inspiring travel stories

• Awards Season
• Big Stories
• Pop Culture
• Video Games
• Celebrities

Inspiring Stories of Hope and Generosity on the GoFundMe Platform

In today’s digital age, crowdfunding has become a powerful tool for individuals and organizations to raise funds for various causes. One platform that has gained immense popularity in this space is GoFundMe. This article explores the inspiring stories of hope and generosity that have unfolded on the GoFundMe website.

Empowering Individuals to Make a Difference

GoFundMe is a crowdfunding platform that allows individuals to create campaigns and raise funds for personal causes, medical expenses, educational pursuits, community projects, and much more. It provides an opportunity for people from all walks of life to share their stories and rally support from friends, family, and even strangers across the globe.

One remarkable story on the GoFundMe platform involves a young woman named Sarah who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. With mounting medical bills and limited financial resources, Sarah turned to GoFundMe as a last resort. Through her campaign, she not only managed to raise enough funds for her treatment but also received an outpouring of love and support from her community. This experience not only empowered Sarah but also inspired others facing similar challenges to seek help through crowdfunding.

Uniting Communities in Times of Crisis

The power of the GoFundMe platform is particularly evident during times of crisis when communities come together to support those in need. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, or earthquakes often leave individuals displaced and struggling to rebuild their lives. In these situations, crowdfunding campaigns on GoFundMe provide a lifeline for survivors.

One heartwarming example is the story of a small town devastated by a tornado. The residents banded together on the GoFundMe platform to raise money for emergency supplies, shelter assistance, and rebuilding efforts. The campaign not only generated financial aid but also fostered a sense of solidarity among community members who were determined to rebuild their town. This story showcases the power of crowdfunding to unite communities and bring hope in the face of adversity.

Fueling Entrepreneurial Dreams

GoFundMe is not just limited to personal causes or community projects; it has also become a launchpad for aspiring entrepreneurs. Many individuals with innovative business ideas have turned to crowdfunding as a means to fund their startups and turn their dreams into reality.

One remarkable success story is that of a young entrepreneur named Alex who invented an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastics. With limited resources, he launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for manufacturing and marketing his product. Thanks to the support he received from backers worldwide, Alex was able to bring his product to market successfully. This story exemplifies how GoFundMe empowers entrepreneurs by providing them with a platform to showcase their ideas and gain financial support from a global audience.

Making a Lasting Impact

The impact of the GoFundMe platform extends far beyond financial assistance. It has proven time and again that it can make a lasting difference in people’s lives. Whether it’s helping someone afford life-saving medical treatment, rebuilding communities after natural disasters, or fueling entrepreneurial dreams, GoFundMe has become synonymous with hope, generosity, and positive change.

By facilitating connections between those in need and those willing to help, GoFundMe has transformed the way we approach philanthropy and personal fundraising. It has given individuals the power to take control of their own destinies and create meaningful change in their lives and communities.

In conclusion, the stories that unfold on the GoFundMe platform are testaments to human resilience, compassion, and the incredible potential of crowdfunding. From empowering individuals facing personal challenges to uniting communities during times of crisis and fueling entrepreneurial dreams, GoFundMe continues to inspire hope while making a tangible difference in countless lives around the world.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

MORE FROM ASK.COM

A Little Story… 22 Inspiring Travel Stories from Around the World

Last updated on August 7, 2023

It’s easy to share a list of the best travel books out there—although everyone has their favorites, there are a handful of books that always make the list. But inspiring travel stories are a different beast altogether—these stories may come in the form of a book, such as a memoir detailing someone’s time on the road, or may be a journey noted in the history books, but in this digital age many of the best out there are actually in blog form.

When I left to travel the world in 2008 on a yearlong trip , there were just a handful of travelers sharing their inspiring stories via blogs (and later social media). Now there’s a diverse cast of characters of ever race, creed, and abilities who have made travel a priority and have embraced off-the-beaten-path adventures to every corner of the world.

Below are the best travels stories you can look to for inspiration—I included the books that tell a great tale, but also bloggers and historical figures that are notable for something about the way they traveled.

