Travelling Hippy

Some locations are just better designed to bring out your inner-hippy than others. I don’t necessarily mean places to chant ‘om’; these are (in my opinion) spots where it seems easier to feel love, peace and zen. The kind of moments that make you go ‘aaah’ and everything seems right with the world, for a little while. Moments that make life that bit richer, happier and beautiful. Try to incorporate one or two hippy-friendly destinations in your next trip away. You can thank me for it later!

At the top of a mountain.

Travelling Hippy recommends: Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, Australia.

There’s one rule to finding a hippy moment at the top of a mountain: you have to have climbed it first. Reaching a summit after an arduous ascent over perhaps unfamiliar or dangerous terrain is a thrill like no other. The accomplishment you feel at your physical achievement coupled with a (hopefully) outstanding view to enjoy perpetuates sheer bliss.

Chilling at the beach.

Travelling Hippy recommends: Goa, India.

Cliché it may be, but something about being on the sand beside the sea brings out the inner hippy in everybody. Beach beauty is quintessentially hippy: tousled waves in your hair, sun-kissed glow on your skin and bare feet. Relaxing on the shore is halfway to a meditative state; it’s just easier to find your zen beside the water. Try a yoga class on the beach for extra hippy status.

In the jungle.

Travelling Hippy recommends: Chiang Mai Province, Thailand.

If there’s one thing a hippy loves, it’s nature. The best way to be at one with the natural world? Try spending a few days in the middle of the jungle. Not only does the experience completely remove you from all the yucky parts of modern society that hippies hate (wifi, smartphones and concrete jungles), but it is a reminder of the interconnectedness of our planet.

At the bottom of the sea.

Travelling Hippy recommends: Komodo National Park, Indonesia.

Learning to scuba dive is a lesson in mindfulness. Beneath the surface life simply slows down; gliding leisurely through the water and breathing more purposefully than ever before. That’s the mental and physical side of diving covered – but there’s a magical world to discover down there, too. The beauty of the world we live in is arguably at its best in our oceans. Moments such as crying over your first turtle or finding nemo are a hippy’s bread and butter.

Watching sunrise/sunset.

Travelling Hippy recommends: Punakaiki, New Zealand (sunset) and Byron Bay, Australia (sunrise).

I don’t know about you, but I have a mental log of all the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets I have ever seen. I have twice been brought to tears over a sunrise due to the sheer magnificence of what I was witnessing (and I almost never cry). Looking at the sky and realising the comparative insignificance of anything happening on the Earth right now – such as your latest fight with your partner, work stress or bad hair day – is a wonderful humbler. Hippies love to bow before the powers of the universe. Stargazing also recommended for putting your woes into perspective.

Living on a boat.

Travelling Hippy recommends: Eastern Indonesia.

I’ll never forget the time I spent four days living on a boat with 21 other people and sailing across eastern Indonesia from Lombok to Flores. Do I remember the fact that there was no shower, only one toilet, one deck for us all to sleep uncomfortably close together and zero alone time? No. I remember swimming in the most perfect sea every day, forgetting all about western inventions like electricity and running water, and getting to know my fellow shipmates like never before. That last night, when we kayaked to a nearby desert island and cooked locally bought fish over an open fire, swam in phosphorescent waters and drank beers under the silent stars is one of my favourite travel memories.

On a desert island.

Travelling Hippy recommends: Aitutake, Cook Islands.

Desert islands have all the things a hippy loves: none of the trappings of western life, no need to wear shoes, sand and sea and stars, plus heaps of room for practising yoga and silence to meditate in. Sounds like bliss to me.