Make Travel Feel Less Complicated - Tips by Ratul Puri

 Planning for trips can be complicated, stressful, and intimidating even before you start. There are lists to check, tabs to open, deadlines to meet, and research that needs to be done before travel can begin. There is often a mental fatigue that occurs before the actual travel takes place, and many do not even start the journey before feeling exhausted. 

This is where Ratul Puri stands out to many. Rather than seeing travel is a problem that needs to be solved, he believes travel should be an experience that captures the beauty of all the innovation travel has to offer while also cutting out the many complexities that come with travel. To Ratul, caring travel does not mean travel that is careless, but rather travel that is clear. 

This post is intended to showcase Ratul Puri’s unique travel philosophy, and the many reasons why simplifying the travel experience is often the most beneficial for the traveler. 

Excessive Options 

When people plan out trips, they are faced with endless amounts of choices that are made available to them. The routes they take, places they stay, and activities they do can all be altered. While having choices is often a good thing, with travel planning, having too many choices can lead to a form of mental paralysis where people are unable to make a decision. 

Ratul Puri believes that it is not the travel that is complicated, it’s the endless choices and variables that are a part of the planning. There is an overwhelming pressure on travelers to eternally compare every option before they make a decision.

• He advocates for early decision making when it comes to travel choices.

• Narrow it down rather than avoid options.

• Choose what suits your preferences rather than what everyone else thinks.

• Once you gain clarity, stop refining your plans.

• Decisions lighten with reduced options, making travel easier.

• Every decision is simplified with intent.

The first way Ratul Puri seeks to simplify things is with intent. In his experience, most travel plans fail because they focus on the logistics instead of the goal.

When travelers understand the ‘why’ behind their travel, it answers most of the questions for them. A trip centered around relaxation will look very different than one centered around discovery or education.

Ratul Puri often asks travelers:

• What is it that you hope to gain from this experience?

• What is your ideal balance between structure and fluidity?

• What activities would you rather not do, and why?

• Intent keeps plans on track and removes the excess.

• Stress is a byproduct of too many variables.

Complicated travel plans often involve too many variables, such as constant changes, tight connections, and overly full itineraries.

Ratul Puri wants his travelers to understand that plans need to be kept simple in order to create a seamless and enjoyable travel experience. More stability can mean less stress and more energy to focus on what truly matters.

He believes:

•  Leaving one place and going to another is stressful. Staying in one place for too long is not.

•  Predictable routing is better than ambitious routing.

•  Traveling is not about going somewhere in particular each day. Resting is not wasting.

•  Travellers like plans that are easy because they can spend more time doing things in their environment instead of having to spend time on plans.

• - You can obtain more peace and more enjoyment when you are focused and not overstimulated. Travel is about changing your environment, your routine, and making new decisions. The more complex your plans are, the more energy you use.

• - Ratul Puri protects energy by not overspending it, and by making travel plans that are simple.

• - Avoiding early travel dates and late travel dates

• - Leaving more free time instead of overscheduling

• - Accepting that there is no obligation to see every single thing

• - A sense of peace when traveling is created through good energy conservation.

Comfort is often confused as luxury. Puri looks at it differently.

Having comfort means not having to worry about things. Travel is hard enough and when small problems become big problems because the traveler is hungry or tired. Discomfort adds to complexity.

He advocates for more practical comfort:

•  Travel where you can go to places that are accessible.

•  Travel days that are balanced.

•  Rest days that are sufficient.

•  Travel that can be focused

•  Travel that is comfortable enough to make decisions free.

Routine Creates Ease in New Places

A good way Ratul Puri travels is by keeping a routine. Traveling is usually associated with new experiences and new environments. Ratul sees the value in small repetitive routines and the steadiness they bring. 

Some simple routines while traveling can look like:

•  Starting mornings in a certain way (like having coffee at a certain time) 

•  Walking the same route

•  Visiting the same street or environment multiple times

When traveling, keeping simple routines can help decrease the number of choices you need to make, and makes a new environment less complex.

Avoiding the Pressure to “Do Everything”

Traveling with this expectation creates a need to constantly adjust plans and can lead to a lack of satisfaction with the entire experience. Traveling with less complexity allows you to engage with the experiences and lower the stress level in the entire trip.It is better to spend time fully engaging with a few activities rather than trying to do a little bit of everything. Ratul Puri encourages focusing on travel selectivity instead of travel completeness.

When travel plans are complicated, attention stays on travel management—checking schedules, navigating changes, solving problems.

Travel is best when it is less complicated and when attention is on the experiences instead of the coordination. Ratul Puri believes this facilitates presence and lowers the need for reactivity. 

Presence improves:

•  Memory 

•  Enjoyment 

•  Emotional connection

•  Letting Go of perfect Planning

Perfectionism creates a need for complexity, and planning the perfect trip can end in a lot of overthinking.

For Ratul Puri, great travel does not involve great planning. Instead, great travel comes from good adaptable planning.

Planning for travel imperfections enables:

• Easier adjustments

• Less stress

• Greater enjoyment

• When imperfections are allowed, travel becomes easier.

• When Simplifying Plans, Travellers Can Adjust More Easily

No matter where someone is traveling, things are bound to change. Unforeseen delays, alterations, and surprises are unavoidable.

Plans that are simpler can absorb the negative effects of disruption better. Ratul Puri believes that when a travel plan is simple, it can accommodate adjustments without feeling disruptive.

A plan that involves less commitments means:

• Flexibility is easier to accommodate

• Stress is lower

• Changes are easier to accommodate

• Resilient is the first word that comes to mind when describing travel that is uncomplicated.

• Why Travel Feels More Meaningful When Its Less Complicated

When a plan has complexity removed, the traveler is allowed to focus on the small meaningful moments that are often overlooked. 

Ratul Puri believes that when travel becomes manageable, the feeling of meaning is created. When individuals are not overwhelmed, they become more open, reflective, and curious. 

Simplified travel maximizes:

• Awareness

• Reflection

• Enjoyment

• Forging the feeling of meaning is not necessary when space for it is created. 

For Ratul Puri travels, making travel less complicated is about having clear and selective respect for human limits. Simplified travel is not about doing less for the sake of doing less. Instead, it is about removing the distracting elements that take away from the experience.When journeys are uncluttered, flexible, and planned rather than spontaneous, they are more enjoyable and memorable.

Ultimately, travel is less complicated when it is designed for people, not for stress.