Ten Simple Ways to Inspire Happy Travel This Thanksgiving
There was a time when Thanksgiving travel filled me with dread and a deep desire for perfection. I’d become a one-woman chaos creator—running from stove to suitcase, trying to keep everyone happy. My mom did the same, bless her heart. With five kids trailing behind, she wore the cape of “holiday superhero,” but even superheroes get tired. She’d rant about the gravy while laughing through tears, declaring, “It has to be perfect!” And guess what? I inherited her perfection gene.
Looking back, I see a woman—me—who wanted harmony so badly that I confused control with care. I’d stack everyone’s plates with samples of every dish “to be polite,” even the ones that didn’t suit my body or my soul. I’d pressure my son to do the same, teaching him courtesy but ignoring authenticity. Somewhere between the mashed potatoes and people-pleasing, I lost sight of joy.
Simple Ways To Inspire Happier ThanksgivingTravel
Maybe you know that feeling. Exhausted but smiling. Overextended but trying to look grateful. This Thanksgiving, I’m here to tell you something radical and gentle: you can travel happy by traveling soulfully. You can infuse even the chaos of airports and family gatherings with light—and in doing so, you’ll create a new kind of holiday memory, one rooted in peace instead of performance.
Realizing that I’m probably not the only person out there with holiday anxiety, I’ve developed a few ideas to decrease holiday stress and inspire happier outcomes. Nothing earth-shattering, just applying common sense, imagination, and some old-fashioned fun.
Here are Ten Simple Ways to Inspire Joy this Thanksgiving
1. Turn the Journey Into a Game of Presence
Have fun with the license plate game, or make up your own. Turn the drive into a mindfulness practice disguised as play. Every plate from a new state? Take a deep breath, say a silent prayer of gratitude for your own travels, and remind yourself: “I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.” It’s road trip meets revelation.
2. Redefine Tradition: Travel Anyway
Are you an empty nester or on your own this year? Beautiful. This is sacred time for self-reconnection. Book a getaway. See a sunrise from a beach you’ve never walked, or wander antique shops in a small town with no agenda. Permission granted to skip the turkey and chase soul nourishment instead.
3. Stay Local; Soul Travel Instead
AAA reports nearly 80 million Americans will be rushing toward someone else’s destination. Maybe it’s time to rediscover your own backyard. Sleep under new skies—even if they’re only a few miles from home. Travel isn’t about distance; it’s about seeing differently. Bring curiosity, not your checklist.
4. Fly Spiritual, Not Stressed
Holiday airports can feel like energy tornadoes. Ground yourself. Use a breathwork app like Smiling Mind, or try the “balloon breath” from my book;, Unpack Your Personality: Let Your Inner Guide Be Your Travel Guide. Inflate peace; exhale pressure. Remember, every wait line is another chance to practice presence.
5. Schedule a Sanity Sabbatical
Love your spouse’s family but need a break? Take a mini-retreat within your trip. Explore a park, find a coffee spot that feels like a hug, or wander through a local market. Space creates grace. Soul-care during family gatherings isn’t selfish—it’s spiritual hygiene.
6. Unplug and Reconnect the Old Way
Ditch the devices and invite laughter. Pack a kids’ joke book or trivia deck. Listen to belly laughs echo through the car. These small, silly sacred moments are the glue of joyful memory. It’s not about how expensive the trip is—it’s about the energy that travels with you.
7. Create Cozy Magic on Arrival
When the road trip ends, mark the moment. Settle in and host a dessert party in your pajamas. Watch a movie together with no phones, no pressure. Let joy be simple, imperfect, and spontaneous. The best memories are never choreographed.
8. Loosen the Menu, Not the Meaning
If Aunt Gertrude insists on her traditional casserole, breathe. Suggest a potluck or contribute a dish that speaks to your wellness. It’s self-love masquerading as hospitality. Holiday food becomes sacred when shared with intention rather than obligation.
9. Homegrown Gratitude
Let’s face it; we’re all different. But with a little effort, you can create a sense of family connection. Remember, Thanksgiving, a time gratitude. Gather handwritten gratitude “construction paper leaves” from everyone and drop them into a bowl. Draw one before dinner and guess who wrote it. Gratitude softens judgment. It blurs the lines between family and friend, blood and chosen kin.
10. Move Your Body, Bless Your Energy
Don’t let your fitness routine slip during the holidays. Keep the kids involved, too! Have them unplug and head outdoors. Try ice skating, cycling, walking, beach volleyball, or hiking—Mother Nature offers endless opportunities for fun and fitness.
A Travel De-Stress Ritual
Give yourself something to look forward to when you return home. Make time for yourself. A new book. A long bath. Or take an extra day off to integrate the journey. Gratitude isn’t a one-day practice; it’s a way of being.
