To be sure, travel is wonderful. But more than occasionally, it’s hard. That’s why it’s so important to find “havens” on your trips — safe harbors – places where you can take a moment to recover and recharge before throwing yourself back into the fray.
One such Wow place I stumbled into was the tiny town of Hoi An in central Vietnam, just south of Danang. Sometimes called the “banh mi capital of Vietnam,” Hoi An is an amazing place to just – slow – down. The best way to describe is Hoi An is “S.E. Asian movie set.” It just looks like how you would imagine a Vietnamese town to look: old wooden houses, a quaint harbor, narrow streets lit by lanterns. Not surprisingly, Hoi An was the setting for the 2002 movie, “The Quiet American.”
Sitting at an outdoor restaurant by the water on a warm, sultry evening, eating steamed dumplings in the shape of a lotus flower while watching local kids wave around glittery sparklers, I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s been a challenging journey in Vietnam, with bumpy over night train rides and a nagging head cold. But here in Hoi An, I’ve found a safe harbor – to to mention a place to make a movie should I ever get into film making.
Where is your safe harbor? When work and home life are stressing you out, where do you go for peace and recovery? Better yet, what practices are you nurturing to create a safe harbor inside, ready to access whenever you need it?