Table of Contents

The Best Online Travel Stories

Traveling blogging took off more than 15 years ago, growing from a small, close-knit collective to a sprawling industry. That said, a lot of travel stories just sound the same after a while. I’ve read travel blogs since 2007, when I was planning my round the world trip , and some stories are just a lot more compelling than the rest. The travel community is also a lot more diverse—less WASPy and more inclusive. The travel stories below excel in some way that sets them apart. Either it’s the family’s incredible photography and aspirational adventures, or the voice of a storyteller that keeps you coming back for more.

Roads & Kingdoms

Roads & Kingdom is a captivating website that delivers phenomenal travel storytelling. Not only are the stories fascinating—and impeccably written and edited—but the immersive articles share stunning photography, and thought-provoking narratives. Each story takes readers on a journey around the world, shedding light on diverse cultures, untold stories, and lesser-known destinations. Its unique blend of travel, politics, and culture creates a rich tapestry of exploration that goes beyond typical travel writing, offering a deeper understanding of the places they cover.

The site is run with one simple idea at the core: The more you know, the better you travel. The long-form features and useful information are aimed at armchair and aisle-seat travelers alike. Before his death, Anthony Bourdain was Roads & Kingdoms’ sole investor—head to the “ Dispatched by Bourdain ” section for the most deeply reported, fascinating travel stories on the site.

Fearless & Far on YouTube

If you prefer your travel inspiration via video, then this adventure travel YouTube channel is the antidote to your wanderlust. It’s a wild ride with Mike Corey, who serves up his travel adventures with a side of danger in many cases—but not all! He has a fascinating “Lost Tribes” series, and showcases a unique side of destinations you won’t find shared in many written travel stories. He’s also just charming and personable and it’s fun to watch his travel story unfold in real time as he wanders the globe.

Erik Gauger of Notes from the Road

There’s a lot to love about Gauger’s travelogue, chief among it that he focuses on storytelling and not travel advice. What you find when you read and follow Notes from the Road is funny, powerful and personal travel stories from all over the world. What a concept! But its rare to find on travel blogs these days, so if you’re keen to follow an ordinary guy’s extraordinary adventures around the world, this is the one to follow. He’s adventurous but not so adventurous that you think, “wow, that’s nuts” and travelers will find humor, warmth, and inspiration from his large collection of travel stories dating back to when his blog started in 1999 (not a typo!).

Jeff Jenkins of Chubby Diaries

Jeff Jenkins, the adventurous soul behind the Chubby Diaries , offers a fun and inspiring travel story that challenges stereotypes and embraces body positivity. He’s a bit of a character, so it makes a fun travel story to follow via his Instagram account . Jeff is now a National Geographic Travel Host, and uses his online platforms to share his remarkable journey as a plus-size traveler, encouraging others to pursue their wanderlust fearlessly and unapologetically.

With his infectious enthusiasm, Jeff breaks down barriers and promotes inclusivity, proving that one’s size should never limit their ability to explore the world. His uplifting presence and empowering message make him a beacon of travel inspiration for travelers of all shapes and sizes—he’s a good reminder that travel is for everyone.

The Bucket List Family

The Bucket List Family—a husband, wife, and their three photogenic children—shares adventurous travel stories on Instagram and YouTube . I’ve followed their travel story for years now, and as an experienced traveler I still love traveling vicariously through their family adventures. They offer stunning photography and heartfelt narratives, and bring followers on a virtual exploration of the world’s most captivating destinations. Beyond showcasing picturesque locations, they emphasize the importance of shared family adventures and creating lasting memories. My young son was born in 2021, so although he’s already visited eight countries with me, I’m still inspired by the placed they take their kids—many of which are on my own bucket list.

The Bucket List Family’s story focuses on experiences over material possessions—but keep in mind they are very wealthy (one-percenters), so they go on some super bougie trips that are aspirational for most. While they certainly weren’t the first family travel storytellers , they do a great job. They encourage travelers to step out of their comfort zones, embrace the unknown, and prioritize quality time together—a message I can get behind. Although they technically have a website, they don’t blog. Their travel story is best followed Instagram and YouTube .

