Mindful Travel: An Introduction to The Journey

By Dr. Michael Bennett | Co-Founder @ Explorer X

“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.”

 - Anthony Bourdain

When we travel, there is always the opportunity to go on two different yet equally important and powerful journeys: The Adventure itself (what we often refer to as the ‘Outer Journey’) and the process of learning and growth that comes from that adventure  (the ‘Inner Journey’). Together, we refer to these as The Journey.’

Throughout our upcoming Mindful Travel blog series, we’ll be sharing the elements of the Inner and Outer Journey, discussing how to travel like a HERO, and working to elevate the way we approach travel and adventure.

The Inner Journey

For the mindful traveler, the process of learning and growth that comes from adventuring into the unknown is part of the call to adventure. 

This Inner Journey is the why – the winding path of transformation that comes directly from curiosity, courage, and an open heart and mind. 

With the right mentoring, tools, and perspectives, the Inner Journey becomes more about your entire life than the trips you take. Your whole experience of the world can shift in an instant while traveling.

At Explorer X, we’ve traversed the fields of philosophy, mythology, education, mindfulness, and self-reflection. We always seem to land on one idea: travel is the best way to access the kind of learning, growth, and change that will transform our lives.

The Outer Journey

The adventure of travel itself is what we call the Outer Journey. It’s the experience of visiting distant lands, meeting fascinating people, eating mouth watering meals, and creating abundant new memories. 

The Outer Journey is exciting. It’s thrilling. It’s a break from the mundane.

The Outer Journey is the how. When we put ourselves in new situations and environments, and come face-to-face with unfamiliar people and experiences, our travel becomes about more than visiting a destination. 

It becomes the spark that ignites our souls.

The Journey

The Journey isn’t about checking places off your bucket list or visiting the most number of countries possible in one lifetime.

The Journey is about traveling in a way that sustains and ignites your passion for your own life, while helping to protect and nurture the planet and our global community.

Mindful Travel

We’re big fans of Joseph Campbell around here, and we can’t wait to share our next blog in the Mindful Travel series about traveling like a HERO and discovering what it means to be the hero of your own life.

The dreamer crosses to the other shore. And by a like miracle, so will each whose work is the difficult, dangerous task of self-discovery and self-development be portered across the ocean of life. 

- Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces


Curious about how we mentor travelers to explore The Journey? Head to our Philosophy page or reach out to a Travel Designer.

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