Think Trips
My Tara Think Trips™️ are the most powerful & impactful 3 days I have each quarter — both for me personally & for my work.
A lot of people have asked me about these quarterly solo “Think Trips”. What they are, why I do them, what I do when I’m on them, etc. Here’s a quick overview. 💥
The Basics.
What is a “Think Trip”?
Three day, solo, off-the-grid, reading, writing, and thinking trip. (Not actually “off the grid” but for all practical purposes. I don’t answer calls, texts, emails & turn off all notifications.)
Cadence: 1x / Quarter.
Why do I do them?
It’s the most powerful & important 3 days I have all quarter - both for me personally & for work.
They speed up my growth as a human. It is my reflecting and integrating time.
I never realized how much I need this time until I started doing these trips. They open up a whole new dimension of my brain. Having time to think, to sit with my thoughts, to explore the world without distraction. To really let my brain simmer without inputs from other people. By default, we’re rarely away from constant stimuli and pings. There’s a level of deep thinking that we’re not doing unless we create space for ourselves. We have to engineer these experiences to actually think & process what’s happening in life. That’s what the Think Trips are all about.
These trips are not a luxury, but a necessity for the type of high growth, fast paced, ambitious life I want to live. They really, really work for me.
They are now a pillar of my life.
Logistics & Planning.
Schedule It.
Block out a Thursday - Sunday. So two full days with bookends for travel.
Important: Cancel everything on the calendar for the full Thursday - Sunday. Set the expectation for others and for yourself that you’ll be fully offline those days. Make sure no one expects to hear from you — even parents, spouse, etc.
Find an Airbnb.
I don’t delegate this. The art of finding the Airbnb is part of the process. Search for a place that speaks to you. I’ve found this starts building anticipation & gets me excited — it feels like a reward I get to look forward to. A break from the chaos of every day. Totally personal preference here, but I like to do a nice cabin in a small town with beautiful views. Main requirement is that there is a good coffee shop nearby where I can read for hours on end. :) Other considerations: I try to never go to the same place twice. Each time forges its own special memory in my mind. I also look for places that are 1.5 - 3 hours driving. This gives sufficient time and space to fully disconnect physically and mentally from life.
Other Airbnb Recommendations:
Look for a space with areas to journal / write. I.e. a nice couch or table.
Find a space that doesn’t have a ton of people around - i.e. not in the middle of a city.
Generally find a space that has at least one nice coffee shop to sit and read or journal and one nice restaurant, each within 20 mins driving. (Need a change of location while there)
Find a space that has some kind of nature — trails, hiking, beach etc. within 30 mins.
Ask the airbnb host if you check in early. Usually they will let you if you ask nicely and tell them how important the trip is and how perfect their place is :)
On the last day while there (not in the same initial message), ask for a late check out - usually they’ll give it to you.
Only book places with above a 4.75 rating. 😂
Why Airbnb?
Hotels are confining. You want a place where you can move around and wander. In hotels, you’re also still surrounded by people and stimuli. The point is to get lost in thought and have no one around to interrupt you — even if it’s the bellman checking in on you. You’ll see what I mean. There’s a massive difference in even having 1 person around you who can interrupt vs. doing this truly solo.
Why Driving?
It’s much less logistically complex. I can just toss clothes in a bag, put my lap desk, my favorite blanket and pillow in the trunk, buy groceries, etc. I can take all the things that make me comfortable without much planning.
Another major reason is there’s MUCH more freedom when driving vs flying. (I’ve done both) When driving, I’m the pilot - I’m in control of the destination. If I see a spot that looks interesting, I can stop and explore it. And I almost always will find a nice coffee shop en route that I’ll stop and journal at or a beach to walk on or a mountain to hike. It’s also very helpful while there. Many airbnbs I find are in remote locations, and I need to drive around once I get there. I have the freedom to explore nearby towns etc. I’ve also always loved driving, so the act of getting in the car and driving is soothing and relaxing it itself.
While There.
I get in the car Thursday morning without a full plan. Ideally I’d have one, but the reality is that I’m racing up until Thursday to wrap up work / close out before I leave. Then Thursday I throw stuff in a bag and put it in my car.
Essentials I take: laptop, iPad, kindle, yoga mat, lap desk, massage gun, foam roller, comfy workout clothes, etc.
Pit stop to grab groceries & snacks for the road. Usually, I cook for myself while there. Again, this gives me freedom. I’m not at the will of restaurants and timing. And it helps me to feel healthy and do good things for my body. I come out of these trips feeling alive and invigorated.
Mental energy: As soon as I get in the car, I pop in whatever audiobook I’m currently listening to and usually finish it on the drive down.
I’ll either drive straight there or find a coffee shop on the way down. Either way, I’ll first pause to journal about my intention for the trip. Am I there to solve a big problem? What do I want to learn? Am I there to recap the last few months?
There is no separation between work and life for me — and I don’t bifurcate the trip between the two. If what I need to focus on is personal, I’ll focus on personal. If what I need to focus on is work, I’ll focus on work. It all ends up blending together and usually ends up being a combo of the two. Ultimately, I’m just improving myself, which will then improve everything I do.
Then I’ll build a “success plan” around this intention. What are the 3-5 things I want to accomplish. Maybe it’s “read X book” or “write Y plan” or “work on Z limiting belief” this is my North Star for the trip.
Pick the books I want to read. Usually I read 3-4 books during a Think Trip. (Complete 2-3 and start one more)
Do some movement. Usually every day I’ll meditate, journal, run / HIIT workout, and do yoga. AND not or :D This is the time I really go full out and take care of myself. Both working in and working out. The first night I usually go explore the area on a run. Then come back, make dinner, read, and do some yoga before calling it a night.
Friday morning I wake up, find a coffee shop, go sit and journal. Then read, and take notes while reading. Pause and write take aways and action items. Fully be there.
I basically do the above for the entire trip. Read, process, write, think, work out, meditate, yoga, walk around and wander & let my mind wander as well, cook meals, and write take aways.
Before I go home & reintegrate (I fully feel like I transport to a different world that moves much slower during these trips — I’m 100% disconnected), I go to a coffee shop Sunday and tie up any loose threads. If there were thoughts that came to me, I write them down. I also now try to write a one pager of what I did and what I learned during each trip.
And that’s it! Each one ends up being a little different but equally valuable. These are the moments I get major insights about work and my life. Out of these trips have come big turning points and step functional growth.
Other Important Notes.
Do not do tactical work while there. i.e. don’t do any of the day to day work. Reading business books and thinking about the bigger picture is fine (and a major part of the trip!).
No opening email or taking incoming calls. I can make calls if I want, but I don’t take any incoming calls. I usually don’t talk to anyone until Saturday — and that’s only if I get inspiration or want to share something with someone.
You can turn notifications fully off (so that you won’t even see a red bubble if you have a text or call). If I accidentally see a text, I restrain the urge to respond to it. It can wait a couple days. But generally, all notifications are off, and I try to not open my texts.
Force yourself to stay in the zone & really let your mind go deep — we’re used to getting distracted all the time and staying in “shallow thinking brain”, so this actually requires effort. But once you experience it, it’s pretty amazing what happens!
Lastly — I’m super grateful to have a partner who not only is supportive of me doing Think Trips, but also encourages me to go. 🥹💙 Make sure the people in your life are on board (they usually will be once they see what doing these trips does for you!).