This website was a curation platform that, while it no longer shares new articles, has a treasure trove of absolutely stunning short travel stories—most are readable in about 10-20 minutes. It’s a great sadness that it’s no longer updated with fresh stories, but you can get lost for hours in the archives. The best place to get started is with this travel story, “ Weavers of the Sky ,” or this one, “ Keepers of Ganesh: The Vanishing Art of Mahout. ” Or head to the editor’s picks page for a curated list of the best of the archives.

Oneika Raymond from Oneika the Traveller

Oneika Raymond is an Emmy-winning travel storyteller. Her stories are engaging and authentic, and she’s all about promoting inclusivity and breaking down misconceptions. Oneika’s posts inspire travelers to step out of your comfort zone and embrace the beauty of different cultures. It’s like getting tips from a friend who’s passionate about travel and believes in the power of exploration to bring people together. While her website now pumps out more generic travel planning content, following her on Facebook is the perfect way to collect the best pieces of her travel story that encourage cultural exploration and adventure—she regularly re-shares her best videos, stories, and photos from her years of travel.

Best Historical Travel Stories

Gertrude bell.

Gertrude Bell, often dubbed as the “Queen of the Desert,” was an extraordinary woman who defied societal norms and embarked on incredible journeys across the Middle East in the early 20th century. A British explorer, archaeologist, and writer, she traversed vast deserts, climbed mountains, and immersed herself in the cultures of the region. Her inspiring travel story lies in her unwavering determination, intelligence, and deep respect for the people and places she encountered.

Bell’s book, A Woman in Arabia: The Writings of the Queen of the Desert , encapsulates her adventurous spirit and offers an intimate glimpse into her experiences, documenting her encounters with tribal leaders, her insights into the region’s history and politics, and her unique perspectives on the challenges faced by women in those times. Her courageous and independent spirit continues to inspire travelers, historians, and feminists alike, making her an icon of female exploration and an incredible travel story even today.

Ibn Battuta

One notable historic traveler adventure that captivates the imagination is the journey of Ibn Battuta, an explorer from the 14th century. Ibn Battuta embarked on a remarkable travel odyssey that spanned over 30 years and covered a distance exceeding 75,000 miles, making him one of history’s greatest adventurers. His extensive travels took him across the Islamic world, including North Africa, the Middle East, India, and even as far as China. Ibn Battuta’s story is inspiring due to his fearlessness, curiosity, and the vastness of his exploration, which allowed him to experience diverse cultures, encounter various civilizations, and encounter numerous challenges along the way.

His travel story provides insights into the medieval world and serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of exploration. Although there are translations of his travelogue available, Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century by Ross E. Dunn is a good option to really immerse in his journey because Dunn provides a lot of historical and societal context that enriches Battuta’s story.

Emily Hahn, a trailblazing adventurer and writer, holds an inspiring travel story that spans the globe and breaks boundaries. Known as the “Mickey Mouse girl” due to her unconventional lifestyle, Hahn fearlessly journeyed to places that were deemed off-limits for women in the early 20th century. From exploring the remote regions of China, where she witnessed political upheavals and became an unofficial concubine, to her daring escapades in the African wilderness and beyond, Hahn’s travels were marked by her independent spirit and relentless curiosity.

Her travel story, No Hurry to Get Home: The Memoir of the New Yorker Writer Whose Unconventional Life and Adventures Spanned the Twentieth Century , is a captivating memoir that showcases her extraordinary life and captures the essence of her adventurous spirit. Emily Hahn’s audacious exploration and refusal to conform to societal norms make her an inspiring figure, leaving a lasting legacy for women in travel and writing.

Sir Ernest Shackleton

There’s just something magical about the travel stories of the great explorers from history. With the world so connected, these kinds of harrowing travel journeys are more rare (thankfully!). Shackleton’s extraordinary expedition to Antarctica in the early 20th century is renowned for its remarkable story of survival and endurance. In 1914, Shackleton and his crew set out on the ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, aiming to cross the Antarctic continent. However, their ship, the Endurance, became trapped in ice, eventually sinking. Shackleton and his crew were stranded on the ice for months before embarking on a perilous journey in lifeboats to reach Elephant Island.

