breakdown of manageable, achievable, specific micro-goals that helps move you toward where you want to be. In the case of travel coaching, this action plan will be focused on curating a purpose-filled trip that aligns with your values and feeds your soul.
If you’re interested in starting this process or learning more, please reach out! We would love to talk to you. And be sure to check back in next week where we will look at how coaching can be helpful mid-travel as well. Until then…
Happy traveling!
~Tiffany