PLANNING TRAVEL THAT IS INTENTIONALLY DIVERSE
One time I traveled from the midwest to Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawai’i to shoot an educational video. Like all of the Hawaiian Islands it was a veritable tropical paradise. The Big Island is home to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, so the island’s shorelines are dramatic scapes of black lava. Then – – we went to the Keck Observatory on top of Maunakea. At just under 14,000 feet above sea level the summit is barren, cold and there is lower oxygen content in the air to breath. The extreme contrast between the beach and the summit couldn’t have been more dramatic. I experienced diversity in ways I never could have fully appreciated if we hadn’t sought it and gone the short distance. I now pursue high-contrast travel experiences so that I can continually see and learn how God is intentionally diverse.
WHAT IS IT?
High-contrast travel can be more easily understood by comparing it to high-contrast photography. High contrast in photography refers to the degree of difference between the brightest and darkest areas within an image. It can be a great way to add drama and depth to your photography. It can add emphasis, depth, enhanced perspective, elevated appreciation and much more. Some of your most magnificent photos from a trip are often taken at sunrise, sunset or in places where sharp differences in lighting reveal rich aspects that wouldn’t have been seen otherwise.
But that’s high-contrast photography.
High-contrast travel occurs when you intentionally seek out, schedule and immerse yourself in a dramatic range of experiences. Such experiences might be:
chill/adventurous: This is perhaps one of the most often practiced approaches to high-contrast travel. Many people budget rest, relaxation and simplicity into an itinerary that is punctuated with fun activities, experiences, destinations and food. We often do that without identifying it intentionally as “high-contrast”. That being said, there is even greater value to be achieved when we extend the edges of chill and adventurous.
Making chill – more chillmight be creating extended time to be spiritually quiet (no reading, music, phone, conversations, agenda, etc.) It could be simply having a wandering mindset – and discovering where that takes you.
Taking adventure to new levels can be found by eating traditional foods and recipes, joining locals playing a sport you’ve never done, and not just seeing places you may not typically visit but truly seeking to experience them more fully.
High-contrast travel is about desiring to be valuable to God with your travel.
authentic/luxury: Stay with a local family of modest or even poor means and then also stay at a resort with very nice services and amenities. Through those sharp difference ask God to elevate your appreciation of both and see our human journey through His eyes.
repeat/novel experience: We all find comfort and reinforcement in doing the familiar. Combine that with something that is out of your comfort zone – something that you never thought you’d do in a million years. Connect with old friends but visit a different church while traveling and make new acquaintances. Do an activity with those who share your values and interests then participate in a conversation that challenges your thinking. Your faith in God will be both strengthened and challenged and from that you’ll know better the contours and qualities that define your relationship with Him.
quiet/noisy: It can be hard for us to be quiet and even harder to persist in it until we truly value it and learn from it. On the other end of the spectrum some of us avoid gatherings, events, meetings and more. Make your travel high-contrast by being both alone and in a group. Plan ahead to be in both a remote place but also engaged in a crowded space. Jesus did this and you can too.
These are just a few ways you can create contrasting experiences in your travel. There are many more each unique to where you go, what you do, who you’re with and what greater purpose God gives you for your travel.
HOW DO I DO IT?
Well a word of caution is in order. Don’t do high-contrast travel simply for the “yin and yang” experience of it. This shouldn’t be a different flavor to try – a new and interesting way for you to travel. Certainly if you’re doing it for bragging rights you’re missing the point.
This is an intentional effort on your part to let God’s spirit free your mindset. High-contrast travel positions you to discover from God what your goings are all about. This isn’t just about God adding value to your travel. It’s about desiring to be valuable to God with your travel.
PRAY: So, how you do high-contrast travel is to deeply bathe your travel in prayer. Don’t just research logistic, costs, options, contingencies, routes, features and all the other typical and necessary travel details. Invest in learning about the people, places, Christian communities, needs, challenges and latest Christian faith initiatives in the place(s) where you’re going. Then – pray some more. And, don’t just talk TO God, LISTEN for the Spirit’s guidance. Don’t just make an itinerary, start a journal before you go. In it note how God is leading you, your fears and excitement, and the spiritual outcomes to which God is calling you.
PLAN: Unless you’re truly traveling on-the-fly you don’t just go to sleep at night ‘wherever’, you make a reservation. Your flights, ground transportation, excursions, meals, meetings … all of it is planned. Do the same for your high-contrast travel experiences. Know the what, who, where, when and why of it. Budget time and resources for it. That may mean adding a day or two and spending money that is an investment in others.
PRIORITIZE: Good plans are simply that if you don’t follow through and do it. High-contrast travel doesn’t just happen. You have to see it and keep it in your agenda. You have to want it. Your drive for God drives your ‘go’. High-contrast can often be built into the many other aspects of your travel itinerary and agenda but it shouldn’t have optional or low priority status. If you’ve gone some place to do business then do your business well. But don’t let a last-minute chance for an extra business dinner meeting be the reason you cancel a meal with that person with whom you’ve connected who is doing humble work for God in that community.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
How have you made some of your past travels high-contrast? Maybe it’s been bland and spicy, getting and giving, working and playing or some other ways. Our team at map – A Travel Lifestyle Magazine can help you through the pray, plan and prioritize process. We want to help you GO WHERE GOD IS in new and refreshing ways. USE THE FORM BELOW, to get help in planning travel that is intentionally diverse.
