Travel writer shares how to turn any trip into a life-changing experience

These three questions can turn any trip into a valuable experience. Photo / NZ Herald

When we think of 'life-changing travel' we often think of epic adventures to far-flung places or Eat Pray Love-type odysseys that have us quitting our job, packing a bag and buying a one-way ticket.

Fortunately, according to one travel writer, you can experience significant personal change and self-awareness through the most simple of trips.

Famous British essayist and novelist Pico Iyer claims even short trips to nearby places can be transformative if we take the time to reflect on and learn from the experience afterwards.

In fact, most of the change from a 'life-changing' trip occurs once you are back home, Iyer insists in a recent TED Ideas article.

"It's only when you get back home that you can really begin to understand a trip and implement the changes it may have set into motion inside you," he wrote.

The trick, Iyer said, is asking yourself three specific questions.

1. What moved me most over the course of my trip?

"For me, it's nearly always the differences in other cultures that ultimately toll most deeply inside," said Iyer.

Perhaps it was a conversation with a stranger or natural sight that took your breath away. It could have been overcoming a challenging activity or seeing a ritual that made you rethink your way of life.

A traveller can be moved whether they're exploring Portugal or Palmerston North, as long as you take the time later to consider what touched your heart and made you think.

2. What surprised me most on my trip?

Travel is full of surprises, even if you're just heading to a city nearby for a weekend away.

These opportunities, as unexpected as they are, can lead to great learning about yourselfand the world. Reflect on what stopped you in your tracks, challenged your ideas or beliefs and maybe changed them.

During a trip to Antarctica, Iyer said it was the colonies of penguins, vast silence and beautiful landscapes that were "beyond anything I'd seen or even imagined."

After the trip, he then turned this surprise into a reflection; one that made him consider the impact humans were having on the precious and vulnerable environment.

3. How might my trip move me to think or live my life a little differently?

This final question is one that turns a regular trip into one that is, quite literally life-changing.

For Iyer, his Antarctica trip prompted him to ponder the relationship between witnessing beauty and contributing to its demise.

"How will we live differently in the light of what we saw there?" he asked.

"How much can the strengthened sense of responsibility that arises from witnessing that grandeur offset the cost of travelling around it?"

His question is a weighty one but yours doesn't have to be about things like the climate crisis, political systems or global wars.

Instead, visiting a family overseas who always eats dinner together could give you an appreciation for sharing meals as a group. Or, taking a staycation with friends could remind you of how valuable long periods of quality time can be.

The key is to think about what struck a chord with you and try draw a lesson or action from what you experienced.

Or, in Iyer's words, "promise yourself 20 minutes every day to ensure that the journey doesn't get lost," he says. "How might you act differently now? Ask yourself how your life is rich in ways you hadn't imagined before [and] ask yourself how it's poor."