You might say that abundance is taking a long trip, but I say that a quick travel is even more in keeping with an abundance mindset.
Last month, in the middle of what I call the best time to travel, I took off for Belfast in Northern Ireland. I had never been there before, and knew almost nothing about it, aside from a basic placeholder in my head called “The Troubles”. (And considering the Good Friday Agreement was almost thirty years ago, this meant I knew effectively nothing.)
I booked my flight and planned a trip to be there for 72 hours.
Wait, only 72 hours? All that travel for 3 days? Why so short? Why bother?
Indeed. I’m going to tell you all that, and why you might be wise to follow in my footsteps.
Table of Contents
What does “being rich” mean to you?
People often aren’t specific about what “being rich” means to them. A million dollars? Banal. Not having to work? Maybe.
I personally think that there isn’t one answer to that question, even for one person. I bet you can think of multiple, less all-encompassing answers.
And one answer I’ve always thought of for myself, look something like this:
“The ability to jet off to Paris for a weekend.”
It’s the “Paris” part, for sure, but it’s also the “weekend” part too. What this means for me is that I could take a short trip without feeling the need to make it longer.
It was, in short, an abundance play, a practice of abundance through quick travel.
Putting abundance into practice
But first, the logistics.
Why did I go, in the middle of December, when snowstorms threaten to derail travel and most of the tourist infrastructure has shut down for the season?
There were a few reasons. First, I wanted to qualify for the next highest elite status with Alaska Airlines, and this required an transoceanic flight. Flights to Dublin (via Aer Lingus) were very easy on the wallet, which I knew from past travels.
And then, while I was looking at the map, I realized that Dublin was a two hour bus ride away from Belfast, which not only was new to me, but resided in Northern Ireland, a country I had never been to before.
(Yes, Northern Ireland is its own country. The United Kingdom / Great Britain is confusing, and I had to look it up too.)
I could restart my personal challenge to visit one new country every year! This was shaping up to be a great plan.
Since the original purpose of this trip was a “mileage run”, I had neither the time nor the inclination to make it a long trip. But the more I thought about it, the more exciting that sounded.
Why short travel is practicing abundance
A while back, I read a Rick Steves book on travel, and in the introduction, it suggested trying to resist the urge to see everything. “Assume you will return” it said.
And I’ve never forgotten that. It is, itself, a kind of abundance play. Why try to see everything now? I can always return later.
And the same thing is true for the length of a trip. A short trip is the embodiment of not being able to see everything, and assuming you will return.
Similarly, a long trip, the typical two-week American vacation, reflects a certain kind of scarcity. Saving up all year to be able to take this big long trip, where everything has to go right because you worked so hard to make it happen: that doesn’t speak abundance to me.
If you can’t do everything, it also means you don’t have to. And that itself is freeing. You are now given permission to pick and choose.
It’s fun, believe me. And, almost as an aside, it’s also much cheaper.
What I did
That said, because it’s me, I still packed it in.
I arrived in the early evening on Thursday, and took in a brief walk around the town and a visit to my first chippy (a fish and chips place).
The second day, Friday, I did one of those free walking tours that help you get your bearings around a city. Following that, I did a fairly frenetic wander through the shopping district, which was full of happy Christmas shoppers.
The third day, I went on a bus tour of the Giant’s Causeway and the Antrim Coast, allowing me to see the beautiful Irish countryside in a way I wouldn’t be able to otherwise given the short December days.
On my third and final evening, I went to a lively Irish pub, where I drank Guinness and danced with people of all ages and stripes to an Irish pub band, making instant friends with the locals even though I’d never see them again.
For my last morning, I went to a brunch place and had a veggie Ulster Fry (like an English Breakfast) which was one of the best breakfasts I’d ever had in my life.
And then, with that, I went back to the airport and headed home.
Total time away, including flights, was less than five days. I left on Wednesday and was back by Sunday night.
And it was gorgeous, exciting, and above all, a ton of fun.
What’s your abundance play?
So what about you? Have you thought about making a big trip, but were overwhelmed by the possible cost? (Travel is less expensive than you think, but it’s not free.)
What if you were to shorten the trip: make it happen, but not nearly as long? A quick jaunt away, if you will?
Where would you go, and what would you do?
