How to stay present while traveling, and still capturing moments to share.

Traveling is one of my favorite things to do and I quickly learned that in order to soak in every moment, I have to be mindful and stay present! Even before blogging, I made it a point to truly enjoy vacations and create memories with loved ones. Like most people, especially bloggers, we love to capture moments and find the perfect shot to share with everyone! (Because if you don’t have a photo it didn’t happen right?!)

As Chase and I plan our one year anniversary trip, I thought it would be the perfect time to remind myself how our honeymoon was. We didn’t talk to hardly anyone on the phone, nor did we make one post on social media. We occasionally posted a photo to our Instagram story, but it was our HONEYMOON after all and we made sure not to fall into the trap of ‘being together, but talking to someone else on our phone’. Don’t get me wrong, we took PLENTY of photos and videos, but today I’m sharing how I stay present while traveling.

  1. It’s OK to take photos still! I still take videos, photos of our food, photos of us, and everything in between. The difference is, I do NOT post in real time. Even in my everyday life, I’m rarely posting in real time. I normally snap a few quick photos as soon as we get somewhere, then I put my phone away and enjoy the scenery. If I ever have “ME” time on a trip, I may edit a photo and share it with you guys, but I’m not going out of my way to start editing until we are home.
  2. I’m not out searching for the perfect photo opportunity. If we happen to run into a gorgeous mural, you bet I’m going to ask Chase to snap my photo, but I’m not controlling where we go solely based off photo opportunities. I also never ‘review’ the photos to make sure they’re ‘good enough’, because hey that’s what editing is for right?
  3. Leave the phone at home. If you’re only running out for a quick bite to eat or a walk on the beach, do you really need your phone? Even at home when we walk our dogs, I leave my phone at home and enjoy time with my family.
  4. Turn off notifications. I have my Instagram set to notify me when my favorite accounts post so I never miss one, but on vacation I turn that feature off, as well as my email notifications. It will all be there when you get back to reality.
  5. Take in the atmosphere. Pay attention to how things smell, taste, feel etc. Use those senses! I promise your memories will be more defined, as I did this on our wedding day too!
  6. And if you want someone to help you capture the perfect shot, hire a local photographer! They can capture more in 1 hour than I could in 3! That way you will have high quality photos, and the ability to enjoy the rest of your trip knowing you have those memories sealed!

If you have any tips on how you stay present, I’d love to hear them!

Stay Present

Stay Fearless,

Michelle Foster