Climbing Mount Kinabalu Reinforced These 4 Lessons

I recently attended a travel conference in Singapore (ITB Asia) and was keen to add a few days onto the end of the visit so I could embark on a short adventure before returning home. After polling my travel industry colleagues, I decided to head for Malaysia and the World Heritage listed Kinabalu Park for the hike up Mount Kinabalu.

At 4,095m Mount Kinabalu is no towering giant, but it was certainly a decent challenge. The 2 days spent making my way up the peak provided plenty of opportunity to reflect on the bigger picture of the work we do at TourRadar, including the touring industry as a whole. In the end, I was reminded of some important truths.

Focus on the process, not the outcome

While reaching the summit was the final goal, there were plenty of unexpected moments along the way that served as a helpful reminder to forget about the conclusion and instead stay focused on the present. If you can, you’ll never miss out on the sights, sounds and conversations that can only be enjoyed when your mind is quiet and your focus is clear. I know if I’d been wrapped up in the achievement of reaching the summit, I would have missed incredible views, interesting plant life (only viewable when hobbled over in exhaustion) and great conversations with my climbing partners as we supported each other up the mountain.

Travelling solo doesn’t mean travelling alone

I’m a proud touring advocate, with the opportunity to meet new and fascinating people daily being one of the key reasons. And while I may have signed up for this adventure by myself, within an hour of meeting the three Thai people in my small group they were excitedly waving away my offer to take a photo for them and demanding I get in a selfie with them. Over the coming days, despite language barriers, we uncovered more things we had in common than not and had a great time cheering each other on as we pushed up the mountain.

The world is full of amazing touring experiences

Every day for me is spent working with tours and itineraries. Getting on the ground and experiencing the product always sharpens my focus on why I do it. We have a huge opportunity to connect people to the vast array of life-enriching experiences in every corner of the world. As I immersed myself in the experience, the more opportunities I saw for improving the information available to curious travellers on TourRadar. After all, we know that every tour is unique and that each experience is expertly crafted and supported by knowledgeable local guides, all of whom are keen to share insights into their culture and experiences. The better we become at sharing these stories, the easier it will be for people to find them.

Meeting the people who create the experiences is important

One of our company’s core values is to ‘Keep travelling’. This is not just to keep the spirit of travel alive and flowing in our company DNA, but it helps us to experience and understand the products we’re promoting. Whether that be through interactions with the guides on a tour or by meeting the operational and sales teams behind the itineraries. Understanding the philosophy and ideals of each company we work with helps inspire what we do at TourRadar. Ultimately, we’re reminded that our mission is to not only connect travellers with these brands, but most importantly, with the experiences they facilitate.

The desire to form strong, lasting partnerships with all of the operators on TourRadar is why our team has, and will continue to, visit conferences around the world. In 2019, you’ll find TourRadar at events in Germany, UK, Singapore, Canada, USA, Peru, Brazil, Vietnam, Australia, Dubai, Jordan, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Ecuador and more!

I’m reminded of a sign that hung above the doorway to the Hostel at the Mount Kinabalu Base Camp. It read, “A simple hello could lead to a million things.” Whether you’re hiking up a mountain alongside new faces or attending an upcoming travel conference, always remember the value of reaching out and forging new connections.

PS. Please be sure to come and say hi to a member of the TourRadar team if you’re at an upcoming conference with us! We’d love to connect.