Traveling with Purpose

Whether it is for a short 2 weeks vacation, a 3-6 months sabbatical from the office or even if travel has become your lifestyle, there is no shortage of beautiful places in the world to visit. Most of the time people will pick a destination because it is “trendy” or because one of their friends recommended it to them. Very few people will actually ask themselves what they want out of a travel experience before picking the destination after some introspection.

In other words, we rarely start with “our why” we want to travel but rather focus merely on the “what” or the “how” expecting the magic to happen once on site (check out this great book from Simon Sinek to get more insights on this topic).

This lack of self examination can lead to dissatisfaction in many areas of life. Like going to college, getting married, buying a house or even having kids without asking ourselves first and foremost if these are things we really need to live a truly fulfilled life. 

In this article, we will explore why it is important to travel with purpose and provide some ideas to get you started. If you’re seeking some inspiration and want to go beyond checking off a travel itinerary, this post is for you!

Why travel with Purpose

Have you ever been to a place because someone told you it was “nice” or because you read a social media post praising it with gorgeous pictures to be the travel destination of the year? Well, when you do this you are using someone else’s “why” (a family member, a close friend, a marketing company and so on…). Once you arrive at your destination and start thinking about what you would like to do, you are likely in store for some disappointment. There will likely be a gap between reality and your expectations and you are stuck in a less than ideal vacation. Does this sound familiar to you? 

Social media has a big role to play here. According to this research (published in the journal Depression and Anxiety), the more time a young adult uses social media, the more likely that person is to be depressed.  

“Exposure to highly idealized representations of peers on social media elicits feelings of envy and the distorted belief that others lead happier, more successful lives.”

Lui yi Lin

The author then continues by saying:

“It’s far more likely to see [social media] posts about the cool cocktail a person had over the weekend; the picture of them climbing Machu Picchu; or the glowing birthday celebration of one spouse to another. It’s hard to keep in mind the negative moments that may exist in those people’s lives when all you’re seeing are those high-vibe images.”

Lui yi Lin

I know people that spend a few hours each day (which can easily add up to about a full day per week) scrolling their phone to picture a life for themselves that they won’t be able to get as this isn’t reality to start with. In a world when people will work more so they can buy themselves more time, using our precious time go to such a waste is pretty pathetic from my perspective.

The good news is that having defined a purpose is a great way to ensure you will get the most out of your travel and won’t let this happen. You decide first why you want to travel and what you want to do while traveling. From there you can identify how you want to spend your time (what activities you want to do but also not do). Finding your destination then becomes much easier. (This also won’t require endless scrolling of social media post btw :D).

How to find your purpose while traveling

Traveling with purpose can mean a lot of different things for different people but the key theme that they all have in common is that there is an intention greater than themselves. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to get you started:

• What do you really value in life?
• What is one thing that you wish you would have time to do?
• If you knew you had 6 more months to live, what would you do?

What are some ideas of travel with purpose

To get inspired, here are six ways you can travel with purpose:

1 – Learn a new language

What better way to learn a new language than to be immersed in the country and being outside of your comfort zone. If you’re looking for something more structured, you can search for short-term language courses offered that are just a few days long – short enough to squeeze into your vacation. You can also try searching for language exchange groups through meetup.com or other forums. If you prefer less structure, you can simply download a language app like Duolingo and apply your new vocabulary at the local market or ordering at a restaurant. If you set the intention to learn the native language of your destination, you may be surprised with how much you can learn in a short period of time and it will add a much richer experience to your trip.

2 – Learn a new skill

If learning a new language isn’t your thing, there are plenty of opportunities to learn other new skills. You could take a cooking class in Thailand, a painting class in Mexico or get scuba certified in the Caribbean. Imagine learning to sail in Australia, taking jiu jitsu in Brazil or studying ayurveda in India. Whether your interest is in music, art, sports, history or health, you can find an enriching learning experience around the world to match your passions. Taking a new skill home with you is better than any souvenir you can buy at the airport gift shop.

3 – Support sustainability

We are privileged to have more access to travel than we ever did before. There are many budget flight options, an abundance of accommodation types and travel information has never been easier to find. However, this easy access is taking its toll on the environment and popular touristic sights. Thailand recently announced that they had to close down Maya Beach on Koh Phi Phi that was made famous by the movie ‘The Beach’. The influx of tourists has severely damaged the environment and requires a couple of years to restore. Sustainability-minded tourists can select their destinations with intention, avoiding overly burdened destinations in favor of others. It’s also important to do your research with wildlife tourism to ensure that you are not contributing to the profitability of captivating wild animals. Other ways to travel more sustainably is to limit your carbon footprint by finding the most efficient transportation option and supporting eco-friendly accommodations.

4 – Volunteer with the local community

A very direct way you can travel with purpose is to volunteer at a local non-profit organization. This is a great way to get off the beaten path, interact with the local community and give back. Volunteer projects range from educational programs with children, working with wildlife, feeding the hungry to teaching english. Volunteering at your travel destination gives you first-hand exposure to some of the challenges that residents face and a different perspective from the typical tourist lense. Often times, travelers discover that the most memorable and favorite part of their trip was their volunteer experience. 

5 – Support the local economy

If volunteering is not your thing, you can try to help the local economy financially. This can be through thoughtfully selecting the place you will be staying at – more family owned bed and breakfasts vs hotel chain for instance. We like using AirBnB for that because it is a great platform to connect with local homeowners (check out our best AirBnB tips to learn more). This is a fine line because depending on how AirBnB is regulated and used, it can also be disrupting local housing and affordability in a negative way.

Another idea would be to go to restaurants/cafes that are locally owned rather than the obvious big chains like McDonald’s. You can apply the same rules when selecting where you get your groceries. We love going to local farmers’ market because it is a great place to find healthy and nutritious food but also because we know that our money will go directly into the pocket of local farmers, not some multinational chain.

6 – Slowing down

When you travel, you have this wonderful ability to take full control of your time. While a lot of people like to do as many things as possible (since such people usually have little time to dedicate to travel), you might realize that by slowing down you will actually do less but with more intentionality and mindfulness. 

We have been nomadic travelers for almost 18 months (already!) and embracing slow living. While we are well aware about YOLO (You Only Live Once), we want to make the most out of our life without caring too much about FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). As such, we tend to ditch the bucket-list and go with our own flow to do the things that really matter to us in the present moment which can be driven by a combination of the purposes outlined above. Once you embrace slow living, you might look at your younger self and wonder why you had chosen such a hectic and stressful life!

Our Bottom line

Instead of following social norms, trends or even peer pressure, we should be thinking about travel with our very own purpose in mind. This is a key ingredient to make travel sustainable and fun for you and can serve a greater purpose beyond yourself such as helping locals and the environment. The higher the purpose, the richer your life and that of others will be.

Have you thought about traveling with purpose? What is your travel purpose? Feel free to share it with us by leaving a comment in the comments section below.