Dina Kaplan knows a thing or two about stress. The founder of The Path shares with us why meditation is essential for travel:

The travel of travel- Flights get delayed, boats get canceled and drivers don’t show up at the designated time. At home we can control our schedule, but when you travel it’s nearly impossible.

When you meditate, you’re more open.

You’re less likely to get frustrated by things not going as planned. You end up having happier, calmer days. You’re more in the flow of life.

Getting into the travel vibe – There’s a rhythm to the best days of a trip. It’s the plan of having no plan. It means you’re open to meeting new people, stumbling into a restaurant you know nothing about, or exploring a new site or archeological dig. If you meditate when you travel, you’re more relaxed. You pay attention to what’s around you rather than focusing only on the destination.

Being forgiving – When you meditate, you gain the tools to rise up from arguments and see the bigger picture. Travel can be trying on relationships. There are  decisions to make all day, and everyone has their own agenda. It’s also easy to get tired walking around museums or ruins or exploring new areas. If an argument starts, and you don’t meditate, you’ll be more inclined to fight right back, down at the level you were brought to.

Making decisions – When you travel you make decisions all day – where to go, when to eat, what to eat, whether to go out at night or relax. You’re also often choosing which destination to hit next. When you meditate, you gain insight. You get in touch with the truth, and you feel your intuition.

The power to relax – There’s a lot of pressure on a trip, especially if you work a lot and have limited time for vacations. But sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. Meditation gives you the power to say: I’m good enough as I am. If I want to relax, I can honor that feeling and, for this moment, simply “be” rather than “do.”

For more information on meditation, please see http://thepath.com