If you want to learn, grow, and discover the world and yourself completely, you must try meaningful travel.

To discover meaningful travel – you must first do the following six (6) things:

1.     Face your fears and hang-ups and engage with everyone you meet when you travel.

2.     Learn some words in the local language and communicate even when you know you will make mistakes or think you will look or feel silly.

3.     Laugh at yourself, try something new, and accept the fact that you will make mistakes when you travel.

4.     Engage with the local people and view them as world neighbors and not attractions.

5.     Enjoy locally run and locally owned establishments and activities. Visit local communities and neighborhoods to better appreciate the culture and diverse ways of life.

6.     Participate in activities and visit places where locals frequent. Have dinner with a local family, visit an orphanage, work on social projects, and attend local festivals.

What is Meaningful Travel?

Meaningful travel is focused on immersing yourselves in a community or culture and trying to get the most out of a destination. It’s about showing respect and care for the destination you’re travelling to. It’s about reducing the negative impact and making a positive impact on the culture without forcing it. It’s about growth, where travel becomes a way of life, rather than just a visit to a new destination.

When you practice meaningful travel, your travel becomes an enriching and rewarding experience that contributes to your personal growth.

Travel has not been easy lately. Last year and this year our travel plans have been cancelled, rebooked, and cancelled again. As some borders slowly start to open and others close, we have the time to think about where, when, and how we want to travel. We can use this time to plan our next adventure, reflect on our travel plans and the impact of our travel decisions.

Our appreciation for traveling the world and the communities of people we meet when we travel is stronger than ever before. Rather than ‘going back to normal’ when we travel, many of us are replacing our bucket lists for meaningful travel adventures. When we travel, we are looking to make real connections with fellow travelers and locals that we meet along the way. We’re all familiar with the main attractions of destinations, but the trend now is in addition to visiting the main sites we will escape the crowds and visit the lesser-known areas.

Here are four (4) ways to add more meaning to our travel experiences:   

1.     Travel for Cause

Learn to take journeys and not vacations. We will do things like trekking through jungles to help save wildlife, we will cycle through Cambodia and the temples of Angkor Wat to visit the villagers. We will go to Ghana and India to help build schools or bring them school supplies. We may go to Rio to help rebuild Shanty Town. We may explore the remote African savannah to help with the conservation of elephant habitats or visit the Maasai warriors and villages in Kenya.

2. Support Local Businesses

Just as we like to shop small and support small business in our local communities, we can do the same when we travel. Small business makes the world go round and by shopping at local markets, hiring local guides, and eating at small family-run restaurants, you will be helping the local economy and creating a more meaningful experience for yourself.

3. Help Charitable Organizations

Whether you want to support animals, veterans, homeless shelters, or children organizations there is a way that you can make a difference when you travel. Besides making monetary donations, listed below are some effortless ways that you can help support local charities while traveling.

Volunteer your time. Help is always needed at places like animal shelters, food banks, soup kitchens, schools, etc. If you know you’ll be in an area for a while, consider taking just one day and spend your time making an impact in the community you’re visiting.

Attend local events that support worthy causes. There are always events and fundraisers going on around the world that support various charities and organizations. A quick online search through Google or Facebook will tell you if there are any events in the destination you are traveling to.

4.     Support organizations like the Habitat for Humanity, Care-A-Vanners and KOA Care Camps.

Anyone can help these organizations and no experience is necessary. They can teach you on-site and they have a range of projects to work on, like framing, roofing, and interior renovations.

You can volunteer at a KOA Care Camp where kids with cancer attend medically supervised camps where they can build friendships and spend time out in nature.

Travel May Look Different, But it's Not Over

After a year of confusion, fear, and isolation, you owe it to yourself and your mental health to step outside of your daily routine and reconnect with yourself and others. Colesville Travel is committed to help you travel and do so safely.

Final Thoughts

Despite the continued, uncertain times, we know that travel will come back stronger and better than ever. We are all dreaming big, and when the world opens again, we’ll be ready.

When we return to travel, we will return inspired, aware, grounded, and eager to share our experiences with others.

So, whether you’re planning a local staycation or looking forward to planning a trip of a lifetime, Colesville Travel has all the travel inspiration you need. We are ready when you are!

Until then, stay inspired

Cindy