“How to Keep Traveling (and Thriving) When the World Feels Unstable”

Choosing Joy in Uncertain Times

“Is it still safe to travel?” I’ve been hearing that question more and more lately — from friends, followers, and family. And I get it. The headlines are heavy. The world feels like it’s teetering. But here’s what I know:

Even in uncertain times, travel can still be a radical act of joy, learning, and soul alignment.

I remember back in 2013 when tensions with North Korea were rising. I had a trip planned to South Korea and nearly canceled it. But something told me to go — and I’m so glad I did. That trip turned out to be one of the most important of my life. It sparked something in me that eventually led to my living abroad in Asia. And you know what? Life in South Korea was calm. People weren’t panicking. They were living. Thriving.

So, what does it mean to keep traveling when the world feels unstable? Let’s talk about it.

The New Normal of Global Instability

Here’s how global instability is reshaping travel — and how to respond with intention:

Climate Change: More Than Just the Weather

Floods, wildfires, and extreme heat aren’t just news headlines — they’re now part of the travel planning process. Once-popular destinations like parts of Southern Europe are experiencing summer heat waves that can reach unsafe levels. Entire regions of Southeast Asia are seeing shifting monsoon patterns. Even air quality, like in New York during Canadian wildfires, is changing how we experience cities.

But this isn’t a call to cancel — it’s a call to shift.
Travelers now:

• Opt for shoulder season to avoid peak climate risks

• Prioritize eco-conscious stays that reinvest in the environment

• Choose cooler, emerging regions (like the Azores or Tasmania) over overcrowded, climate-sensitive hotspots

✨ “The Earth is changing — and so are we. Our travel choices can reflect deeper harmony with the planet.” ✨

Geopolitical Conflicts: Headlines vs. Lived Experience

When war or unrest erupts in one part of the world, fear ripples across borders. Conflicts like those in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan shake our sense of global peace — but they don’t always reflect the reality of safety in other regions.

Example: During my trip to South Korea in 2013, global headlines painted a grim picture. But my lived experience was peaceful, beautiful, and life-changing. This is more common than we think.

What conscious travelers are doing now:

• Checking real-time safety updates from multiple sources (not just mainstream news)

• Connecting with locals and expat forums to understand living conditions

• Staying grounded in intuitive safety — not reactive fear

✨ “Not all noise is a warning. Sometimes, your spirit knows the truth before the headlines do.” ✨

Visa + Policy Changes: The Rise & Fall of the Digital Nomad Dream

During the pandemic, countries opened their arms to remote workers. But now, visa programs are tightening. Some are pausing. Others are raising financial thresholds or requiring stricter documentation.

For mobile professionals, this means:

• Researching ahead and preparing documentation thoroughly

• Staying informed about evolving visa programs (like in Spain, Portugal, Costa Rica, or Bali)

• Learning how to become more portable with digital income.

✨“Boundaries shift. Doors close, others open. The lesson? Remain fluid — like water.” ✨

How to Thrive While Traveling

The world may feel uncertain, but that doesn’t mean your joy, peace, or mobility have to stop. In fact, some of the most transformative travel experiences happen when we learn to flow with the unknown — not resist it. Here’s how I continue to thrive while traveling, even when the world feels a little off balance:

Build Relationships with Local Communities

One of the first things I do when I land somewhere new is slow down and observe — who’s here, what’s the rhythm, where do locals go to feel nourished?

In Puerto Viejo, I remember skipping the typical tourist tours and instead spending an afternoon chatting with the women who ran a nearby handmade textile shop. We shared stories about home, family, and purpose — and I left with not just a beautiful cloth but a connection that grounded me in the community.

Building relationships when you travel isn’t just about safety — it’s about soul.
It’s about being seen and seeing others, especially in spaces where tourism often flattens culture.

Try this:

• Choose locally-owned cafés or family-run guesthouses.

• Learn a few basic words in the local language.

• Ask: Is this experience uplifting and reciprocal, or is it extractive and performative?

