Building your Treasure Map

 Wherever you are, be all there. - Jim Elliot

 Over the long winter and early spring, I have tucked away all the little inspirations and ideas that have crossed my path—they come to me through books, movies, Instagram posts, over coffee with friends. Some find their way into note form on my phone, others onto slips of paper, saved social media posts, as Pinterest boards or scrawls in my adventure notebook. Still more roam around untethered in my head. It’s time to bring them out into the light of day to weigh fascination against possibility.

Each snippet and fragment of idea relates to my passions, what I treasure, what brings me joy. All these crumbs are tied to my version of wonder. There’s no checklist of approval to make the cut. The process is innate and the notion wouldn’t be there unless it connected inherently to what I love. No thinking required. In the end, I know what I love and I know what I don’t. Chances are you do too! 

This is really the starting gate for adventure. This magical connection between my heart and the tangible, touchable, seeable reality, and it all begins with those heart-guides, those signposts:

1. Tears – what moves me?
2. Treasures – what fills my need for peace and space, and for satisfying my constant curiosity?
3. Passion – what do I long to see, to experience?

My jumbled snatches of ideas will inevitably need to be winnowed down, as there are far too many points of light for one adventure, no matter how long or how grand. But for now, I pour it all out there, ready to transform into a veritable treasure map, full of possibility and wonder.

It's Your Move

Now, it’s your time. Time to create your own unique-to-you, one-of-a-kind treasure map to wonder, to dream and imagine all the places where you want to arrive and “be all there.” Time to take your guideposts and begin to match them up with tangible, touchable scenes and places that hold meaning for you and draw you in.

You may already have a solid idea of what some of those places and experiences are—you know what intrigues you, draws you in, brings you peace, and fills your passion bucket. At the very least you probably have an inkling by now. Maybe you’ve been carefully stashing your own travel dreams away, waiting for the time to bring them out to play.

It’s time to bring our signposts to life, put skin and bones on them, connect our passions, tears, and treasures to experiences you can see and touch and smell. What do those feelings and emotions look like in your world? The sky is truly the limit for the moment. It’s time to connect your passion to place as best you can. Think about what you treasure. I guarantee there are plenty of unique and interesting locations, people, and adventures that will speak to the longings of your heart.

Treat these next moments as a written exercise based solely on your instincts.

We all have places, people, and experiences we dream of visiting. Take a few moments and name the ones that immediately come to mind. Don’t hold back. Don’t concern yourself with the details of distance, potential cost, or time. Don’t stress about specifics. We’ll get there eventually. For now, just dream it all out and write it all down.

Mining for Ideas

If your list isn’t coming easily, take a deep breath. This isn’t a timed assignment, or a test of any kind! This is you, pondering what your heart looks like transformed onto a map. It will take some time, and, with practice, it will become an ongoing exercise for years to come.

But where do these ideas originate? Each of the following proves to be an unending wellspring of inspiration for me, though there are plenty of other places to experience that spark of wonder as well. See what resonates with you.

Novels

This is a big one for me. It’s no secret that I am drawn to connections with people and places, and I love finding those connections in novels. One of my most beloved authors, Jan Karon, writes beautiful novels set almost exclusively in her created mountain town of Mitford, North Carolina. I’ve driven the roads of that region, visited towns and hamlets in the area, always on the lookout for those same views her protagonist Father Tim enjoys while on his morning runs with his Great Dane, Barnabus.

Travelogues

In addition to novels, travelogues inspire me. This genre runs the gamut, from the beautifully written to the not-so-much. They’re personal, and inevitably take the reader along for the ride as the author discovers more about himself and his relationship to what he encounters along the way. I am currently knee-deep into the travels of Alice Steinbach as she left behind her journalism career at the Baltimore Sun for nine months of exploration in Europe. My wonderlists for France and England have become considerably longer as I travel with Alice. 

Social Media

Ugh. I hesitate to say much here as it is such a slippery slope, but there are wonderful ideas to be mined in this space! I tend to follow people who enjoy traveling the way I do, or who go to places I find interesting. I do a lot of saving and pinning to Pinterest so I can come back later

Documentaries

I love American history, so often I am drawn to historians like Ken Burns, who have done all the hard work of discovery, allowing me to sit back and soak it all in. Burns’s documentary captured my imagination a few years ago and played a role in determining pieces of my itinerary into the Pacific Northwest. A memorable moment that summer found me standing on a hill near Astoria, Oregon, a few miles from the Pacific. Merriweather Lewis and William Clark stood on that same ground in 1805, finally gazing upon the ocean 18 months into their amazing expedition. Eerie and cool.

