Can Travel Help You Change the World?
Travel may be in our genes. A trait that has led our ancestors to fill all corners of the earth. Certainly it’s been a part of the education of the elite, and the goal of the powerful, for as long as humanity has been recording its journey.
By Kay Sexton, Contributor
Travel is fatal to prejudice…
The impact of travel on an individual can be literally life-changing. Elizabeth Barrett Browning existed as a recluse in poor health until she met Robert Browning and they eloped to Italy, where her health condition improved and they lived happily as nomadic travellers. The world could have lost two superb poets without Italy’s benign climate. But travel changes us all. A 2014 study of MBA students found that the more individuals engaged with different cultures and experiences, the greater their capacity to expand their perspective and handle conflicting information well. And that’s only one of the benefits it brings.
How conscious travel makes us better people
As we’ve already stated, travelling makes people open-minded and able to change their perspective. It also takes people outside their comfort zone – being confronted with new and different experiences expands horizons and makes us more flexible. Travel, as Elizabeth Barrett Browning found, can improve health and wellbeing, with positive impact on mental and physical wellbeing. Also exposing ourselves to new languages, smells, tastes and sights creates neuroplasticity – literally creating new pathways in the brain. A recent German study found that just four days of travel can reduce stress levels for the next 45 days.
Image credit: Josh Hild
Conscious travel to change the world
Travel changes us, but our travel changes the world, for the better or the worse. Increasingly, people are focusing on giving back when they travel, improving the planet and engaging with the problems – as well as the pleasures – they find at the places they visit. Given that we have but one planet, the way we use it can make the difference between a thriving world and an overstrained one.
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When we set out on conscious travel, we may not plan to unite the world, but we are at least aware that we are part of one humanity. We recognise people as being like ourselves, we understand that the places we visit may be harmed, or helped, by our travel and we commit to making choices that benefit the local economy, environment and cultures we’ve travelled to explore. We learn, we experience and ultimately, we take that place back with us when we return.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
Mark Twain American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer.
2020 created a hiatus in travel – a unique chance to look again at our behaviour and ask ourselves a question ‘will this journey heal or harm?’ At Satopia we aim to make every travel experience one that benefits the traveller, and the planet.
Many of our travel experiences are designed with an element to give back and are dedicated to conscious traveller who want to connect and make an impact.
If you are interested in discovering Satopia’s world of Hosted Experiences further, please contact us.
Satopia is a global community of inspirational people empowering humanity with passion and purpose.
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