Travel Takeaways

September 14, 2021 0 Comment Laura Schwieter

Traveling domestically, internationally or even just locally, can open your eyes to so many things. It can sometimes be overwhelming. It can also be awe-inspiring.

There is so much to take in, often while we’re trying to decompress and relax. Without exerting too much effort, just be open to the new sights and sounds and your surroundings- let them register and process.

Memories, Knowledge, and Inspiration can all be gained through travel.

You can’t take every thing and every experience home with you when the vacation is over. You may feel regret heading home to your “regular” life or a fear of missing out when leaving a beautiful destination. But you don’t have to. Turn these negative feelings into something positive and bring a little bit of the trip home with you.

International Travel

I honestly never knew cashews grew on trees and they look like the picture shown above, until we visited Panama. The Anton Valley (shown here) is also the only place where the Yellow Spotted Tree Frog can be found in the world.

Google may have informed me of all that if I’d asked, but being submerged in the valley and the surrounding areas made it magical and really burned those facts into my memory.

Traveling a Little Closer to Home

Mid-September was a wonderful time to visit P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain home in Arkansas.

I love the architecture of not only his home, but the gardens and areas surrounding it. Read more about it and see photos here.

I can’t afford his 650 acre estate, but I can recreate a few of my favorite aspects. I already have a chicken pen (P. Allen Smith is an avid poultry lover) in my backyard, why not a bottle gourd tunnel too?

My Trellis Tunnel (above), created in 2021. Read more about my garden creation here.

This is the P. Allen Smith trellis tunnel (below) and the photo of the book signing at his home during the tour.

Vacation Souvenirs

We’ve even gone on vacation and came home with a new truck. OK, the new truck was planned and the reason for the excursion, but every time we drive the truck, we can go back to our trip memories. Read more on the “truck trip”.

We have been known to bring horses home from trips too. We’ll be headed back to Kansas in October 2021.

Many vacations don’t have such expensive take-aways. Small memories or mementos are sometimes enough.

Enjoy the experience and bring back ideas along with physical souvenirs.

I brought home a lot of flower garden design ideas from our trip to the Tulip Festival in Pella, IA. without even buying any tulip bulbs.

Maybe for you it is a favorite scent, the feel of the fabric from a textile you loved and purchased, a food dish you can make yourself back at home.

Recreate the travel experience every time you enter into your own “gourd tunnel”.

Domestic Travel P. Allen Smith Panama Travel Pella Tulip Festival Travel Tips Traveling Cowboy