Of course! The beauty of traveling stems from its relationship to being on holiday, to leisure. But its allure also has something to do with the positive habits that are often only part of our holiday routine.

 

Quite a pity, we thought. And as such, HTD has collected 6 different traveling habits that deserve to be ‘taken home’ and to be integrated into our daily lives – especially now while the holiday season seems so far off:

• Ample time for long breakfasts!

Obviously, it’s not always possible to spend your morning gormandizing a buffet of ham, eggs, croissants, juice, coffee and the like. But that’s also what weekends can be for! So why not inviting a couple of friends or family members over for breakfast or – better yet – for brunch? These relaxing moments will sweeten your mornings and they set us in the right ‘holiday-mood’ for the rest of the day.

• Live off the grid

A great source of stress in our lives are those unexpected (and unwanted) tasks that are given to us at the most inopportune moments. Phones and computers are often their messenger. Thus, we easily turn them off and are “unreachable” when on holiday. Back home, however, we rarely think of doing so, even in moments where it would actually be alright. So how about turning off the phone and going “off-grid” for a couple of hours every day and, at the very least, on weekends?

• Live in the present moment

When we are abroad, we easily immerse ourselves in the moment and simply take in the beauty that surrounds us in nature, architecture and small things. Even the busiest of us can take pleasure in just standing silently on a mountain top or sitting for hours at the beach. We contemplate beauty, we live and enjoy it. But why not dedicating 10-15 minutes in your daily routine to something that helps us to find beauty in the simplicity of the moment?

• Being an art expert – also at home

So you have visited the Louvre, the Vatican Museums, the National Gallery, and you speak with an air of authority on the world’s great art collections, but you have rarely enjoyed what your own city has to offer? What about replacing your next round of after-work drinks with a tour of a local museum with friends?

• Enjoy new tastes!

Let’s be honest: enjoying good food and discovering new cuisines is often one of the very highlights of a trip. But probably also your home town has quite a lot to offer and you don’t need to fly halfway around the world to dine at an Indian restaurant or eat tapas at a Spanish bar. If you don’t live in a city where such exotic eateries abound, you can always find the recipes and put your own culinary skills to the test. Invite friends and family over and they will be as happy as you to prepare and (of course) eat a delicious meal together.

• Expect great things to happen today

When you wake up on a holiday morning, you simply know that it’s going to be a good day. The unexpected is going to come our way, but we are open for it and our optimism will help us to focus on the good, understanding that,

„Every day is a new life to a wise man.“ (D. Carnegie)

So why not changing the perspective and habits, starting tomorrow morning – or maybe even today? (ger)