TRAVEL AND PHOTOGRAPHY

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A NEW SECTION IN TRAVEL AND PHOTO TODAY

Introductory Note To Readers –

Today, Travel And Photo Today.com is announcing a bit of expansion to our website with the addition of a new area of focus – The Psychology of Travel. While we will still, as always, offer coverage of General Travel and Photography themes, The Psychology of Travel theme is an expansion of our coverage into an area of increasing importance and interest – Psychology and Mental Health issues and particularly how they relate to travelers and their journeys. In this introductory article today you will find information related to this new section / area of focus – what it is, what it will cover and also some history of how it came to be.

The present article, which in the world of website jargon is currently a “Post,” will also remain on the Travel And Photo Today website as a constant “Page. “ This means that it will always be easily available and it will include updated listings of new Psychology of Travel articles as they are published. The Psychology of Travel page can be easily accessed at any time by simply clicking on the “Psychology of Travel” item in the Blue Menu Bar at the top of any page or post on the site ( You can try that now if you would care to.)

I’m excited the addition of Psychology of Travel as a new emerging focus and hope that you will find material offered to be not only of interest, but also possibly be of help to you or your friends as you continue your travel journeys in the future. Welcome to the Psychology of Travel section of Travel And Photo Today.com.

PSYCHOLOGY OF TRAVEL

😎 – The Travel Doctor Is In – 😎

Bruce W. Bean, Ph.D.

PSYCHOLOGY OF TRAVEL is a recently added section of Travel And Photo Today.com. Articles focus on a broad range of psychological issues related to travel. Areas open for coverage include topics such as fear of flying, anxieties in new places, homesickness, social contacts, loneliness, solo travel, group travel, travel with significant others, personal security, navigating foreign customs, financial concerns, and adjusting to time changes. Really, anything of a psychological nature related to travel is fair game.

As new articles related to the Psychology of Travel are published they will be added to the listing at the bottom of this page. I hope you enjoy this new area of focus on Travel And Photo Today.com. For background about the development of the Psychology of Travel section read on……

The Travel Psychology Author

Bruce W, Bean, Ph.D.

Visiting Petra, Jordan

Overlooking The Treasury Ruins

COMING FULL CIRCLE – A Bit Of Background

Hi! I’m Bruce W Bean, Ph.D. I began writing and publishing Travel And Photo Today, my on-line magazine ( sorry – I just can’t get myself to use the name “blog” ) as a change of pace. It was my way of providing a bit of balance to my life. Some of you know, but others may not be aware, ( guess you didn’t read the “About The Author” section of Travel And Photo Today? If you would like to now – Click Here.) my early professional training and experience was as a Clinical Psychologist. I went to school for quite awhile. I completed my bachelor’s degree (B.A.), my master’s degree (M.A.) and my doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology and then also completed my internship training at a medical school in the Department of Psychiatry as a Clinical Psychologist. After completing all that education and training I jumped into the “real world” where I provided professional psychological services as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in a variety of venues – mental health centers, day treatment and residential treatment programs and also as a faculty member at a medical school. During that time I also developed my private counseling practice which I eventually transitioned to on a full time basis. And yes, you are correct. That is a lot of time and training as well as years working in the mental health field and specifically in clinical psychology.

Seeking a bit of balance, I decided to combine my avid interests in photography, travel and writing to establish Travel And Photo Today. I quickly found that this was a great blending of interests, skills and training. Photography and travel are a natural pairing and provide lots of interesting material for my written articles. And I found that there was a secondary bit of good fortune as well. My psychology background proved helpful during my travels and encounters with wonderful people and cultures. And my travel experiences and insights were most helpful to me in my mental health practice. A very complimentary blending in many ways for sure.

Several years ago now I closed my psychology practice. Since that point I have devoted a large portion of my time to various creative interests – not the least of which are those associated with – surprise – travel, photography and Travel And Photo Today. My travels have taken me to a vast variety of world locations and have given me most wonderful experiences as well as the opportunity to meet, get to know, and develop friendships with some very lovely people all over the world. Some of my travels , and associated photography and articles, have been no further away than interesting spots in my own home town. Many others have been to far off lands such as China, Japan, India, Egypt, Peru, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand to name but a few.

