Traveling in 2020: Where Did You Go?

My favorite meme so far this year: Travel books for 2020. Instead of France, Italy, Australia, and South America, it’s The Bathroom, The Kitchen, The Stairwell, and Locating the Front Door.

Have you noticed more Christmas lights on houses this year? People are spending time decorating their homes. We’ve focused more deeply on where we are: in our home or apartment, stuck, not going on anywhere.

You might not have traveled much in 2020. But where did you go? What might your travel books look like for 2020 if they show where you’ve been?

One of my volumes would be Webinars That Changed My Life. I’ve participated in more webinars and virtual trainings in this year than all learnings combined previously.

Or I also have a volume What I Drink or Eat That I Didn’t Before. I would dedicate at least a chapter to all the different types of Oreos there are and a dozen vintages of Pinot Grigio.

Activities I Now Do That I Didn’t Do Before. My friend got into meditation this year—I'm hiking mountains I didn’t know existed before—others have started daily gratitude practices or now are doing yoga.

Or maybe you would have a dog-eared book on Virtual Learning for Kids. That’s a doozy. If you have kids at home, what have you discovered (or not) about how to help them with virtual learning?

Surveys show that a third of couples have faced traumatic stress this year, with families spending more time together in greater physical proximity. What would be in your Relationships book from 2020? How has that closeness impacted who you are in relationship? Where did you start the year and where are you now?

It’s worth reviewing what books are on your bookshelf from 2020, and the wisdom that's on the pages that fill them.

A friend of mine said this week, “I’m back to cutting my bangs again.” The hairdresser is shut down she can’t go for a real cut. And my friend said, with some seriousness, “It’s easy to cut your eyelashes if you aren’t careful!”

But it struck me that she’s actually not the same Stephanie that cut her bangs six months ago. She has been profoundly changed by her experiences this year.

Consider this: Your skin regenerates itself every 6 weeks—so your face is not supported by the same skin that was there six weeks ago. Many of us feel our bodies are different now than they were in March. Or maybe you started a new fitness routine? Someone out of shape can add six or seven pounds of muscle mass to their body in a pandemic.

Do know that heart muscle cells generate very slowly—changing at the rate of only one percent a year. But over a lifetime, even half of your heart replaces itself.

What small corner of your heart is not the same after 2020? What travel books could you write after this year?