Despite the immense challenges they faced, Shackleton displayed exceptional leadership, courage, and resourcefulness, ensuring the survival of his entire crew. His story of perseverance and determination in the face of extreme adversity continues to inspire adventurers and explorers to this day. Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing is a classic adventure travel story and makes for a great read. (And if you love this style of historical adventure travel, I truly loved The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey , which I read in just two days .

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou, an iconic poet, author, and civil rights activist, embarked on a profound and inspiring travel journey that shaped her worldview and enriched her literary voice. Through her autobiographical work, All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes , Angelou chronicles her time living in Ghana during the 1960s, immersing herself in the vibrant tapestry of African culture and the fight for independence. Her travel story is one of self-discovery, resilience, and profound connection, as she navigates the complexities of identity, racial inequality, and personal growth.

Maya Angelou’s courage to venture into unknown territories, both geographically and emotionally, and her ability to find strength and inspiration amidst adversity, inspires readers around the world. Her travel experiences beautifully illustrate the transformative power of exploration and the importance of embracing diverse cultures and perspectives.

10 Best Travel Stories on A Little Adrift

I’m guilty of sharing a fair bit of travel tips and advice for travelers of all shapes—I have detailed cost of living guides for countries around the world, as well as travel guides to my favorite countries in the world. But deep in my 15 years of archives are travel stories and photography that I remain proud of, even if they’re not search-friendly content that’s likely to appear at the top of Google Search. These are the best travel stories from my years on the road.

• A Journey to Uncover What Sustainable Coffee Really Means : The journey an Akha hill tribe community in rural Northern Thailand is taking toward creating a sustainable business and social enterprise. Filled with beautiful photographs from their community and their journey toward fair-trade sustainability.
• How One Maasai Chief is Using Tourism to Change His Community : An innovative Maasai chief and his community are using tourism funds to help end FGM in Maasai communities and instead educate girls.
• The Case for Using Tourism to Help Destinations Recover : In the wake of Nepal’s devastating earthquake, this piece looks at how tourism shapes rural economies and how it can be a vehicle to help these communities recover after natural disasters.
• A Guest is a Gift from God : One of my favorite memories from Tbilisi, Georgia was sitting under the Mother Georgia statue with group of locals for an evening of song, conversation, and snacks. In short, for the famous Georgian hospitality.
• A Pastel Sunrise Over Wadi Rum : A dawn camel ride as the sun is rising over Jordan’s desert is etched in my memory as the pinks and blues tinted the sand and rocks.
• An Unexpected Afternoon with a Taco Stand Family : A simple question leads to a wonderful afternoon learning about Mexico’s blue corn.
• Peat Fireplaces, Rugged Ireland, & Something Special : Ireland holds such a special place in my heart, the smells of fireplaces mixed with yeasty beer and flowing conversation ebb and flow throughout the island.
• A Child’s Journey Through Chinese New Year : Go on the journey of Chinese New Year festivities in Thailand’s Chinatown told through the eyes of a young child.
• A Secret Spot in Ireland’s Heart : Ireland is an island of mystery as I tap into the cadence and rhythm of the locals speech, lore, and attitudes while hiking through sheep pastures and along coastlines.
• This One’s for Africa : Riding the local transport in East Africa leads to some hilarious encounters that constantly reminded me, “Oh yeah, this is Africa.”
• Finding the Travel Spark in Yangon : After years on the road it’s a single moment in Burma that pinpoints for me why I travel and reignites the wanderlust.

Looking for more inspiration? I’ve curated the best travel books not only in general, but for each region of the world.

19 Inspiring Travel Experience Stories About Life-Changing Trips

Love inspiring travel experience stories ?

Then you’re in the right place!

Grab a snack and your favorite beverage and get ready to settle in, as you’re about to read some truly inspiring travel stories about life-changing trips.

In this roundup, some of my favorite bloggers share their best travel stories.

