How To End A Trip of A Lifetime

The fact of the matter is, everything comes to an end. Including trips of a lifetime; which scent can linger for days, weeks, or even months after your return flight. As this ending approaches and that general dread encroaches, remember that it is only human. When we find a good thing, we have difficulty letting it go. However, the end to your spectacular trip doesn’t have to be so definite, or confined by its borders. It comes with a lifetime warranty of memories, satisfaction, and happiness if you invoke it. One way is to replenish it by coming back for more. Though this isn’t a privilege for all. For some of us, time away from home doesn’t come often. A humbling reality that can impact our trips upon arrival. That impending dread of ‘facing the music’ and returning to routines can pull us out of the fun and into a funk. So, for those of us who can relate, our travels deserve better than that. You may not know for sure if you’ll ever come to re-trace your footprints in that sand, but I offer you some advice. 

Bring the Sand Home with You

Now don’t go bagging sand and charging through customs. Instead, I mean to bring some of your travel along with you. Whether a souvenir, a change of routine, a language, or a newfound peace of mind. Something that you wanna bring with you, however subtle. Think of it as a thing you can incorporate into your day-to-day that reminds you of how far you’ve come (literally). Something that evolves your good times to permeate, not dissipate. A way to honor it with gratitude and not mourn over its end. Gratitude is a powerful tool that we all can wield but sometimes forget to equip. It’s easy to see the beginning and end of a trip in an open and close sort of way. When, from a bird’s eye view, it was the resolution to an accumulation of pain, hustle, and sacrifice. Acknowledge your efforts and be prideful in your accomplishments. Don’t let the momentum dry out, find ways to water it daily. 

Practice Gratitude 

What I did, for example, was to continue learning Spanish. I was in Spain for over a month and I had gotten reasonably comfortable speaking it every day. So, I figured to keep up the momentum and commit to a daily practice. No high stakes, and no penalties. Maybe I do Duolingo today, watch a Telenovela I got hooked on tomorrow, and keep in contact with my Spanish friends. Another thing I brought home with me was no longer waking up to my phone every morning. I didn’t do much of that while in Portugal and haven’t done it since. Not true, I have my days when I slip up but I try harder the next day. Might I add that there are so many benefits to this? The temporary inconveniences at the start don’t ever equate to the clearer, quieter mind I have now. A peace and quiet reminiscent of the incredible trip I had in Portugal that taught me it. It’s a reminder to put myself first above the morning tings and pings. But those are just my examples. Maybe you had an amazing time in New York, got used to all that walking, and decided to add daily/weekly walks to your daily habits. Whatever worked then, I root for you to find a way to make it work at home. 

Embrace Impermanence

The last thing I brought home from my incredible trip was the reality of impermanence. Everything we experience exists within a cycle—temporary and fleeting. The responsibilities waiting for me at home are no different than the stress-free moments I savored on my travels; they’re all part of the same ebb and flow. To begin is to eventually end, and that’s the beauty of it. Without endings, there would be no new beginnings, no fresh starts, and no space to invite something else into our lives. It’s easy to forget this truth in the rhythm of sunrises and sunsets, swept away by our schedules. The best we can do is embrace the moment we’re in, let it pass when its time has come, and carry gratitude for having lived it at all. Gratitude can be an anchor in the storm of change, a reminder that endings are not losses, but transitions. Release your trip with the same joy you had when it started—relish in the fact that you were able to have this experience at all, and trust that its impact will stay with you long after it’s over. Every memory, every lesson, and every feeling becomes a part of you, woven into the fabric of who you are.

-K