During the course of my travels I quickly made a rather interesting discovery. Simply put, although I was off somewhere, away from home traveling, it turned out that I had actually not left my practice of psychology behind me. When other travelers ( and would-be travelers ) I met along the way learned of my clinical psychology background and practice they immediately began to talk about their psychological issues and questions. They consulted with me regarding the various worries, fears, concerns and dilemmas they were having related to their travels and travel experiences. It was then that I realized that I had come full circle. Even while traveling, and also between travels, I was still being called upon for assistance using my clinical psychology skills. and training, as well as my growing experience as a traveler. My assistance now came in the form of consulting with people regarding the psychology of travel and psychological issues related to travel.

My travel psychology consultations with others have been primarily one-to-one exchanges. Consultations have often occurred while I’m actually on the road such as an impromptu discussion with a fellow traveler as we shared a meal after a chance encounter in another country or talked over concerns with a seatmate on a train or airplane. Travelers have also reached out to me regarding travel issues. E-mail consultations have been rather frequent, exchanging thoughts and ideas regarding issues or concerns sent to me from friends, acquaintances and people I’ve met on past journeys. Recently more and more consultations and discussions have used online platforms such as Facetime or Zoom. This approach has worked wonderfully for individual consultations with people close to home or far away.

HOW IT BEGAN –

And that’s how this “Psychology of Travel” section of my Travel And Photo Today site came into being. With increasing interest related to the challenges of travel and the psychological and emotional impact of travel issues it made sense to add this topic area to the Travel And Photo Today website.

WHAT IS THE FOCUS –

My goal with the Psychology of Travel section is fairly straightforward. I want to keep it simple and practical. Articles offered in this section are, of course, focused on the Psychology of Travel. Issues addressed are based on concerns raised or experienced by actual travelers. And the information shared in these articles? Well, let me say what these articles are “not.” They are not extensive, boring and lengthy dissertations. Who wants to read that type of article? Certainly not me. Probably not you either. I really want these articles to be useful and helpful. To accomplish this I try to do my best to keep a tight focus on offering realistic and practical ideas, concepts suggestions.

DOING YOUR PART –

One of the basic tenets of clinical psychology is that Information Is Interesting – But It’s Only Helpful If It Is Applied. And that is true with the information offered in these articles. These are not magical ideas, insights that once read will instantly make everything better. ( I sometimes joke that “I’m a psychologist – not a magician.”) I wish it worked that way. Sadly, it doesn’t. You will have to do a bit of work with the information offered in Psychology of Travel articles. If you find an article that addresses an issue of concern to you I hope you will find the article interesting. But the information shared in the article will only be of help to you if you do your part – your work.

I truly hope that you enjoy the Psychology of Travel articles and that you find them interesting and helpful. If some of the articles speak to issues or concerns that you might have I encourage you to take the ideas, suggestions, and recommendations offered and work with them . Try them out for awhile. Practice using them. And try not to be too quick to judge their effectiveness. Remember – Change Takes Time.

Share Your Questions –

If you have relevant issues or questions which you would like to see addressed in future Psychology of Travel articles please feel free to write in the comments section below individual articles – or email me directly at psychology@travelandphototoday.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Information – Not Therapy –

Finally, a point of clarification and disclaimer is also in order. Psychology of Travel articles are offered for enjoyment, to provide readers with a better understanding of some of the psychological challenges which impact travelers and to offer ideas and suggestions to help make your travel experiences more enjoyable. To be clear, obviously these articles are not intended as, nor are they a substitute for personal and professional mental health evaluation and mental health therapy and treatment. If you are experiencing serious psychological / mental health problems or concerns please contact a mental health professional for personal assistance. The website of The American Psychological Association will help you find a qualified psychologist – APA Psychologist Locator.

Dr. Bruce W. Bean, Ph.D.

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