You’ll hear about travelers embarking on sacred pilgrimages, growing after a first solo female travel trip, deeply connecting with locals on the road, and getting out of their comfort zones in ways that completely alter the course of their life.

And if you’re looking for a unique travel experience, you’ll likely find it in the short stories about travel below.

Table of Contents

Free Travel Resources

But first…

Make sure to grab free access to my #BeyondTheGuidebook Travel Resource Library:

Want to take the hassle out of trip planning?

Enter your name + email below to subscribe and snag access to my FREE Ultimate Travel Planning Resource Library, full of trip planners, cheat sheets, packing lists, Google Map itineraries + more! //  Privacy Policy . 

Woohoo! You’re officially a member of the Jessie on a Journey community. 

Make sure to also connect with me  on Instagram ,  on YouTube , and  on Facebook  to start traveling #BeyondTheGuidebook.

I regularly share about solo female travel, New York City, lesser-known destinations, unique experiences, active adventures, and how to turn your passion for exploring the world into a profitable business through travel blogging.

Click here to head back to the travel blog .

There is so much included!

Plus, I’m constantly adding new resources, guides, and personality quizzes to help you travel beyond the guidebook!

On that note, let’s dive into the inspiring travel stories .

1. Travel Experience Stories In South America

My travel story takes place in South America, back when I used to travel solo for months at a time.

I was in my mid-20s, and even though I’d backpacked Europe, Southeast Asia, and China and had studied abroad in Australia, the mix of intense excitement and nerves I had leading up to my South America backpacking trip was different.

And despite family and friends warning me that South America wasn’t a place for a solo female traveler , it ended up being my best trip ever.

There are so many interesting short travel stories and unforgettable travel experiences woven into this trip, like:

• Getting invited to have dinner with my Brazilian plane seatmate and her grandma
• Having a group of complete strangers on Couchsurfing take me out for dinner and dancing on my birthday in Mendoza
• Attending a small house party in Argentina and learning about the tradition of mate
• Getting stuck on a broken-down bus and having an impromptu language exchange with an elderly woman in Peru
• Having a love interest back home break up with me via text, and then experiencing the kindness of strangers as a woman in my hostel who I barely knew treated me to ice cream to cheer me up
• Having a romance with a hostel mate in Ecuador and then traveling through the country together
• Living in a giant treehouse with a group of strangers during a solo trip in Brazil and spending our days exploring hiking trails and swimming and our nights drinking and exchanging stories about traveling
• Taking a 4×4 from Chile to Bolivia across the Siloli Desert to see otherwordly sites like rainbow lagoons and train graveyards in the middle of nowhere
• Experiencing some of the world’s most incredible natural wonders, like Iguazu Falls, Torres del Paine, the Amazon River, Uyuni Salt Flats, and Perito Moreno Glacier

At times the trip was also challenging, from dealing with long bus rides and car sickness to flipping over my bicycle handlebars in Peru and getting my body (and ego) badly bruised.

But, I was okay.

In fact, I was more than okay, as the trip showed me how independent I could be and what I was truly capable of. It also showed me the beauty of immersing yourself in cultures different than your own and connecting with locals who want to share them with you.

Years later, when people ask what my best travel experience has been this is the trip that comes to mind.

-Jessie from Jessie on a Journey

2. Traveling With An Open Mind

Many people think of travel as an experience and rightly so. Sometimes, however, you cannot choose the places you travel to.

This happened to me in 2019.

My husband found himself posted in Brunei for work.

Three months pregnant meant that I had a choice:

Either stay with him in Brunei for three months before returning back to India or remain in India, alone.

I chose the former. Not because of my love for the country but because I wanted to be close to him.

Brunei had never held any appeal to me. Whatever research that I pulled off the Internet showed me nothing other than one beautiful mosque.

The flights in and out of the country were expensive so traveling frequently out was not an option either.

I was engulfed by a sense of being trapped in a remote place.

Needless to say, I reached Brunei in a pretty foul mood. I think one of the things that struck me the most even in the midst of that bad mood was the large swaths of greenery that surrounded us.

