You have surely heard of so- called experiential travel . This term was already very popular before the pandemic, but it takes on even more meaning now that we have been deprived of travel for many months.
This type of getaway emphasizes going somewhere not as a passive vacationer, but as a real player in your trip .
The goal is to live local and authentic experiences, while immersing yourself in the heart of the culture of the destination visited. In short, the objective here is to live an experience . Moreover, a recent survey carried out by the Expedia group shows that “56% of travelers believe that new experiences are one of the main advantages of travel. »
That said, another form of travel approaches those called experiential and tends more and more to impose itself: transformational travel . Behind this term hides a way of traveling that will have a direct impact on the life of the traveler and, as its name suggests, will profoundly transform it.
Travel to grow, learn and evolve
The Transformational Travel Council , an entity founded in 2016, defines transformational travel as follows: “It is about traveling intentionally to grow, learn and evolve into new ways of being and to connect with the world”.
According to the creators of the site, Michael Bennett and Jake Haupert : “When we leave home and go alone, there are often three essential steps for a trip, an adventure to turn our lives upside down:
The transformational journey would therefore be much more than an experience that one lives on the spot and which will become a pleasant memory, it is above all an experience which will literally change one’s way of being and of seeing the world .
There is a real personal transformation that can influence us to adopt a new way of life, which can change the way we think about our relationships and which can even have an impact on our personal health. Reflection, emotions, changes, contemplation are notions that are at the heart of transformational journeys.
According to Jake Haupert, co-founder of the Transformational Travel Council, “A transformational journey can mean taking time for unplanned exploration, restorative wellness activities, or making an effort to learn about the native flora and fauna of a national park visited, for example”.
Chris Roche of Wilderness Safaris, a Botswana-based luxury safari company, told Business Insider magazine that “transformation happens through reconnection . We are selling the possibility of reconnecting with nature and, therefore, of reconnecting with oneself, with one’s partners, with one’s children or with whoever one is traveling with”.
In concrete terms, the Wilderness Safaris agency offers customizable safaris starting at US$5,000 in various African countries, including Zimbabwe, Botswana and Rwanda. The operator focuses its offer on sustainable ecotourism, conservation and collaboration with local communities.
Obviously, it is not compulsory to pay such a sum to make a transformational trip and one can live such an experience at a lower cost, in a nearby destination. The transformation is above all internal and is not linked to the price of the trip.And you, have you ever taken a trip that literally changed your life, your vision of the world?
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