{"id":252910,"date":"2020-08-13T05:58:02","date_gmt":"2020-08-13T09:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=252910"},"modified":"2020-08-13T06:32:45","modified_gmt":"2020-08-13T10:32:45","slug":"travel-with-niraj-shah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/ja\/journal\/travel-with-niraj-shah\/","title":{"rendered":"Travelling in 2020: Niraj Shah"},"content":{"rendered":"

Car Free Day London 2019 Meditation Teacher and Mind:Unlocked founder Niraj Shah shares his experience of travelling from London to Greece this August and gives practical advice on how to stay calm and grounded if you choose vacation over a staycation this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Travelling in the times of pandemic! Was it a trip you booked in advance or a last-minute decision?<\/b><\/h3>\n

We made a late decision for this particular trip, but not a reckless or rushed one. My wife and I had booked three different fully cancellable short flights in July, August & September, but then decided that it made more sense to base ourselves in one place, to live and work from for a month. We can both work remotely and it\u2019s normal for us to combine work and travel. We went from idea to rapid research to securing the ideal villa and flights in 36 hours!
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Did you feel anxious at all?<\/b><\/h3>\n

No. We\u2019re very experienced, regular air passengers and pre-pandemic plane travel wasn\u2019t a stressful experience for us. We had already travelled once in the pandemic – to Mallorca, Spain in early July – so we also knew that our regular airline had good COVID measures in place. Importantly, we don\u2019t have any other health conditions to consider or kids to look after. Either of those would have likely stopped us travelling by plane.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, we\u2019re staying in a quiet part of a remote island (Rhodes, Greece), so we\u2019re naturally distanced from crowds too. <\/span>We\u2019re aware of the worst-case scenarios in terms of lockdowns, quarantines and potential illness and have taken precautions that we feel comfortable with. Risk-based decision making with incomplete information is a regular feature of our business lives, that we also apply to our personal lives.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How was the vibe on the plane, at the airport \u2013 could you feel the intense energy or was it mellow, as usual?<\/b><\/h3>\n

We travelled on a Saturday morning in August, so Heathrow airport was busy! That said, the vibe felt pretty good to me. Airport staff seemed happy to be back at work and fellow passengers looked generally quite relaxed, all things considered. I have heard anecdotally that not all airport experiences in the pandemic have been as pleasant, so we may have got lucky.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You prepared really well for the trip.<\/b><\/a>\u00a0What exactly did you take with you?<\/b><\/h3>\n

For years I\u2019ve travelled with a high quality 100% blackout sleep mask, earphones and a light hoodie. I see planes as one of the last bastions of WiFi free rest! The mandatory COVID face mask pleasantly completed the cocoon effect in a way that didn\u2019t feel claustrophobic. I\u2019m used to meditating on planes, but this combination helped me to internalise even faster and deeper. It was the closest I\u2019ve felt to meditating either in a <\/span>significantly<\/span><\/i> quieter environment or a flotation tank, without actually being in a flotation tank. I\u2019ll be continuing with it long after this pandemic is a distant memory.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And of course, you meditated! Did you focus on anything in particular during your pre-travel practice? Has meditation helped to relax on the plane too?<\/b><\/h3>\n

I LOVE meditating on planes. There\u2019s no WiFi so that takes a major life distraction away, and it\u2019s a really good way to zone out and journey inwards. Meditation undoubtedly helps to relax on planes, and I like the juxtaposition of turning what could have been a stressful experience into a deeply nourishing one. It\u2019s incredibly freeing to learn and know that we have huge power over how we shape our subjective experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

In terms of my focus, in my experience as a teacher and guide of multiple meditation styles, the best meditation styles or techniques for each individual vary greatly based on each of our own lifestyles, goals, cognitive histories and preferences, so I don\u2019t think sharing my focus on this occasion will be very helpful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meditation is as unique and individual as we are, there\u2019s no one size fits all meditation style! For meditators or meditation learners, just try to do whatever it is you are practicing or learning at the moment and be kind to yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember that a major brain growth opportunity in most meditative styles actually happens when you notice that you\u2019ve become distracted and then you gently bring your focus back to whatever it was you were intentionally doing. That\u2019s the opposite of the unhelpful idea that we need to clear our minds or try to think of nothing!<\/span><\/p>\n

Bringing our focus back is doing a rep in the mental gym, it\u2019s training our minds to go where we tell them to. That\u2019s not an abstract \u201cwoo woo\u2019 statement, it\u2019s how our brains physically develop new neural networks that lead to new behaviours (in this case, increasing our ability to intentionally focus).
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For those who are choosing vacation over staycation, but still feel anxious, what would be the solutions to bring more calmness to the experience of travelling in 2020?<\/h3>\n