Mind you, we were not staying in the big city but as far away on the outskirts as you could imagine. I’m not a city girl by any stretch and the greenery eventually soothed my nerves.

It took a week, but I soon found myself interacting with people around me. Fellow expats and locals all went out of their way to make me feel comfortable.

The more comfortable I felt, the more we explored. We trekked (yes, while pregnant!), we joined the board game community, and we enjoyed the local cuisine.

Three months later when it was time to leave, I found myself reluctant to say goodbye to the warmth of the country I had called home for a short while.

I think that my time in Brunei taught me a valuable lesson:

Don’t judge a place by what others say or a lack of information.

Sure, you may not always like what you see, but there will always be something that you will like. You just need to look hard enough to find it!

-Penny from GlobeTrove

3. From Half-Day Hiker To Walking Holiday Enthusiast

I’ve always enjoyed walking but never in a million years did I imagine I’d end up walking over 200 kilometers (~124 miles) in 10 days, become a fan of walking holidays, and end up developing self-guided hiking routes in Portugal with a local tour operator as part of my business.

The shift from being someone who was content with an easy three-hour walk to an experienced multi-day hiker began with a brief taste of the Portuguese Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrim trail through Portugal to Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain.

Back in 2013 I did a guided one-day hike along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Camino, north of Ponte de Lima. It’s also one of the most challenging sections so it was hard work, but the views from the top of Labruja Mountain made the climb worthwhile.

My guides were so enthusiastic about the thrill of arriving at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral after the challenges of day after day on the Camino that I began to think I might want to give it a go, despite not being religious.

Fast forward a few years and I set off from Barcelos with a friend of mine to follow the Portuguese Camino de Santiago.

Apart from suffering from chronic back pain, I thought I was quite fit but nothing had prepared me for how utterly exhausted I would feel at the end of each walking day.

This was truly a slow travel experience, as we were averaging about 20 kilometers (~12 miles) per day and by the time we reached our hotel, I would barely have enough energy to get cleaned up and find food before collapsing. I had envisioned plenty of sightseeing but that ended up being minimal.

Quickly, I realized the moral of this unique travel experience:

The Camino was all about making the most of the journey rather than the destination.

For me, that was quite a shift in thinking as I am usually all about getting to where I want to be as soon as possible so that I can start exploring. It was, perhaps, also my first step on the path towards mindfulness.

I will never forget the sense of achievement and progress at the end of each walking day, and the relief and pride I felt when we finally made it to Santiago de Compostela.

We met people who had walked the Camino several times and I can totally understand how it can become addictive. 

-Julie from Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal

4. A Story About Traveling & Its Ripple Effect

Tucked away in far eastern Indonesia is a tiny archipelago of islands called the Banda Islands.

Apart from world-class snorkeling and some crumbling colonial buildings, the Banda Islands are mostly forgotten and would be described as a backwater by all accounts.

However, the Banda Islands are possibly the main reason that I am who I am today. 

Well, the Bandas are the original Spice Islands.

Nutmeg used to grow on this tiny group of islands alone and nowhere else. The Dutch colonized Indonesia and promptly became the owners of islands where money grew on trees.

The only problem was that Indonesia was so far away that they needed a halfway stop to and from Indonesia.

That’s where my travel experience story comes in.

The same Dutch East India Company that traded in spice set up a halfway station at the foot of Table Mountain to break up their long journey. As a result, my Dutch ancestors arrived in the southernmost point in Africa , and generations later we are still there.

When I visited the Banda Islands, it dawned on me how something happening on the other side of the world can ripple out and affect people on the other side of the planet.

And I’m not the only one!

The spice trade was so important to the Dutch that they even traded a tiny island in the Banda archipelago for a much bigger island…Manhattan.

Yes. That Manhattan.

Before visiting the Banda Islands I never really knew about this part of my history.

Along with the spice that the ships carried back to Amsterdam, it also carried slaves. These slaves, more often than not, ended up in Cape Town.

Just like my European ancestors, they too became a part of Africa and added another shade to our beautiful Rainbow Nation.

