The Hero’s Journey

Our approach to travel (and life) at Explorer X has been deeply influenced by the work of Joseph Campbell. Campbell (1904–1987) was an American writer, mythologist, cultural anthropologist, and teacher who was best known for his work in comparative mythology and religion. Throughout his life and career, Campbell explored thousands of stories told over the course of human history, across cultures and religions. In his first book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Campbell identified a thematic process of personal and communal transformation that permeated all of these stories that he called 'The Hero's Journey.'

Campbell described the Hero's Journey as occurring in a cycle consisting of three phases: The Departure, where the hero leaves the comfortable and familiar world and ventures into the darkness of the unknown; The  Initiation, where the hero is subjected to a series of tests in which s/he must prove their true character; and The Return, in which the hero brings the boon of their quest back for the benefit of not only their own life but to help save the community and often times the world.

“The ultimate aim of the quest,” according to Campbell, is “the wisdom and power to serve others.”

It is this process of learning and growth that we so whole-heartedly believe in at Explorer X. And the most powerful, profound, and exciting way to go on your Hero’s Journey? Through travel, of course!

When you travel with Explorer X, not only will plan an extraordinary adventure for you, but we’ll also guide and support you in your own personal Hero’s Journey quest. How?