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Have you ever had a trip that was so good that you just stop everything else? That happens to me a lot lately, and happened to me after my recent trip to London and Edinburgh. I enjoyed it so much that it became overwhelming to attempt to share.

I built the trip around Rachel Hazell (aka The Travelling Bookbinder)'s Booklover's Edinburgh 3-day workshop, which was an absolute delight. It's one of the few things I've been able to book in advance, knowing it always sells out quickly. It was my first time in Scotland too, so I'm so glad I did!

(I'm very proud of the 3 books I made too! Turns out Edinburgh truly is a booklover's heaven!)
The whole experience got me thinking about what makes a great trip. 

First off, I've always loved traveling to learn something new—especially when it's something outside of my regular interests. I did this a lot before the pandemic, but this was a good reminder of how it's my favorite way to roll. The workshop was perfectly paced, and there were only 6 participants so it was a nice size, and lovely to connect with others. 

Next, travel where you know a local. Rachel was the PERFECT guide who knows Edinburgh inside out (next up: visit her in Iona!), and not only showed us unique parts of the city, we also got a sense of the community she was a part of while there. The other bonus of going where you know someone is that I literally didn't have to plan anything besides showing up and being open to whatever unfolded. (However, I did learn the hard way in Edinburgh that you do need to make dinner reservations, and they eat earlier than many European cities.)

Speaking of letting things unfold, I realized my plans for the London portions of my trip (I used it as a bookend, given I took the train from Paris and wanted to break up the ride to Scotland) didn't unfold until the day before or day of. It can be easy to stress about what you're doing, when and where—aka the need to have a plan because you need a plan in big cities with people with busy lives and everyone else around you seems to have a plan, so there's peer pressure. However, I learned when I stepped back and just trusted, the universe put all the puzzle pieces into perfect order. I never get to see everyone I'd like in a single trip, but the connections I did have this time were next level. It was like the universe sorted everything out for me when I stepped back.

Alas, high on the vibes of a fabulous trip it took me awhile to be able to capture it. While Instagram/social media is never meant to be the authority on how I spend my time, it was nice to capture a few key moments (and trust me, there were many more not documented, as sometimes it's nice just to be in the moment). Over the weekend I finally got a bunch of posts up on IG.
Check hashtag #PAVedinburgh—there are multiple images in each post and mini stories in the captions. (Maybe one day I'll get a blog post up). 

Here's this week's inspiration:

Read.

Mid-listen to the Tricia Hersey episode of We Can do Hard Things I detoured to the closest bookshop in London to pick up a copy of her new book Rest is Resistance. Hersey who calls herself the Nap Bishop and oversees The Nap Ministry makes the case for taking a nap over grind culture and productivity, and her new book is a manifesto for rest. For me, of the most striking points she makes for the importance of dreaming and imagination for liberation.

Listen.

While I've taken a big break from podcast consumption, two episodes of "We Can Do Hard Things" have gotten me thinking lately. The first is the "No more grind culture"  episode linked above. The second is "The episode that wasn't" which breaks down the invisible standards women are expected to live up to (men, please listen to this too!). The episode was not supposed to happen—it was supposed to have a guest—and is a masterclass in practicing what you preach, doing the hard thing, and living by your own rules. 

Watch.

I forgot just how funny Mindy Kaling is until I rewatched "Never Have I Ever," the 3-season Netflix show. While Kaling doesn't appear in the show, her flavor and humor definitely does. I always love a good teen high school romance, and the tale of an Indian girl trying to navigate life and dating is very different than the shows that were around when I was growing up, shaking up the narrative. This one will have you laughing out loud. 

New post

In honor of my dad's birthday this week, I finally got a blog post up about our adventure on the British Pullman—one year later, and the magic that ensued.
Inspired by Rachel's workshops, I've been toying with the idea of some in-person workshops and retreats. If this is something you'd be interested in, please hit reply and let me know (feel free to share what kind of experiences you'd love to see, and where in the world!).

I'm LA 🌴 bound in late January, so if you have any leads for workshops there (companies, or locations where I could host my own), please do let me know! I'm also toying with an East Coast visit in the spring.

One more note: I've been toying with changing newsletter platforms (hey, all of life is an experiment, so why not spice things up) so don't be alarmed if an edition soon comes from a Substack address rather than the typical sender or the newsletter name changes. 

Don't worry, you don't need to do anything. (And you're always welcome to unsubscribe at any time.) I've noticed my work has evolved along with me, and at the moment this is feeling like the next iteration in the long game. Even I don't know for sure if/when this may happen, or what other changes are in store.

As a continuation of my "Season of Slow" I'll likely be slowing to bi-weekly newsletters in order to help decrease the overwhelm I sense the whole world is feeling. (Don't worry, I ended up taking a month-long break so I hope you enjoyed a reprieve too!)

But the beautiful thing about writing your own rules is that I can do whatever I want ;) My goal is always to keep it fun! So we'll see how this all unfolds...

Have a rad week! 👊 🖐💥
P.S. Did you know all my mini city guides are hashtagged on Instagram starting with #PAV (ie. #PAVlondon #PAVamsterdam #PAVtokyo). The exception is Paris where I use the arrondissement (ie. #paris75018) to designate the neighborhood. I also share my favorite books with #PAVreads. Sadly over time some of the hashtags have been infiltrated by others. Maybe one day Instagram will integrate actual search features.  I'm @pretavoyager if you don't already follow me there.
Anne S. Ditmeyer is a creative coach + workshop facilitator who helps people think creatively in their work and life to get on the path that feels true—and exciting—to them. The next Mapping Your Path 3-mo workshop + community opens in Feb 2023. 
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