Journal Prompt
Where am I still trying to make life “perfect,” and how can I make it more peaceful instead?
Did you find; Ten Simple Ways To Inspire Happy Travel This Thanksgiving?
Did you find; Ten Simple Ways To Inspire Happy Travel This Thanksgiving, thought provoking? I believe personality typing is not just about stereotypical labels; your career or logical only ways to identify yourself. It’s about discovering and exploring your higher conscious self, the Self that is a spark of Divine; all their IS. When you understand this about yourself it enables you to consciously create your life; in creative and imaginative ways. I hope this post helps you see your personality, in a more meaningful and holistic way! Know your personality is the expression of your higher conscious soul self.
You don’t need “anything” to live your truth. However, when you live truth-based, you’ll have everything you need! – Nina Zapala, founder of Spiritual Personality Typing℠ and author of Unpack Your Personality Let Your Inner Guide Be Your Travel Guide.
An Invitation
If something stirred in your heart while reading this—a whisper to travel lighter, to live truer, to embrace the sacred space of midlife—let’s explore it together. Consider booking a Clarity Call, joining a Walk n’ Talk, or subscribing to the Soulful Living newsletter for more ways to navigate life’s transitions with ease, wonder, and wisdom.
Because maybe this season, the journey back home isn’t across the miles—it’s within you.
Working with Nina helped me remove the blind spots that were holding me back– Judith Wilms, TedX, Author. Book a bespoke clarity session if your ready for midlife magic.
Share This Message
My hope is always to encourage fresh ways of seeing yourself and to plant seeds of truth. Through Spiritual Personality Typing℠, we can remember who we really are—and in doing so, lift the vibration of the planet together.
If this message stirred something in you, share it with a friend, sister, or coworker who may need the reminder. You never know who’s waiting for this nudge. For more inspiration, you can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Travel as Soul Discovery
During my own life tsunami, I birthed a new way of seeing travel. Instead of bucket lists, I began seeking journeys led by the soul—experiences that expand, not escape. My book, Unpack Your Personality: Let Your Inner Guide Be Your Travel Guide, is part memoir, part guide, part reimagined personality framework through the lens of spirit. Each page is meant to help you discover a new destination: yourself.
If you’re curious about your unique Travel Personality Type, I’d love to explore it with you in a one-on-one session.
Dive Deeper
If this message resonates, you may enjoy my conversation on the Mindset Mastery with host Dr. Alisa Whyte: Discovering Your True Self With Spiritual Personality Typing and Travel. 👉 Listen here
More ways to explore:
Watch on YouTube
Read: The Hidden Personality Traits The Spark New Beginnings
Read: How To Fall In Love With Your Personality Type
Pick up Unpack Your Personality here
A Time for New Beginnings
Are you ready to stand among the rare 15% who truly know themselves? This isn’t about becoming someone new—it’s about returning to the essence of who you’ve always been. In our one-on-one sessions, we’ll gently uncover the patterns that no longer serve you, honor your origin story and the joys that light you up. Will illuminate the map a path back to your original self, the self that feels like home. If your soul is stirring, I invite you to schedule an Awakening Call. In this sacred space, we’ll explore several pathways to self-understanding: identifying the patterns of your true self or we can reveal your unique travel style as a tool for awakening, or illuminate the business gifts only you are here to share.
About Spiritual Personality Typing℠
My goal is to shift perspectives around MBTI® personality typing—to break free from stereotypes and oversimplifications. Remember, your personality type is sacred. Your persona is just a mask.
It’s my intention that you begin to see your archetype as a sacred tool—an expression of your true self.
Of course, good things in life come to those who do the work. Take responsibility and make personality typing, infused with spiritual understanding, a daily practice. You’ll soon realize that your rational self and your soul self rely on each other to ignite a soulful, meaningful life. When you fully embrace this concept, a profound awakening occurs. It moves you closer to your truth, liberating you from a purposeless existence.
You’ll be ready for any occasion, situation, or event—whether it’s travel, relationships, career, passion, or purpose. Ahh, the freedom to live a meaningful life—isn’t that what we all desire?
Who Is Nina Zapala?
I created Spiritual Personality Typing℠ during what I call my “midlife tsunami,” a season of upheaval that stripped away illusions and brought me to truth which taught me; old-school typology only tells half the story. Knowing this, I developed a new paradigm one that unites the soul and self—a committed way of living authentically, unapologetically. The roadmap to your true self.
This is not about “anti-aging rhetoric. It’s about authentic aging—showing up as your truest self, wildly free and unapologetic leaving a legacy that only you can bring to the world.
Here’s what I’ve come to know: Every wrinkle is a story. Every scar, a sacred map. When we deny our true self, the soul withers. When we embrace her, we bloom into timelessness.
Photo by Vlad-Fonsark Pexels
Updated 11.4.2023
