Why We Take an Excursion on Every Trip: Choosing Experiences That Bring Perspective and Joy

Sound familiar?

“How can you be so focused on travel? The world is loud right now and there is so much pain. I can’t think about travel when there is so much negativity happening around me. I need to focus on what is important…”

Precisely.

It is with intention that I do not share negative reviews here.
It is with intention that I choose beauty, laughter, nature, and love.
And it is with intention that I share stories that feel real, grounded, joyful, and—hopefully—inspiring.

Why?

Because when the world feels heavy, it becomes even more important to look for the light.

Choosing Where We Place Our Attention

In a previous post, I mentioned the impact The Secret by Rhonda Byrne had on my life. The healing power of gratitude has shaped my world ever since—but there is more to it than positivity alone.

In her later book The Power, Byrne emphasizes the importance of love and intention, explaining that life doesn’t simply happen around us—it responds to what we think, feel, and focus on.

Technology mimics this every day. Our real-life experiences react much like our social media feeds: the algorithm brings us more of whatever we engage with. In many ways, our minds work the same way.

What We Pay Attention to Grows—Good or Bad.

When we set an intention or hold a thought, our minds begin searching for evidence that it’s true. It’s like noticing a certain color car on the road, and suddenly seeing that same car everywhere. We can, quite intentionally, train ourselves to focus on what we want more of in our lives.

Yes, there is a lot happening around us and we cannot completely ignore negative events. But when we choose to focus on negativity and fear most of the time, we invite more of it into our own lives. On the flip side, when we spend most of our days choosing love, curiosity, and gratitude, our awareness naturally shifts toward the things that reflect those values back to us.

San Blas islands, Panama

Love, Gratitude, and an Unexpected Lesson in Panama

Love and gratitude invite curiosity over judgment, peace over turmoil, and understanding over fear. This was never more evident to me than during our excursion to the San Blas Islands in Panama.

We stayed at the JW Marriott in Panama City, already well outside the comfort zone of a farm family from rural Maine. At 5 a.m., our tour driver picked us up for the 2.5-hour drive from the Pacific side of the country, across Panama, to a tiny Caribbean port where small boats wait to ferry visitors to the islands.

Upper-level infinity pool overlooking Panama City and the Pacific.

Entering Guna Yala

The San Blas Islands are home to the Indigenous Guna people, who govern more than 300 islands autonomously. They allow limited tourism on select islands while maintaining their traditions, culture, and deep connection to the land and sea.

Some islands are densely populated villages. Others are used for farming coconuts. A few host visitors in modest, camping-style huts. On day tours like ours, guests are brought to several islands to relax, swim, eat, and simply be.

Because Guna Yala is self-governed and not a province of Panama, visitors must present passports and pay an entrance fee at checkpoints along the road to the port. As our driver handed over the paperwork at the jungle border station, our attention was pulled toward a sight I was not prepared for: heavily armed guards and a large flag with a swastika.

Wait… what?

My teenage son and I exchanged wtf glances. Having recently toured Germany, we both felt a visceral reaction to a symbol that, for us, represents hate and the most heinous evil in modern times. We were in the middle of nowhere! What was going on?

But almost immediately, discomfort gave way to curiosity. We knew there had to be more to the story—something beyond our narrow Western worldview.

When Curiosity Replaces Judgement

Embroidered Mola artwork

Our previous travel experiences ensured that we kept an open mind—especially when things didn’t unfold as expected.

In that moment I also recognized how quickly negative thoughts and images creep into our minds. From one symbol on a flag, my mind was flooded with negativity.

Of course the reality was just the opposite. What I actually witnessed was a community welcoming us into their home with openness and care. Our meal was shared at large family-style tables. We were given freedom to explore the islands at our own pace. The women patiently helped me navigate my limited Spanish as we discussed the handmade Mola artwork they had created.

There were no tour guides explaining history or translating culture for us this time. This was simply immersion—observation, experience, presence.

Once we regained cell data, a quick Google search filled in the missing context: the swastika is an ancestral Guna symbol, used long before its association with Nazi Germany. For the Guna, it represents balance and the four cardinal directions of the earth. Their flags were everywhere—on boats and buildings—signifying a cultural identity rooted in harmony with nature, resilience, and continuity.

Because we entered their world from a position of curiosity and love, we were given the gift of a glimpse into a fascinating culture. The Guna are a matriarchal society with social structures that challenge Western norms, are fiercely independent, cultivate skilled artisans, and maintain a profound relationship with their environment.

Spending time among them reminded me just how limited our worldview can remain if we never leave home—and how essential it is to lead with love and gratitude when we do.

Putting the finishing touches on the Mola panel I purchased.

This is Why I Write About Travel

This is why I spend so much time thinking about—and sharing—travel.

There are countless things to love in this world: family, friends, animals, movement, nature, slow mornings, coffee, sunlight… and yes, even snow (despite how much I tease it in my reels).

Revisiting meaningful travel experiences brings me peace, joy, perspective and laughter—and I hope sharing them offers a bit of that same energy to you. I hope it tips the balance of your day to a world that feels lighter, when everything else seems heavy.

And it’s why, on every trip, we intentionally include at least one excursion like our day trip to the San Blas islands in Panama—one that pulls us into the landscape, culture, or history of where we are.

Some of the moments that have shaped how I remember a destination— and deepened my appreciation for it— came from experiences like these:

• Sint Maarten: snorkeling catamaran cruises, watching jets land at Maho Beach, sunset sails, and exploring by mini rhino boats

• Grenada: meeting Mona monkeys, learning how chocolate is made, standing under waterfalls, and snorkeling the underwater sculpture park

• Jamaica: private history tours at Rose Hall, cliff jumping at the Blue Hole, climbing Dunn’s River Falls, and swimming in bioluminescent waters

• Dominican Republic: ATV rides and swimming in a natural lagoon

• Barbados: wandering Hunte’s Garden, watching monkeys at the Wildlife Reserve, touring Harrison’s Cave, and snorkeling with turtles

• St. Lucia: witnessing the Pitons from the water and visiting the world’s only drive-in volcano

• Costa Rica: volcanic mud baths, jungle hikes, and waterfall swims

• Belize: river cruises to Lamanai ruins, snorkeling with turtles, rays, and nurse sharks in Hol Chan Marine Reserve

• Also in Panama: ocean to ocean and canal tour

If you’re curious, you can explore some of these experiences through the blue links above or by visiting our Viator Shop. I’ve only shared excursions we’ve personally experienced and would genuinely recommend—simply as a resource for your own slow, meaningful travel planning.

Spend some time today dreaming about travel

• Set up your vacation fund and let it grow!

• Create a Pinterest board filled with islands, experiences, and moments you can picture yourself living.

• Join Facebook groups for hotels, resorts, and destinations you’re interested in.

The world can be filled with negativity some days. Sometimes you just need to sit with it, but don’t immerse your world in it.

Spend more time thinking about the life you want to create, and be grateful for the things that make you happy. Tip the balance of your day and reset the algorithm of your life. Give the majority of your awareness to the things you love—and lean into the hope and understanding that travel can bring into your world.

Thank you!