Meditation is a great practice for travelers. Mindful living makes you feel rooted even as your surroundings change.

Just like hiking, meditation is a hobby and a lifestyle that works well with traveling lifestyle. During my 2-years as a full-time traveller, I meditated daily. I am also a clinical psychologist, so mindfulness and meditation have been a part of my life and studies for several years.

This page summarizes what I’ve written about meditation for travel.

Vipassana Dhamma Meditation Retreats

While in Indonesia, I attended a silent 10-day meditation retreat. The retreat was based on Vipassana Dhamma, a practice developed by S. N. Goenka. The Vipassana Dhamma retreats follow the same structure everywhere in the world, so you can get similar experience in different places around the world.

I have written two articles about Vipassana Dhamma retreats:

Vipassana Dhamma Center in Java, Indonesia

The Vipassana Dhamma retreats are very popular, but they are not the only silent meditation retreats available. Vipassana Dhamma retreats are often shortened as “Vipassana retreats” but Vipassana and Vipassana Dhamma are not the same thing. If Vipassana meditation was like Christianity, I’d compare Vipassana Dhamma to Mormonism. They share the same roots, but Vipassana Dhamma has its own beliefs and practices.

Personally, I feel that the Vipassana Dhamma retreats are too strict and dogma-based to my liking. After finishing my trip around the world, I attended a one week Vipassana retreat with Finnish organization Nirodha. I enjoyed the atmosphere of Nirodha much more. However, we all have different preferences, and you do not need to agree with me.

Mindfulness App Reviews

Before becoming a full-time traveler, I worked as a journalist. I am also a psychology student. These aspects of my life come together in my mindfulness app reviews.

I first wrote a review of Headspace mindfulness app after a year of daily use. After that, I reviewed the accompanying Headspace book by Andy Puddicombe. A year later, these two texts were followed by a review of Calm and a comparison between the two apps.

Mental Side of Traveling

My articles about meditation for travel are mostly reviews of different products and services. At the same time, mindfulness is a philosophy that has greatly affected my thoughts and values. This impact is visible on the Psychology page of Arimo Travels. In these posts, I write personal reflections about the psychological side of long-term travel.