Transformational Travel and The New York Times
Explorer X recently had the incredible opportunity to send a New York Times journalist to Portugal! In response to the article release about the experience, Can a ‘Transformational Journey’ Change Your Life? Our Writer Had Her Doubts by Charly Wilder, we felt inspired to address and expand upon the challenges and misconceptions that are encountered when talking about our approach to travel and why it’s so important to define and practice.
Many people come to Explorer X expecting to be transformed without intentionally and actively engaging in the process from the beginning. They expect us to do their pushups for them. One thing Michael Bennett (Co-Founder of Explorer X) used to say in his Organizational Consulting days was: 'The client owns the problem ... and the client owns the solution.' No travel company can tell you what to do or how to have a life-changing experience. Travel is a process, not a product. If a traveler wants a truly life-changing experience, they need to approach their travels differently ... They need to be open-minded and open-hearted, curious yet humble, seek adventures and challenges (physical or otherwise), take time to reflect and make meaning from all that they are experiencing, and then let what they learn drive changes in perspectives of themselves and the world. THAT is the essence of what we call transformational travel.
A quote we frequently use with our travelers is that 'The only reliable source of action is how we see the world.' Travel has the power to change how we see ourselves and the world and thus inspire us to make changes, big OR small, in our lives. Which brings us to another challenge we hear a lot: People expect large-scale, grandiose transformation when -- most often -- the changes they experience that have the biggest impacts are often the small, subtle shifts they make ... things like how they engage with their partner, family, friends, or colleagues that, in the long run, have huge positive impacts on their lives and communities. If people go into a travel experience expecting to come out the other side with plans to move to Nepal, start a non-profit, and begin living in a Buddhist monastery high in the Himalayas, they are going to be disappointed more often than not.
Travel changes who we are being in the world much more than it changes who we are. Travel reminds us of what we are capable of and how we have the power to be global citizens and ambassadors of understanding and love. It reminds us that if we approach our travel experiences -- and our lives! -- with an open mind and heart, a sense of adventure and curiosity, and if we choose to engage in every experience, interaction, and conversation in a thoughtful and powerful way, we can live more fulfilled, empowered, and inspired lives that make a difference in the world each and every day.
To learn more about Transformational Travel, visit Explorer X’s page about Joseph Campbell’s, The Hero’s Journey or the Transformational Travel Council’s website for more information on the movement.