What better way to recharge and reinvigorate your senses than to head out of town for a change of scenery? For one SenseForward team member, she took off to London and Paris for a week.  She took in all five of her senses safely visiting friends and family, and taking advantage of the opportunity for unscheduled spontaneity in forgein, but familiar cities. 

Sometimes we all need to step (or fly away) from our routine, home, work and social life to re-energize our senses. While modern technology and easy internet access certainly improve our lives, they can prevent us from fully engaging in the world around us – this is not a new realization. However, our ability to identify this reliance and break away from it isn’t always obvious, and more difficult to do.  

Here are five instances where inviting your senses along with you can improve travels: 

1. Sound: Without access to unlimited data, Marcelle shared that, “I usually listen to music or a podcast when I’m walking around day-to-day in New York, so it was unusual, but refreshing, to spend so much time without consuming content in order to save on data.” She went on, “As I was walking around in Paris I felt much more present and engaged. I overheard conversations (that I mostly understood), music, car horns, the metro (distinctly different sounding than the NYC subway), and actually felt interwoven with the other pedestrians – like we were all meant to be there at the same time as I tuned into my sense of sound in a different way.”
   
   Even though we, too, love our Know headphones, we encourage you to take them off now and again and tune into the unique orchestra of sounds each city has to offer.
   
   Next time you leave home, we challenge you to listen and explore – you know what your commute looks like, but how does it sound?
   
2. Smell: During her trip she hit three different time zones in just seven days – who can relate? You may or not be aware, but it’s not exactly easy on your circadian rhythms. Smelling something invigorating like the Campo Energy oil blend right after waking up can act as a natural reset button and helps with jet lag. With notes of neroli, bergamot and sandalwood, the oil is an essential packing item – pop it into the Campo Travel Diffuser and you’re set!
   
3. Taste: If you’ve been following along, you’ve already learned how great experiencing new foods and ingredients through travel is so it’s no surprise that she was on a mission to try to take in all of the flavors. “Through my years of travel, I know that I am always on the go, trying to do and experience as much as possible,” she shared. “I recently discovered Monos UVC self cleaning water bottle which helps me reset my palette for my next meal while keeping me hydrated on the run.” Using this reusable water bottle is light, slim, and it purifies water in just 60 seconds with a swipe of a finger – and of course, it cuts down on waste!
   
4. Touch: You may notice as you become more in tune with your senses that packing for travel actually becomes easier, prioritizing items that feel as good to the touch as they look. But that doesn’t mean you have mastered the task of not over-packing and falling victim to tossing in that shirt, “just in case.”
   
   Marcelle shared, “As I attempted my trip from New York to London to Paris in just a carry-on I discovered Monos Compressible Packing Cubes. Why didn’t we have these sooner?!” We’re big lovers of these cubes. They are game-changers for organization, and each fabric cube can be compressed by up to 60%. They’re offered in a variety of sizes so no matter your organization style (by clothing type or by pre-planned outfits) Monos has got your covered.
   
   
5. Sight: We all know London has a reputation for being a bit gloomy weather-wise but that doesn’t stop residents (or the city) from continuing to thrive. We are all about smart and efficient packing over here (as exhibited by the aforementioned touch paragraph), which is why we’re only joyfully bringing an umbrella on a trip if it’s a Blunt Umbrella. They come in a variety of bright, cheery colors and expand flawlessly. “I appreciate their compact design, which is perfect for toting along in a carry-on, and won’t kill the vibe if your look is on point.” We think you’ll agree that what will kill the vibe is a subpar umbrella breaking in the rain – let’s avoid that at all costs.