It was wonderful to meet and reconnect with so many fellow travellers and friends at the spring teas in Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, Kamloops and Victoria this year! We had fun and hope you did too. There is so much excitement to get out and travel the world once again and we loved sharing information about all the exciting tours we have available to help you do just that.
Of course, we love to travel, and as one of the afternoon activities we asked you to share with us what motivates you to travel, to give us your best travel tip, or to let us in on your secret to keeping a youthful spirit all while we did a fun photo shoot! Thank you so much for your participation. We LOVED everyone’s advice and want to showcase it here on our blog.
Question 1: What motivates you to travel?
There were so many wonderful and varied responses to this question. The majority of people who responded said they are motivated to travel for either new adventure, new experiences or exploring new places. Meeting new people or making new friends was also a common response. Many said they travel to ‘just get away’ from it all—to take a break from the housework, or kitchen, computer, or kids and to just relax. Others are motivated by curiosity, learning new things, culture, food, architecture, or are encouraged to travel by others, such as their husband, wife, partner or friends—just to list a few examples. Here are a few wonderful pictures from our photo shoot!
Question 2: What is your best travel tip?
Here’s a summary of what you told us are your best travel tips:
- Planning – book early, plan for changes, plan to be flexible, check the weather forecast prior to packing, use google street view to check waypoints, be on time, be safe, read your info package, and book with Wells Gray Tours (thank you, we love that!).
- Mindset matters – keep an open-mind, be flexible, be patient, be happy, be kind, be honest, be friendly, be on time, drink wine, get up early to enjoy the day & the nature around you, and of course above all have fun!
- Travel with friends – travel with FUN friends and your best friend(s) and don’t forget to meet new friends. We agree and have written before about the importance of friends and friendship to our well-being on our blog (you can read all about that here).
- Local culture & community – take time to talk and get to know the locals and your bus mates (if your on tour) and immerse yourself in and be accepting and respectful of the culture in the country you’re a visitor in.
- Packing essentials – pack light, bring snacks & food, bring water, wear comfortable shoes & appropriate clothing, use large zip-lock bags to help pack your clothing, bring extra zip-lock bags to save leftovers from a large meal or other essentials such as cold remedies, digestive aids, first aid, etc., and don’t forget your passport, camera, cash, alarm clock, and or flashlight.
Question 3: What is your secret to keeping that youthful spirit?
And finally, here’s a summary of your secrets to keeping a youthful spirit:
- Keep active & stay healthy,
- Keep a positive outlook & an open mind,
- Smile & roll with the punches
- Be playful, laugh & have fun,
- Travel (with Wells Gray Tours) & explore new places,
- Meet new people & make new friends,
- Learn & try new things,
- Indulge (on occasion) in life’s sweet pleasures (think chocolate, wine, romance…),
- Get lots of sleep,
- Forget about age as a number and stay young at heart, and perhaps if all else fails,
- Lie to yourself about your age (😉).
Thank you all so much for your participation. We included as many photos here as we could, but if you don’t see yours, they are all posted on our Facebook site (Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon & Victoria). If you weren’t at the tea and would like to share your tips or advice as to what motivates you to travel, your best travel tip, or to let us in on your secret to keeping a youthful spirit, please let us know—we’d love to hear it!
Blog written by Miranda Schulz