A Traveller’s Tradition [2021 Edition]

Greetings from Toronto!

And welcome to 2022! We've made it this far...but keep those seatbelts buckled and eyes on the road ahead 🙂

I like to end of each year with a small thought exercise I borrowed from a traveller friend of mine - 3 short questions that are worth a few minutes of your time. If you're reading this over your first (or second?) cup of coffee of 2022, perhaps your own answers will pop up.

1. What are you going to leave behind from 2021?

There was a bit of a list for this one but if I had to sum it up - I intend to leave behind all the anxiety, frustration, and the emotional rollercoaster associated with this big massive thing that is entirely out of my control.

There's external events and then there's our internal responses to those events, and only one of those do we have full control over. While the waves might batter us about for a while yet, I intend to leave those negative feelings in the past and replace them with a sense of hope, faith, and optimism as we sail onwards into the future.

2. What are you going to bring with you into 2022?

This one is pretty easy - I want to bring with me all the wonderful energy that I received from all the words of support and encouragement from members of this community and others in the travel world, particularly in the last few months.

I can honestly say I'm blessed to have been able to see so much of the world in my life, and doubly so when I get to share those experiences with friends new and old. If I felt this was any less than a calling, we might have folded many months ago...but if adversity reveals to us the things that matter, then this whole mess has only solidified my passion for what we do and my desire to get out and travel with people again.

In uncertain times a solid sense of purpose is the best navigational device, and connecting with so many of you over the past weeks, months, and years has only strengthened mine. Thanks ever so much for keeping my spirits high and my cup overflowing with positivity.

3. What are you going to do more of in 2022?

My most powerful intention for 2022 is going to be to stay connected to the present moment, and elevate my level of consciousness in all aspects of my life. Love, gratitude, joy, and forgiveness...these along with meditation keep me out of the loops of what's already happened, and away from any fears about what could.

The more I think about it, cultivating a sense of the present moment is perhaps the ultimate skill for a traveller - to be able to take in everything as it unfolds in front of us, and to embrace all the expansion of the self that follows.

I wish you all the best as we kick off another year in the 21st century - here's to freedom, adventure, and the camaraderie of friends. If you go through the exercise yourself, do share your responses with me 🙂

Cheers!

P.S. Just a quick note on things upcoming - we have our webinar for our 2023 Camino de Santiago trip coming up on the 6th, and the full itinerary can be found in your newsletter. A nice long walk in the company of friends may just be the catharsis we need after the past few years...join us for our first webinar of 2022 and let's discuss 🙂

Gordon Dreger

Founder, Wheel & Anchor

Gordon Dreger is the founder of Wheel & Anchor and has been in the travel industry for over 30 years. Travel is a self-expression for him, and there is nothing he likes more than talking about travel and sharing all of the joys of it with others.