When the Map is Your Medicine: The Difference Between Running Away and Traveling to Heal
“I wasn’t following joy—I was trying to run from a feeling I hadn’t fully let myself sit with yet.”
Just yesterday, after an emotional conversation that left me feeling raw, I found myself opening my laptop and clicking into the flight alerts I get regularly. It’s something I’ve done countless times—searching for an escape in the form of a new destination. This time, Peru popped up. A place I’ve dreamed of visiting for years. The rate was unbelievable. I could’ve booked it in seconds.
But this time… I paused.
The awareness struck me mid-scroll—I wasn’t searching because I was inspired. I was searching for relief. I wasn’t following joy—I was trying to run from a feeling I hadn’t fully let myself sit with yet. I wasn’t planning a soul-nourishing trip—I was running from discomfort.
That moment of honesty with myself was so tender, so important. It made me realize just how many times I’ve done this before. Not from judgment, but from a pattern—especially as someone with an avoidant attachment style. In the past, I’ve run toward a plane ticket rather than toward my truth.
But what if the map isn’t for running?
What if it’s for medicine—for expansion?
Signs You’re Traveling to Escape, Not to Expand
There’s a fine line between intentional travel and reactionary booking. The high of booking a trip is real—a quick dopamine hit that feels like control, clarity, even hope. But if we’re honest, sometimes it’s avoidance wearing a cute carry-on.
Here are a few signs to notice in yourself:
You’re emotionally activated (anxious, hurt, overwhelmed) and immediately start searching for flights.
You haven’t processed a situation but want to physically get away instead of sitting with it.
You’re looking for the cheapest, fastest, farthest option—anywhere but here.
The idea of the trip feels like relief, not inspiration.
You hear yourself saying, “I just need to get away,” not “I feel called to experience…”
We’ve all been there. This isn’t about shame—it’s about curiosity.
What Intentional Travel Feels Like
Intentional travel, on the other hand, is soul-rooted. It doesn’t come from a place of urgency—it comes from alignment. It’s the kind of travel that doesn’t just offer rest, but renewal. It connects to the parts of you that want to feel a certain way. Expansive and energized.
Ask yourself:
Am I running away, or am I running toward something meaningful?
What’s the state of my nervous system right now?
What do I truly need—and is travel the most loving answer right now?
When we travel with intention, the destination becomes a mirror, not a mask. We’re not numbing—we’re nourishing.
Tips for Using Travel as Medicine
Here’s how to make sure your next trip is aligned with your soul—not your stress.
Pause before booking.
Journal. Breathe. Check in with your body and heart.Match your destination to your desired feeling.
Craving peace? Try nature or slow travel. Need play and energy? Maybe a bustling city or vibrant retreat.Build space into your trip.
Don’t overschedule. Make time for reflection, stillness, creativity, or movement. Or if that means more free play time, do that. It’s really about giving yourself what you need.Create a pre-travel ritual.
Set an intention, write a letter to yourself, or bring along a journal or playlist that anchors you to your why.Stay open.
Let the experience unfold. You don’t need to “fix” yourself on this trip. Just meet yourself—honestly. Allow for life to share new experiences that allow you to see through a different lens.
Introducing: The Boundless Soul Travel List
(Your Soulful Bucket List, Reimagined)
So many of us wait to travel until we’re burnt out, overwhelmed, or finally “have the time.” But what if your travel dreams were part of your life plan, not your escape plan?
The Boundless Soul Travel List is your permission slip to create a life list—not just places to check off, but soul-expanding experiences that align with your values, your desires, and your season of life.
💌 Use this list to:
Prioritize travel while you still have the health and energy to truly enjoy it.
Dream big and design your year around joy, wonder, and connection.
Take one step each month toward your next aligned journey.
You’re allowed to escape. Sometimes, you need to.
But let it be intentional. Let it be supportive. Let it bring you home to yourself—not farther away. Avoiding difficult emotions or experiences only puts a bandaid on them temporarily. Allow yourself to feel and watch what happens. Then plan the trip!
The map can be medicine when you let it.
Not because it fixes what’s hard, but because it reminds you of who you are and all the beautiful ways you find joy and play through travel.
Want to go deeper?
Join The Boundless Dispatch and get weekly inspiration for living, working, and traveling boundlessly. Your next trip doesn’t have to be a fantasy. It can be a part of your healing—and your becoming.
