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As I become more and more of a frequent flier,  I am sensitive to the many feng shui ways you can feel more at home in hotels, on planes, in trains and by car.  These are hard-won tips, born of necessity after sleepless trips and disorganized packing that left me in many lurches…! I’ll be posting lots of these soon: the more I use these tips, the easier it is to feel at home anywhere.

Chances are, if you are headed out of town for the holidays, you may want to minimize lots of the stresses of travelling so that you can enjoy friends and family and festivities.  Today, I am delighted to share a great article by Carol Olmsead of Feng Shui For Real Life  all about travelling for the holiday time in feng shui energy style… and safeguarding your home at the same time! 

The Yin and Yang of Holiday Travel by Carol M. Olmstead.

If you’re planning to travel this holiday season you’re not alone: the US Department of Transportation estimates that travelers will be away from their home an average of four nights during this holiday season. In Feng Shui, an occupied home represents active yang energy, but a vacant house can attract the quiet yin energy that can make it more vulnerable to burglary. A few Feng Shui tips can help you retain the yang energy in your home while you are away and keep it safe, and assure positive chi in your hotel room during your trip.

Before Your Trip:

• Put several lamps on timers and set them to come on and off during the evening to simulate your natural movements around the house during a typical evening at home.
• Connect a radio set to a talk station to another timer and schedule it to come on and off several times during the day so there is sound in your home.
• Stop delivery of your newspaper a full day before your trip. That way if it does get delivered before you leave you will have a second chance to stop delivery before papers accumulate.
• Clean your house before you leave, throw out all leftovers and food that will go bad while you’re gone, and empty all of the trashcans and recycling bins. Trash that’s left in your house symbolizes stagnant energy that stops the flow of energy.
• Arrange with a neighbor or friend to take out the can on trash day.
• Change your linens before you leave because whether you stay at a luxury hotel with 600 thread count sheets or at a relative’s house on the sofa bed, you’ll appreciate the freshness of new sheets when you come home.

At Your Hotel:

• Check out your room carefully and if it has any odors, immediately request another room.
• If possible, open the windows or door to the patio or balcony to let in some fresh air and new positive chi into your room to help remove any negativity from a previous guest. Unpack as soon as you can to settle in and bring in your own positive chi.
• Run the water in the shower and the sink for a few minutes to get the chi flowing in the bathroom. Keep the bathroom door closed throughout your visit so this positive energy doesn’t get flushed down the toilet. This is especially important if you can see the toilet from the bed.
• Treat yourself to fresh flowers for the room, and replace them when they fade if you are staying for an extended period.
  If the mirror is directly across from the bed, drape a scarf over it before you go to sleep to help reduce the yang energy and encourage sound, restful sleep.

When Your Return:

• Unpack as soon as you can.
• Open the windows for a short while, even if it is cold outside, so the fresh chi begins to circulate.
• Run the water in the kitchen and use your stove to stimulate the positive, yang energy to flow.

What amazing tips Carol…&  I still need to get better at the “unpacking immediately ” part! We all have lots of room to grow!

Happy Holidays!   xoxo Dana