The Importance of ‘Quiet Time’ During Travel

great thoughts on a overlooked yet vital aspect of our lives. Quiet time me to really be in my body and in the space…

A little quiet time will be needed over the holidays I think. Everybody remember to go to your happy spot for a little R&R!

I 100% agree with this. I think it is so important to have down time when traveling. You can get caught up in all you are seeing and where you are going next that you often forget to reflect on WHAT you are seeing and how that makes you feel.

Part of traveling is feeling the adventures… not just seeing them.

Great post!

On longer travels I always try to mix up the big city life with smaller relaxed towns just to get the “quiet time” that you speak off. Staying in multishare hostelrooms is my favorite way of travelling, but it certainly takes it toll on your mind and body. Therefor it’s good to get a night or two at a B&B far, far away from the roaring sound of the city!

Time to mull over the events, the parts of your life that have lead you to travel, or just meditating on the beach. Awesome.

So true!

Allowing ourselves downtime to reflect and relish the experience of travelling is vital. Also, not feeling guilty that we aren’t rushing from one activity or ‘must see’ to another and that sometimes doing nothing for a whole day is a good thing!

Waking up early, but keeping my eyes closed and listening to the sounds of a place as itself wakes up..

I’ve noticed that if i don’t make allowance for quiet time i will invariably fall sick! Quiet time is an essential aspect of travel especially in really bustling places like India, Thailand, Japan. My favorite downtime activities – meditation, yoga & massage. Great article Christine.

Good one! i love watching the world go by and just taking in the day and appreciate the life thats happening around me. People can get so caught up in getting here and there at this time that we can forget why we wanted to travel in the first place.

it’s really very important to have a quiet time during travel. it is the time when you are going to internalize things happened, things happening and things that will happen in your life. Quiet time will let you enlighten your thoughts from all the angst that you’ve experience..

Christine, I only just saw this, even though you commented on my post with the URL. Very nice article! Apologies for the delay in reading it.

Hey Jill, no worries! It’s hard to keep up with everything happening round the online world!

I just found this article. Don’t know how I missed it before.

I think of quiet time during travel as reception time without static – like tuning in a radio to my favorite station after a day of experiencing a place actively – a hike, exploring a new place –

Sitting by a fire under a star stuffed sky miles from any light and sound that are man made. Waking up to a lazuli bunting song. Watching the moon rise over stone pillars of layered time. Lying on a rock beside a river — All time for reflection, how the place is changing me.

Quiet time during travel is as important as the rests in a piece of music

i liked the idea of seeing the city wake up early in the morning in some ways its the best time when you can be alone and as well have a great moment..on the other hand..when i saw this line.. in order to live you need to also rest.(the word rest) cant that be like touch your finish line as well..

Great article, Christine, and all so true what you are saying.

The best way for us to find quiet time is bushcamping. Alone and one with nature. Silence, scenery and no sound but concerts of animals. Absolutely lovely.

happy travelling
Karin-Marijke

I discovered the necessity of downtime on a trip to Japan a few years ago. I arrived into Tokyo late at night after a 10 hour flight and having been on the road for a few hectic weeks already and collapsed onto my tatami bed.

The next day I had no energy for anything and spent the morning pottering about doing laundry and drinking green tea and reading the book I had started on the plane. In the afternoon I had a gentle explore, finding a local eatery and a 7/11. By the evening I was feeling up to slightly more and went for another wander and, quite by chance, stumbled on a huge and majestic temple complex, which was in the middle of some sort of festival and bedecked with twinkling paper lanterns. Smiling faces and the smells of exotic food surrounded me and welcomed me to this beautiful country.

Allowing myself time to vegetate and recharge my batteries meant that I could really enjoy this surprise introduction to a new place. If I had forced myself out of bed and stormed out the door with a guide book and a mission I would probably have wanted to go home by the end of the day.

In my travels since then I have applied a policy of taking at least one day a week to just stop and do nothing. Do the things that I would do on a rainy day at home, or the closest local equivalent. Sometimes the most memorable moments of a trip happen when you leave a little space for them in an otherwise packed itinerary.