Travel and faith. These are two words that are important in many people's lives. You may notice that, generally, many separate them by thinking of traveling as one part of our lives and prayer as another.
Have you ever considered that these two walks of life, traveling and practicing your Faith, were made to be combined together?
Faith and Fun are Connected
We live in a world where faith can be disagreed with, rejected, denied, embraced, loved, or hoped for. Everyone fits into one of these categories; therefore, faith is a part of all of our lives.
When we consider traveling, some may say they are happy to be home and not travel the world. Others catch the travel bug and can't stop, changing their Facebook relationship status to: "In a relationship with my passport."
5 Ways to Discover God While Traveling
Whether you are a jet-setter traveling the world as often as your bank account allows or are happy being in your hometown and occasionally making small road-trips to give yourself a break, discovering your Faith while traveling is something that can benefit us all.
1. Pre-Holiday Excitement
Picture this: You have just booked your flight to Europe. Your accommodation and tours are scheduled. Now, you start to pack and eagerly wait!
How great is the feeling of excitement? This enthusiasm instantly gives us extra energy and makes everything about life seem wonderful. It fills us with such joy that no one can dampen our mood.
In these moments, we can discover that God is indeed with us. The excitement we experience can turn into a joyous gratitude for the opportunity we have been given to travel. So enjoy this excitement and be sure to give your thanks to our great God who makes all great things possible!
2. Living in the Moment
In this crazy world we live in, many young women travel just to capture a photo and post it on social media to see how many likes they get. Some of us even determine our self-worth by the amount of likes we receive.
As great as it is to take photos for memories and to share those moments with friends and family, there is beauty in simply sitting and taking in the stunning views that surround us. Mother Teresa reminds us:
Be happy in the moment. That's enough. Each moment is all we need not more.
Life can be crazy enough, and we often focus on the fears that chase us from our past and worry about what lies ahead. What a gift it is then that we have the present moment!
Whether it is enjoying the view of the rose garden in your own backyard or the mashed-potato-like clouds 30,000 feet above the ground, every view is beautiful. All it takes is a change of perspective to find the beauty given to us by our God in every moment.
3. Re-discovering Natural Beauty
Our lives are busy. The chaos of traffic, long flights, and crowds of people walking through a city center can add to the noise.
We can easily walk past a beautiful 100-year-old oak tree in a nearby park or look out the window of a flight with views of snow-capped mountains and not acknowledge the magnificent beauty right in front of us
God speaks to us through His creation. After all, He created the world for us so that His glory is present on earth and surrounding us everyday. The details He placed on his creation—be it on each rose petal we see or through the ripples of the clear water of the Adriatic Sea—are just a few of the ways He shows us His beauty here on earth. He reminds us that even amidst trials and hardships, beauty always exists.
God speaks to us through His creation. #BISblog //Click to tweet
4. Keeping a Travel Journal
In our current culture, we text more than we write. So when we are given the opportunity to take a travel journal with us on a trip, it is great to put the technology aside and enjoy the peace that we receive through hand-writing.
Travel journals are a great way to stay in touch with God throughout a journey. Take note of the moments of the day in which He has made Himself present to you. He shows Himself to you through small and big moments. We can even be the answer to the prayers of people around us. Like when a stranger on the street approaches you to ask for directions and you relieve their anxiety of being lost in a foreign city by pointing them the right direction.
By reflecting on these daily encounters, we can see how God reveals Himself to us bit by bit, making our holidays all the more meaningful.
5. Everyday Traveling
St. Mary Mackillop of the Cross, an Australian saint, is known for her words:
We are but travelers here.
She was not referring to backpackers who are city-hopping as often as possible. She was referring to each and every one of us. We are all pilgrims. This life is just a journey to our ultimate destination: Heaven.
Each day we have on earth is a chance to be the greatest versions of ourselves. This can happen while traveling to a beautiful holiday destination like Hawaii where you attend a local mass and get to know the locals. Or it could be an average day in your hometown were you donate clothes to the poor. Either way, the right opportunities are placed in our path by our God to become the women we are called to be.
This life is just a journey to our ultimate destination: Heaven. #BISblog //Click to tweet
Our Travels can Be Our Missions
Let us remember that our God is traveling with us and is always by our side. He is always showing us, through everyday activities and thoughts, that He is with us and wanting us. He desires for us, as His daughters, to go forward bringing a piece of Him to the world that so desperately needs Him.
John Paul II proclaimed in his Letter to Women:
Through the insight which is so much a part of your womanhood, you enrich the world's understanding and help to make human relations more honest and authentic.
Let us remember that traveling and faith are two aspects that work best together. By traveling and practicing our faith, we can discover more about our loving God and how we can be His "witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
How have you discovered God throughout your travels? Share with us below!
5 Ways to Discover God While Traveling #BISblog //Click to tweet
Antonia Lisica is the founder and blog content editor for The Adriatic Fox, which she started with the purpose to inspire young adults to travel with a different perspective and to practice their faith whilst travelling. She loves chocolate croissants, calligraphy writing, and plane-spotting. She hopes to inspire many young adults to travel with a purpose.
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