The Top 4 Journeys to Recharge the Creative Spirit

culled from:wobi.com
An essential part of work is taking the time to recharge your battery to reboot, particularly if you have recently started a new venture that has left you with little battery power mid-2013. Aside from breaking from the normal scheme of 9am-5pm in the office, there are thousands of travel options all over the world that allow you to reconnect with your creative spirit. In the following, discover our top 4 ranking of the best journeys to take in order to recharge and come back to work better than ever.

If you’re like us, you believe in the power of creativity and innovation, particularly when it comes to entrepreneurship. However, to keep those juices flowing year round without a good break is just about impossible. In fact, it has been proven that taking vacations actually make you more productive at work. However, instead of taking the typical vacation, we suggest opening your possibilities to the following, unique formats that will really get your creative juices flowing:

1.       Take a hike: According to a recent article on The Huffington Post, “spending four nature-filled days, away from electronic devices, is linked with 50 percent higher scores on a test for creativity.” The plus? That just about anyone can take advantage of camping close to where they live, and at a relatively low price. As a native Virginian, I would suggest the Appalachian Trail that spans from Maine to Georgia along the Eastern coast of the U.S. There are shelters and camping grounds that make it easy to escape for a couple of days if you are in that part of the world. And with our corporate offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina I have to mention the trails in Patagonia that cross the Chilean border. If you ever make it down here, here’s the hike as organized by REI.

2.       Learn a new skill: So, I agree that there is a certain charm about just sitting on a beach and doing nothing for vacation. However, think of the way your mind will expand if you dedicate a couple of weeks to learning a new skill, immersing yourself in a new culture, and opening your mind to an entirely different way of life? One such program is the Chinese Learning Institute, an academic institution that offers those interested in the Chinese language to become completely emerged for as little as two weeks to improve their Mandarin skills. 

3.       See the world in a new way: How many of us get stuck in the office routine, where week after week we have the same lackluster schedule? One of the best remedies to rejuvenate your vision of the world is to turn your perspective upside down, and visit a historical sanctuary. The most famous is Machu Picchu, the 550-year old citadel built by the most advanced, and very last, pre-Columbian society that has been preserved to present day.

4.       Silence the mind: As mentioned in a recent blog, meditation has thousands of positive effects, including being more productive and focused. So why not take a vacation to learn a skill whose affects you can return to when you get back to the daily grind? Travel+Leisure magazine offers the Top 10 Meditation retreats around the world, from the Himalayas to Colorado to Scotland.



With summer vacations for those of you living in the Northern hemisphere just on the horizon, we challenge you to take a vacation that brings you back to work with your creative juices flowing. Where did we miss? What would you add?