“Life is an adventure, not a package tour.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
This is a great reminder for me today – especially as I will be leaving for Europe on vacation next week.
We are not going on a package tour, but I do want to be prepared and feel in control 😉
When we spend so much of our time planning and anticipating whatever obstacle might come up, its easy to miss the excitement of the unknown and the adventure of it all.
It’s like life…
Take a moment and consider “Am I approaching life with a Package Tour mindset or as an Adventure?”
Looking back on previous vacations, I recall that it was the unexpected that thrilled. Like the moment we followed an impulse instead of the GPS and found ourselves on a dirt track heading towards the clouds. Suddenly a golden eagle flew up in front of the car with a 3 foot snake in its mouth. We didn’t have time to photograph it, but the moment is imprinted in our brains forever. Now that could never be planned for!
Looking back on life, aren’t the moments that take our breath away, the ones we didn’t plan for…
The moments we feel really good about are the ones where we have met unexpected challenges and discovered inner strength and resourcefulness.
Or the moments where we let our guard down and let the love in, to be fully embraced and accepted for who we are.
Or moments of discovery and awe of something that was once unknown.
Life really is an adventure when we allow ourselves to let go of control and notice things as they unfold.
When I think about my vacation, I now ask myself “Can I let go more and allow the present to unfold?” Absolutely, now that I have my bug spray, sunscreen, contact lens solution, change of underwear, reading glasses, GPS and maps packed…
Find Your Middle Ground 
I love that quote
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Me too! A great reminder to live our lives fully on our own terms 💛
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That is a fantastic quote. Great post, Val! Have a wonderful and safe trip. I’ll look forward to your photos!
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Glad you enjoyed it Jill! Thank you for your good wishes 💛
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What? No tooth brush 😂
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Smiling …. I do forget the obvious sometimes. That’s what makes it even more of an adventure 😉 Thanks Mark!
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Have a great trip!
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Thank you Kate!
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Enjoy every moment Val ☺️💫 smiles Hedy 😀
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Its such a gift to travel and explore. Thank you Hedy ❣️
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Inspirational. Enjoy your trip
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Thank you Derrick 💛
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beautiful post. that sight of the eagle with the snake in its mouth must have been incredible. Enjoy your trip; here’s to serendipity!
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Indeed! Thank you Jim.💛
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Lovely quote! Let go and enjoy, Val. 🙂
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Thank you Jennifer! I love your quote too 😁
Good luck with Dorian heading your way!
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Thanks. 😉 By the time Dorian gets here it will just be regular weather for us!
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Inspirational quote, Val.
I love to go on adventure without much planning. Without expectations we wont be disappointed either, just enjoying…
Wish you a safe travel and wonderful experiences, dear friend ❤
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Thank you so much fellow adventurer 💕
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Totally agree, Val, with the unplanned business. I was sitting with a friend one evening (going back 45 years) and suddenly had the impulsive thought that I’d drive to the Highlands the very next day (400+ miles), never having visited previously. My friend said that was a great idea, and could he come with me. Anyway, it turned into an utterly memorable trip, one in which we both fell in love with Scotland. I used to return twice yearly thereafter — Sutherland, usually, but the Western Isles, too. Have a great trip! H ❤
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Thank you for sharing special memories of Scotland Hariod! Italy is always inspiring! This trip I plan to visit frescoes I haven’t seen in person, yet studied for A level art. The outliers … should be memorable 🙏
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Giotto, Cimabue, and all that: wonderful stuff! Vasari’s Lives of the Artists was dramatised on Radio Four last month, in three one-hour-long programmes — it was fantastic, if you ever get a chance to listen. Tom Conti played Vasari, and was brilliant.
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Tom Conti has such a great voice. That would be a real treat to listen to!
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Great post Val! I can relate to all of it. Living in childlike wonder, opens our hearts and minds to this great adventure! Have a wonderful vacation ✈️✨✈️💕
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Thank you Karen. Italy feels more and more like home …. and adventure still awaits around the bend. 💛
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I used to be adventurous in my youth (before ill-health and pain got in the way) and did more than a little risk-taking.
Now, as I dash outside to watch the sunset over the hilltop or watch the unusual cloud formations race across the sky, I feel so over-awed at the spectacular views Mother Nature sends me, I actually feel adventurous in thought.
For me, those special moments, now I can’t walk or travel far, are a tiny ‘adventure’ in themselves.
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The wonders of nature’s really are like adventures to the mind and soul. Thank you Vicki 💕
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PS have a safe, happy and adventurous holiday Val 🙂
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Thank you Vicki 😎
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Eckhart is a brilliant man. It’s hard to let go of control. The first trip I took with my mother was a tour and we did have a most wonderful time so I knew we could travel together. The next two trips we arranged our flights and our hotel for the first and last night. The remaining hotels, we found on our own. In one town there was no hotel so a resident found someone to rent us a flat for 2 nights. We did that for 3 weeks only having a glimmer of an idea where we were going. It was terrifying and fun. I did that again when I went with my sister. When we went on the first no tour trip, the airline lost our luggage. Now that’s fun. Have a grand adventure!
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It’s sounds like a great combination of scary and fun. What an adventure Marlene! Thanks for sharing herr 🙏
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Have a great trip . . . full of exciting moments around each bend.
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Thank you Nancy! I’ll certainly look out for the unexpected around the bends 💛
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Have a wonderful trip, Val! Safe travels & meaningful adventures! 💕
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Thank you Julie❣️
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Enjoy your trip! And I have a feeling that you will have a terrific time.
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Thank you Ann ❣️
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I much prefer adventure travel, loosely planning a basic itinerary and following my instincts once I get there. One always meets locals or other travelers that share what calls to be explored. Have a great vacation filled with lots of fun adventures, Val!
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My thoughts too! Thank you Eliza 💛
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It’s a wonderful quote, and an open invitation to enjoy the adventure of it all! I know you’re going to have a wonderful vacation, Val!
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Thank you Debra 💛
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LOL. Inspiring. EnJOY your holiday – may it be filled with abundantly delicious freedom and adventure, Val!
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Smiling … Thank you Vicki 💛
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Everything you’ve said here is so true Val. I always start a vacation with no expectations. It has really served me well, and so many great surprises happen along the way. Hope you’re having a wonderful vacation.
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Wow, I really really love the message of this
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Thank you Harry 💛
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I love this!!
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How was your vacation Val ? I love Eckhart Tolle a lot and this quote really speaks to me. I think it was a great idea to chose it as your blog title. Thank you for the inspiration and wishing you lots of travels 🙂
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Thank you for your kind words! The vacation was full of spur of the moment surprises 😎
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