Television and Movies

Of course! Who can resist wanting to head west after watching A River Runs Through It or dreaming of catching a flight to of Downton Abbey fame? Maybe cities are more your thing, and you loved the vibe of New York portrayed in When Harry Met Sally or Seinfeld. And don’t be shy about your viewing habits—reality shows like The Amazing Race or The Bachelor or Bachelorette can easily inspire a desire to explore unique locales. A few years ago, I determined my summer road trip destination based solely on the beautiful landscape in the Netflix series Virgin River!

Other wonderful inspirations are found in television shows and series devoted to travel. Not to mention the entire Travel Channel! Many of these focus on overseas travel, but there are wonderful American options as well.

Friends and Family

While this may sound obvious, I’m always amazed at the variety of ways ideas pop up through friends and family. Photos of travels seen on Facebook or Instagram, conversation over coffee talking about where so-and-so went or asking “have I heard of?” or “have I seen?” and the inevitable discussions where we are just dreaming about places we’d like to go.

Where Roads Diverge

American poet Robert Frost has been encouraging us for just over a hundred years now to take “the road less traveled.” I often return to this sentiment when considering an area of the country to investigate, thinking back to when I may have traveled quickly through some place as a child or with other people, wishing I could stop and stay awhile or get off the main road to see the sights. From the time I was in college, I annually drove south on Route 95 with friends or family heading for a week or two of warm sand and blue water. The goal was always to get there as quickly as possible. No regrets, and I still do it occasionally! But what about all those places to the east and west of the necessary nightmare of I95? Several years ago, I decided to investigate and found whole other worlds in northern Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Additional Sources

Over the years, I’ve also drawn inspiration from magazine articles, even news stories and commercials. Alternatively, diving into search engine results on Google, YouTube, etc. tends to muddy the waters for me and prevent me from focusing on what makes my heart glad. I inevitably get dragged into the “Top Ten” lists of absolutely everything and everywhere, far from any focus on my own signposts.

Casting the wide Google net does have its role, and you’ll be glad to have it at your disposal a bit later on! Your current intention, though, is to envision places that fit your wonder-profile, not to engage in wide-ranging brainstorming research.

Take a few moments to think through what some of these suggestions may have triggered in your memory. Consider what you have read, watched, heard, and been drawn to over time, and add them to your growing list of ideas!

Creating Your Treasure Map

Before we rein in all our ideas, a word or two about maps. I’m super visual and an unapologetic map lover. Even if you’re not, it may be helpful to begin with a big ole map of the United States. While I use online maps for plenty of things, when it comes to big-picture dreaming and planning, I’m all about spreading the paper out on the table, or even hanging it on the wall. I want to be able to see it all at once.

If you aren't currently in possession of a quality United States map, I highly suggest the NOW US Map, which you can order here. Having a US map where you can see the states in their entirety will help you navigate realistic expectations in terms of length and distance of travel.

If you plan to road trip in shorter, smaller chunks, be sure to purchase maps of your own state and any adjoining ones where you may choose to wonder. Each individual state map provides so much detail not available on a national map. I prefer to have both! I have a map for every state where I travel, but often refer to the entirety of the United States map to get the big picture of a long trip.

Once you’ve created and compiled your list of ideas, spread out your map and put a pin in each spot that calls to you. Highlight them, draw a heart – whatever works for you! It will help you get organized later, and for the moment it provides a visual connection between your passions and the places you’ll find them.

Transforming my internal passions and treasures into physical form and watching them take shape on the map like so many little points of light inevitably fuels my wonder senses. You may be surprised by your own results! They will likely provide hints to how you move forward in your planning. Without this big picture of what you’re drawn to, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged, but seeing it all spread out before you may begin to unlock some of the mysteries of choosing a direction to point your car on Day One.

 Take some time in the coming days to brainstorm and create your own Treasure Map, and check back for the next step as we build our Summer of Wonder road trip - Creating a Budget You Can Love.

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