A guide to (more) conscious travel
A perpetual wanderer’s notes on how to learn from the world.
To travel consciously offers us valuable opportunity to challenge and question our most deeply engrained assumptions and perspectives. It allows us to be whoever we want to be, free from the expectations of the places we call “home.”
I’ve lived for 15 out of the last 18 months out of a backpack, and spent more time in airports, trains, and busses than in my own “home.”
In that time, I have had the fortunate opportunity to immerse myself in some of the most awe-inspiring places in the world: from the sacred mountains and tea houses of the Himalayas, to the jungles of the Amazon, to the remote and silent fjords of the Arctic, to the remote back country of Patagonia (where I recently lived in a tent in the mountains for 3 consecutive months).
Even more fortunately, these places have provided me with the chance to connect with and learn from the wisdom of the mountain-dwelling Sherpas, the Ticuna elders of the Amazon River, the Yogis and Spiritual Teachers of Southeast Asia, the Gauchos of Chilean Patagonia, and the coal-miners of Svalbard — ruggedly isolated on a frozen archipelago at 78ºN, within the Arctic Circle.
I work for Untrodden — a travel collaborative of kindred spirits, brought together and defined by a passionate love for wilderness and a deep appreciation for ways of being that are intimately connected to the natural world.
Our mission is to harness travel as a vehicle for personal transformation and connection. And our dream is to facilitate journeys that connect the Western World back to Nature, and connect us to each-other — breaking down barriers of culture, helping us recognize our shared humanity, and catalyzing a meaningful exchange of ideas between the industrial world and those that still live in harmony with Nature.
As I have wandered the world personally and with Untrodden, I have spent a great deal of time contemplating the notion of travel–what impact travel has had on me, and what impact I have had on the places I visited. Specifically, I have been considering what it is that has differentiated the truly transformational and perspective-shifting experiences abroad from those that were merely fun. My reflections have revealed that it is not where you travel that results in a meaningful and enlightening experiences, but how you travel.
Conscious travel — or Untrodden Travel, as we call it — is a framework of mind that opens us to the wonders and wisdom of the natural world, and to the insights that can be gleaned from immersion in other ways of being human.
Our Guide to Conscious Travel
Our framework begins with the simple, yet courageous recognition that the way we view the world is far from perfect. It begins with the acknowledgement of our blind spots, our misconceptions, our assumptions, and our opportunities for growth.
It begins with the recognition that our Western perspective — defined by progress, innovation, all-consuming ambition, and material accomplishment — has obliterated our innate connection to Nature and blinded us to our true seat in the intricate web of life.
This has left many of us feeling isolated, disconnected, and lacking a sense of deeper meaning, purpose, or spiritual fulfillment. Like a lobster slowly being heating to a boil, we neglected to see this process unfolding until it had reached completion.
We have grown isolated from each other, as our disconnection from natural setting and a surge in intense interpersonal competition has caused our communities to crumble — bringing us to a world where simply borrowing sugar from a neighbor has become a nostalgia-evoking relic of the past.
The dominating, industrial worldview of the West has spread so quickly and efficiently that most of us have completely forgotten that there are other ways of being available to us as humans — ways of being that are intimately connected to nature, sustainable, community-oriented, spiritually fulfilling, and imbued with meaning and purpose… ways of being human that are tied to place and family, and engrained with ancient wisdom and tradition.
Concrete has been laid so thoroughly that many of us have forgotten what it is like to be in wilderness. As a species, we no longer have immediate access to that feeling of vulnerability, humility, and a deep sense of interconnection to something greater that arises in wild places.
With the recognition of the negative externalities of our industrial perspective comes the opportunity to open ourselves to other potential ways of being human.
Conscious travel is an antidote to this disconnection.
We can choose to travel to the places that remind us of that lost and deep-seated feeling of wholeness when we wander through a silent, virgin forest or a remote and distant fjord.
We can choose to use our travels to immerse ourselves in the lives and perspectives of the communities that remain deeply rooted in ancient wisdom, community, nature-based livelihoods, and traditions dating back long before this ubiquitous, industrial cosmology ever existed.
These places and these people offer us opportunities to learn — to learn about ourselves, about other ways of viewing our mysterious existence, and about what it truly means to be a human in this vast and beautiful world.
