This set of challenges taps into the spirit and excitement of TRAVELLLLLL. We’ll play with creating the essence of adventure regardless of how far you actually go.
In order to earn the badge, complete five of the challenges.
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✧✧✧ one ✧✧✧
Make a new friend or several by setting up a rideshare or a carpool or a bike gang or getting a ride from a stranger. Many strangers are surprisingly delightful humans. You can use Craigslist or Facebook or the newspaper, or knock on neighbors' doors, or ask around for friends of friends. Whatever. Just be sure it’s someone new. (But please trust your gut here and BE SAFE)
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✧✧✧ two ✧✧✧
Where would you visit (or move to!) if you won the MegaMillions lottery? Grab a piece of paper and write it/them down.
Now. Make a commitment to actually make it happen. Not just dreaming about it longingly for the next thirty years… IT’S HAPPENING. It’s ok if it needs to take a while - maybe it’s a five-year plan. Pick a date. NOW PUT IT IN YOUR CALENDAR.
Now! … TAKE A TINY (or large!) ACTION to start moving this forward.
For example:
>Start a new bank account where you automatically deposit 1% of your income.
>Save every five dollar bill you get as change this year and put it in a jar to fund your trip.
>Look in to outside-the-box travel options like workaway.info or wwoof.net or homeexchange.com or couchsurfing.com
>Make new connections through your network in your destination of choice and arrange to stay with them.
>Buy your ticket!
There are limitless options here. Get outside the box and make a list of 17 interesting ways you could take a small step towards making this dream a reality and do one every week this month.
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✧✧✧ three ✧✧✧
Start a Traveling Thingamabob. Remember the traveling garden gnome commercials? Something like that. (If not, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_gnome ) Choose a thingamabob, and send it around with instructions to either a) have its picture taken and sent to you and passed on to someone/someplace new, or b) be creatively enhanced/added to before being passed along… and then eventually returned to you on a date of your choosing. It could be anything - journal, book, artwork, gnome (for the traditionalists), random kitchen utensil that you glued googley eyes onto… Go crazy.
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✧✧✧ four ✧✧✧
One of the perks of travel is often meeting amazing new humans and letting your heart be touched. If you’re short on actual travel at the moment, here is a beautiful compromise: Humans of New York Stories by Brandon Stanton. https://amzn.to/2GpfGJX
Pick up a copy and join us for a delightful book night gathering on Tuesday, February 26th at 7:30pm Central time. Login details will be shared in the group closer to the date.
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✧✧✧ five ✧✧✧
Travel to a new location that you’ve never spent any time in. Spend an afternoon delighting in all it has to offer. Take a selfie with a meaningful landmark and share it in the the group.
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✧✧✧ six ✧✧✧
Concoct an outfit that makes you feel like a jet-setter - capable, carefree, and doing whatever the hell you please.
You might raid your closet, or your friends’ closets, or some thrift stores, or your favorite shop. Or maybe e) all of the above.
Put together something that makes you feel like the amazing confident captivating badass you are. Then adorn yourself and go about your day. Notice what shifts!
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✧✧✧ seven ✧✧✧
Ask one of your besties to curate a travel adventure for you. They get to pick the place and a handful of experiences that they would love for you to have when you go.
If they choose someplace that’s halfway around the world, ask them to ALSO pick a place (and accompanying experience checklist) that you can get to this month. Then go do it.
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✧✧✧ eight ✧✧✧
When I was young, I collected sugar packets from places that I’d visit. It was a cute little collection that was playful and fun to do. Eventually it got a bit out of hand when friends all started bringing me back souvenir sugar packets, but I could always just put them in my iced tea if I had too many.
Start your own Quirky Collection of Quirkiness with a souvenir collected from all of your 2019 travels. (Near, far, no matter.)