✨ When you travel with respect and curiosity, you become part of something real — not just a visitor, but a witness. ✨

Stay Flexible and Always Have a Plan B

Let me tell you about the time my flight to Thailand was canceled hours before takeoff. Panic tried to creep in, but I remembered something I now live by: Flexibility is freedom.
Because I had booked my accommodations with a flexible policy, I didn’t lose money. I shifted my route, spent two surprise days in Cambodia, and discovered one of my favorite hidden spas on the beach.

Traveling today means rolling with the waves — not resisting them.

Here’s how I stay adaptable:

• Book with platforms like Booking.com or Airbnb that allow free cancellation or changes

• Use the Hopper app to track price drops and alerts for your next flight

• Have a nearby “backup” country in mind in case of travel bans or new restrictions

✨ Traveling in uncertainty doesn’t require perfection — just a plan and some grace. ✨

Develop Digital Income Streams

If the past few years taught me anything, it’s that having mobile income isn’t just about flexibility — it’s about sovereignty.

Whether I’m sipping tea in London or journaling in a Costa Rican jungle, I know that my work doesn’t have to stop — it just shifts with the time zone. That’s power.

For me, digital income has included writing, brand consulting, and soon, launching an e-guide for remote professionals who want to build slow-aligned mobile lifestyles (yes, I’m building it with you in mind).
But it could also be:

• Teaching online

• Virtual coaching

• Social media management

• Selling digital products or guides

✨ Your purpose doesn’t have to pause because you’re moving — sometimes, travel unlocks your real calling. ✨

Food for Thought

We thrive by being rooted in ourselves, not in certainty.
When you stay open, connected, and intentional — the world opens back up to you.

Travel as a Resilience Practice

Travel isn’t just a vacation — it’s a masterclass in resilience. The world shifts. Plans shift. But when you’re on the road, you discover that you can shift too.

Here’s how travel continues to show me what I’m made of:

It Reveals Your Adaptability

I’ll never forget the time I landed in a foreign country and realized the Airbnb I booked didn’t exist. No host. No number. Just me, my suitcase, and a language I barely spoke. I could have spiraled. Instead, I paused, breathed, and found a nearby café with Wi-Fi. Two hours later, I was checked into a cozy guesthouse run by a woman who ended up sharing her family's homemade meals with me every evening. ( And yes, that fraudulent Airbnb was reported.)

That moment taught me this: You will figure it out.
Whether it's navigating public transit in a new country or solving a last-minute flight delay, travel forces you to trust your instincts, ask for help, and expand your comfort zone — all at once.

✨ Adaptability isn’t about perfection. It’s about grace under pressure and the belief that you can handle what’s next. ✨

It Invites You Into Presence

There’s something sacred about waking up in a new place where the rhythm is not your own. I’ve had mornings in Bali where the only agenda was sipping ginger tea while the sky blushed gold. Or evenings in Argentina, where I wandered cobblestone streets with no plan other than to follow the music echoing from a distant plaza.

In those moments, nothing else mattered — not the inbox, not the news, not the noise.

You realize how rare and healing it is to just be.

✨ Travel teaches you to slow down, to savor, and to meet yourself right where you are — alive, present, enough. ✨

It Connects You to Global Humanity

Years ago, I shared a tiny boat ride with an older woman in Vietnam. She didn’t speak English, and I didn’t speak Vietnamese, but we shared fresh mango slices, smiles, and laughter that didn’t need translation. That moment — like so many others — reminded me: we are all more alike than we are different.

Across borders and languages, people want the same things:
Peace. Joy. Safety. Connection.
We may carry different passports, but we dream similar dreams.

✨Travel is a bridge. It dissolves the illusion of “us” and “them” and replaces it with something deeper: shared humanity.✨

Final Reflection:

Resilience isn’t built in certainty — it’s born in the in-between. Travel takes you there, softens you, strengthens you, and brings you home to yourself.