If we are honest enough to understand that our way is not the only way or the absolutely correct way, and if we venture out with the intention of seeking meaningful human connection and deeper understanding, then travel provides us with an opportunity for profound growth and evolution.
At Untrodden, we developed a core set of intentions to guide us as we roam about this girdled Earth…
Be Respectful
When we travel, we have a choice to make in how we engage with the natural and cultural environment — we have the choice of whether to be respectful or not.
At its simplest and most fundamental level, we must leave the physical place better than we found it, being mindful of our waste and impact. This is especially true when we visit the pristine wilderness that defines Untrodden travel experiences.
But on an equally important cultural level, we must understand that we are traveling to someone else’s home and culture. It is not the host community’s responsibility to adapt to our desires and expectations — it is our responsibility to adapt and be respectful of their way of life.
Be Open
Be totally open to your experience. Drop all concepts, judgements and expectations. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and real. Open yourself to everyone and everything, understanding that every interaction is an opportunity to learn. Allow yourself to connect to others… to laugh, to cry, to sing, to dance, and to love. Accept the experience for what it is.
Open yourself up to new ideas and new perspectives. Open yourself up enough to allow your opinion to change.
Travel gives you the rare opportunity to be whoever you want to be, free from the expectations of the place you call home. Open yourself up enough to be whoever you want to be — to be that deepest and truest expression of yourself. Release your ideas and concepts about who you are in order to see who you could be.
Be Humble
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Understand that your perspective — your culture, conditioning, and cosmology — is just one of many… one of an infinite number of possibilities. Accept and embrace the fact that the way you see the world has many fundamental faults and blindspots, and that there is something profound and important to learn from the wisdom of the people and the places you encounter on your travels to Untrodden places.
These people are protectors of deeply important, ancient wisdom and these places are strongholds of true wilderness. Treat and revere them as your teachers and suspend your judgements.
Be aware of your shortcomings and imperfections, and be eager to learn
Be Mindful
Be fully present. Use all your senses to fully take in the experience. Listen deeply to the words, songs, and stories of the person on the other side of the table. Gaze deeply into their eyes as you connect, noticing the reflection of the campfire glistening back at you.
Listen deeply to the sounds of the trees when there is no wind, and to the smell of life as you saunter through a living, breathing forest… pulsating with presence.
Leave your life as you know it at home and embrace this rare opportunity to fully assume another existence. Take it in for what it really is, rather than what you think it to be. Through this presence comes true understanding.
Be mindful of how you carry yourself. And be mindful of the lives and experiences of the people you encounter. Be mindful of the dynamics of Westernization, colonization, and modernization and be acutely mindful of all your choices given these circumstances and his context. Be mindful of what you offer and how you treat others. Travel and engage consciously.
Invest Locally
When you travel, it is absolutely crucial that you invest in local livelihoods and embrace local ways of life. Buy from local shops and individuals. Eat local food. Stay with locals or in locally-run establishments. Ask the locals for the inside scoop. Engage meaningfully with the local community.
Only this way can we be sure that our travel benefits those who feel most deeply the impact of the travel. Untrodden only partners with those hosts that are locally-run or show a deep commitment to reinvestment in local ways of life. But it is your responsibility as a traveler to emphasize this attention to local livelihoods throughout every part of the experience.
These experiences are often difficult to access. Untrodden can serve as the gateway to these inspiring places and communities.
But to travel with Untrodden is to understand deeply that these places and these cultural environments are in a fragile and delicate state in the face of globalization and modernization — but that they have essential wisdom to share lessons to teach us about how to be human in a way that is more meaningful, sustainable, and connected.
To travel with Untrodden is to understand viscerally this context, and to act wisely and intentionally given these circumstances — so that we can learn from our experiences and leave a positive impact on the places we are incredibly fortunate to visit.
This philosophy is the antidote to soul-less travel. It is a framework for profound personal growth, and can catalyze the urgent and all-important reconnection process that is centuries overdue.
The Untrodden Manifesto was influenced and inspired by the philosophy of our remarkable partners, The Transformational Travel Council — “guides and conveners of the transformational travel philosophy creating change by empowering, guiding and supporting travelers in their pursuit of personal growth and global understanding.”
This story is published in Writers on the Run. If you’re interested in submitting your travel stories please visit our submission guidelines.
