Greetings from Stockholm, Sweden!
We just spent 5 wonderful days exploring Copenhagen, and we've just begun the second leg of our trip here in Stockholm.
One of best things about the Scandinavian capitals is how pleasantly walkable they are, particularly at the edge of summer. We've been blessed with very good weather and this has made our exploring all the better.
It was while out today that it occurred to me that walking deserves more praise than it gets! There's just something about how getting the body moving also moves the mind.
Done properly, I see walking as an antidote to the distraction culture of the day - it creates a flow and channel for deeper thinking, it pairs well with conversation, and it remains quite difficult to walk and look at your phone at the same time (certainly a feature and not a bug).
The present-ism we get while out for a walk is all too rare these days, and the health benefits make it all a slam dunk. I've heard this as well from a great many of our members when collecting feedback from our recently completed trips and our recent Trip Inspirtation questionnaires - walks and hikes are a key desire while travelling.
Most of our trips do involve a fair bit of walking, and our future ones will as well. I think travel should be relaxing, but not like lie-on-a-beach-and-do-nothing the whole time. For most of us, our lives have become more sedentary over time, and I think exploring a novel place is the perfect way to get us moving again.
The epitome of the joy of walking can be found in our Camino program next year - we'll have ample time for both those engaging conversations and personal introspection, as we make our way along a path traversed by many travellers before us. Active but contemplative...a beautiful unification of opposites.
Speaking of trips for next year, I'm pleased to announce we will be relaunching our Norwegian fjords trip in 2023. It took a long time to get things sorted regarding our cancelled 2020 program, but we finally got everything resolved appropriately.
Normally I'd like more lead time before a trip like this, but I know from the company that rates are going to increase after next season, and I think it's better for us to go before they do. Join us for the Norway webinar July 14, or keep an eye out for the itinerary to be released, coming up after Cefalu next week.
The last update is that the final part of our latest Trip Inspiration Questionnaire is here, for our 'experiential journey' style of trips. Please click here to do it if you have a minute.
Our experiential series of trips takes us through different corners of the world, often those that are beyond the beaten track. Some of them will are overland, while some are sea and river journeys on smaller vessels while others are rail journeys that are among the most exciting in the world.
This is the last part of the series, and I very much appreciate your feedback and ideas, which I'll share more about once we've pulled it all together. I'll sign off here - it's a holiday weekend, so I trust you are going to make the most of it. Happy Canada Day 🙂
Cheers!
Gordon Dreger
Founder, Wheel & Anchor
P.S. If you missed completing earlier parts of the Questionnaire, I'd still love to hear your thoughts. You can find Part I here, Part II here, and Part III here. Thanks!
Leave a comment!