Gone Travelling

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If there is one certainty in my life, one constant trait of my identity is that I always knew I wanted to travel. I was born a traveller.

Whether it was a short trip with my parents, a school excursion, a holiday with friends or – later in life – a professional experience, I always felt travelling was my favourite teacher. Being away from the familiarity of home was making me learn fast, with no mercy and no interest in my limitations or fears. Whether it was a matter of learning a language, understanding new signs, finding directions, trying new food, feeling exposed, … I had to learn. And rapidly; I had to elevate awareness and independence, develop problem solving and communication skills.Yes, I was afraid at times, even naïve sometimes but I always learnt, a lot. Going and seeing never failed to be an exciting life lesson, even though I didn’t recognise the difference between being a tourist and a traveller.

The tourist is itinerary-focused and mainly out on a short-term visit, thus comfort and convenience must be prioritised. The search for a snapshot opportunity is currently a much-debated trait associated with being a tourist; get there, capture a famous highlight, post it on social media and move on. I found myself doing this too when on business trips and having limited time available, thus I am not condemning it. Sometimes, I am a tourist by chance; and I always try to make the most of where I am.

The traveller is exploration-focused, trying to immerse oneself in the local cultural environment, spending longer time in each location, meeting people, asking about their customs and daily lives. A traveller needs to embrace adaptability in order to forge deep connections with the local community, experiencing the standard lifestyle, soaking in the reality of where one is, seeing the good and the bad rather than just the tourist spots.

Reflecting on my personal past experiences, it is clear that sometimes I found myself playing tourist while I was travelling, and being a traveller while I was working. Both approaches have their own charm and benefits, depending on what life stage one is at, time and funds available, objectives, and ultimately what kind of experience you're looking for. 

Whether you are travelling for pleasure or business, short or long trips, near or far destinations, Ele-VA can guide you with travel planning, lifting the burden of the many micro decisions that will side track you, and stress you, even stalling your intention to go! 

For experienced and tailored support in planning journeys and travels anywhere in the world just send me a non-committal inquiry by email info@ele-va.com or Whatsapp. Having visited quite a large proportion of Planet Earth, I am delighted to have acquired many genuine contacts in every continent. 

During my latest travels through India, I found myself reflecting on the sharp social contrasts, the extremes standards of living conditions, as well as their unconditional happiness and hospitality. Once again, I was learning, setting aside judgement and prejudice. 

For all this talk of Delhi Belly, I can assure you that it is very possible to spend time in India and stay well, whilst enjoying amazingly tasty local food. 

Whether you are a globe trotter or a less seasoned traveller, whether you are journeying for business or leisure, I will offer you my assistance and simplify your next travel itinerary. 

Do you have a destination in mind or are you looking for inspiration and guidance? Let's talk!

At this time of the year, some of the people I speak to are still trying to figure out their new year resolutions. 

Which BIG personal goals have I set myself for 2025? None. However, I have clearly defined several more modest but powerful targets. 

I call it petite ambition.

Undoubtedly, goals can give us direction, purpose and motivation. However, the common downside is the disappointment of not reaching top goals. The more important and ambitious the goal, the bigger is the sense of disappointment if you don’t get to where you want to, how you want to. In extreme cases, you may feel like you failed, even if you haven’t; the goal may have been unrealistic to start with.

This January, to start the year with intention but avoiding setback mode, I reverted to the approach of building good powerful habits, each day. 

Every day, I make micro decisions in the same direction: feel better, stay focus, be kind. I would like to think this is not a brand-new approach for me and that I have been heading in this direction anyway; reflecting about the small routine actions I perform, and intentionally introducing new ones will eventually optimize my well-being and performance. Or so is the objective, fingers crossed.

I still dream big, I just focus on the marginal gain from each little step and each small improvement; put together, these give me more motivation than simply dreaming about reaching that monumental target which looks so far away… 

Are you suffering from horizonlessness? Uncommon word for a very common feeling. I heard it on one of my favourites, The Mel Robbins Podcast. To overcome it, even tidy achievements each day give you the confidence to push ahead towards the bigger goals.

How do you relate to this? In 2025, whether you have set small or more ambitious goals, you will need the time and energy to focus on them and Ele-VA can support you with different strategies: prioritization, identifying those tasks that you can delegate, thus improving your focus on what really matters to you right now and for your future; creating a schedule to ensure that your time is effectively allocated for work, rest and leisure, researching for you the most appropriate resources and sharing positive affirmations to help centre you; your virtual assistant can help brainstorm and generate new idea for your business, it is your accountability partner to regularly check on progress to keep you on track. Happy to hear your comments and answer your questions, contact info@eleva.com 

May we all strive towards our goals with determination, whatever they are, professional or business-related a reach a higher level of success and well-being.