Last updated on March 27th, 2024 at 02:03 pm
In Elisabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love story, she kept photos, articles, and items that reminded her of all the places she wished to travel to in her lifetime in a box under her bed.
The box was not a wish list, per se, but practical ideas and items to help her plan her travel destinations. Suppose you think about her best friend and editor, who had a hope chest filled with baby items.
Some argue that collecting photos and items and placing them in a box holds no value. This is true if they stay there and collect dust, and you do nothing to make your dreams come true.
Elisabeth made her dream of travel come true by creating a financial plan to make them come true. But it is the collection of items that pulled at her heartstrings that would serve as a reminder that she wasn’t doing anything to make her travel dreams come true.
Consider making a travel vision box if you feel your dream destinations are impossible.
8 Items for a Dream Travel Vision Box
1. A box. Your dream destination box or travel hope chest should be something that calls you to open it, that calls you to travel, and that serves as a reminder that your dream is still out there waiting for you. Make it a nice one you are happy to have on display in your home (i.e., it doesn’t have to stay under the bed).
2. Images of your dream destinations. Clip them out of magazines, print images you find online (you could even create a Pinterest board), and keep postcards sent by friends from foreign places—a visual record of your travel dreams.
3. Start a Travel Journal to record ideas for travel. I don’t just keep my travel journal when traveling; it is also always nearby at home. I jot down great travel quotes, tips for travel experiences, and restaurants in far-flung cities that I find in magazines, newspapers, or online.
4. A travel savings jar. Save money for your dream travel ideas and watch your travel fund grow. Or, open a vacation savings account at a bank t00% dedicated to travel.
A vacation savings account should compound interest daily, be paid monthly, and carry no monthly fee. It should be opened at a bank you have to physically go into to withdraw the money so you are not tempted to spend it on other expenses.
5. A Travel bucket list. Please don’t laugh, but I have a travel bucket list spreadsheet. It is not a list of places I want to go but experiences I want. It has things like “go sailing on a tall ship,” “go rock climbing in 10 different countries”, and “go to the opera at La Scala in Milan.” I made it, oh, long ago–maybe 20 years ago.
Every few years, I see what I have achieved and what is no longer important to me because our travel dreams change over time. Print it off and put it in your dream travel box.
6. A world map for poring over when you get to travel dreams. It’s a pretty one that you can mark or pin when traveling. You can even get maps that scratch off countries when you visit them!
7. A travel inspiration pendant or another piece of jewelry. When you leave for your travels, you might want to put something on, perhaps a St Christopher necklace or a tiny compass—a little dream travel talisman.
8. Your travel manifesto. Record what you want to get out of traveling and what you want to give back to the world.
A dream travel vision box is a beautiful way to manifest your travel dreams and aspirations.
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Natasha von Geldern is a travel writer, editor, and blogger who is passionate about making the pages of the atlas real by traveling the world. She is a contributor to Travel Wire Asia, Wild Junket Magazine, Yahoo! Total Travel, and Travelbite. You can find her on her travel website and blog, WorldWanderingKiwi.
Note: Articles by Natasha may contain affiliate links and may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link.