It was in the Banda Islands that I realized how much of my culture, food, stories and even words in my mother tongue, Afrikaans, actually originated in Indonesia.

Because of these tiny islands, I am a true mix of Europe, Africa, and Asia. While I always thought I knew how all things in life are somehow connected, I didn’t really grasp it until my visit to Indonesia.

This could have been a resort travel experience story, as I went to Indonesia to swim and snorkel and relax on the world’s best beaches. And while I did get to do that, I also learned a lot about who I am as a person, my people, and my country…on another continent. 

My visit to the Bandas has sparked a fascination with Indonesia, which I have visited seven times since. I’m already planning another trip to this spectacular country!

-De Wet from Museum of Wander

5. Awakening My Spirit In A Costa Rican Cloud Forest

In February 2017, I was just coming out of a decade of mysterious chronic illness that had shrunk my world.

And one of the things that finally helped me to resurface during the previous year was an online Qi Gong course I stumbled upon: 

Flowing Zen .

To the casual observer, Qi Gong looks a lot like its better-known cousin, Tai Chi — the ancient art of moving meditation — but it’s actually energy medicine for healing.

In fact, it’s commonly used in Chinese hospitals.

My daily practice that year made such a difference for me that I dangled a reward for myself:

If I stuck with it all year, then I’d head to Sifu Anthony’s annual retreat in a cloud forest in Costa Rica the following February.

And I did! It was my first trip out of the country for more than a decade.

Just like that, I booked a solo trip — something I hadn’t done since I was an exchange student to Europe 30 years earlier — to San Jose where I met up with a dozen strangers and Sifu Anthony, our Qi Gong master.

We boarded a tiny bus and rode up, up, up around carsick-inducing curvy mountain roads into a magical cloud forest jungle where we finally arrived at The Blue Mountain (“La Montana Azul”) for a weeklong Qi Gong retreat. 

There were no Internet or distractions here — just delicious organic vegetarian meals made with love and shared with the community under a gorgeous open-air palapa.

There were also colorful tropical birds singing in the jungle, as well as the largest arachnid I’ve ever seen in my gorgeous (but also roofless) room for a little extra adventure.

I’d felt a little energy movement during my year of online practice, but during that week on The Blue Mountain, my body began to really buzz with Qi — life force energy — as I Lifted the Sky, stood in Wuji Stance, and practiced Shooting Arrows.

I felt electrified and joyful. 

And that was when everything changed for me.

At home, I had a successful career as a freelance writer, but I decided during my week in the cloud forest that I wanted more from life.

I wanted to explore the beauty, diversity, nature, and culture in every corner of the world.

And I wanted to share this intoxicating joyful feeling of life-giving freedom and adventure with anyone who wanted to come along for the ride.

Shortly after that, at age 53, I launched my travel blog.

Dreams really do come true. They are just waiting for you to claim them.

-Chris from Explore Now or Never

Enter your name + email below to subscribe and snag access to my FREE Ultimate Travel Planning Resource Library, full of trip planners, cheat sheets, packing lists, personality quizzes, travel guides, Google Map itineraries + more! //  Privacy Policy . 

6. From Rome With Love

This wasn’t the way I wanted to see Rome. 

Sure, I was happy to spend Christmas in Rome and stand in awe of the city’s many iconic attractions. But, life wasn’t meant to turn out like this.

I was supposed to go to Rome with my mom back in 2012; however, life had different plans, because a week before our trip, I got a double kidney infection. A condition that required a week of hospitalization.

Although I was annoyed I had missed my trip, it wasn’t the end of the world since I was fine and everything seemed okay…until my mom developed a cough.

A cough that later became a heartbreaking diagnosis of stage four ovarian cancer. 

My mom spent the final months of her life in chemo, desperately trying to fight a horrific disease so that she wouldn’t let her family down.

And she didn’t.

Instead, she showed us how to never give up on life, even if it was a losing battle. 

So, when she eventually passed away, I booked a trip to Rome. 

Sure, it wasn’t the trip I had hoped for. But, I knew that as her daughter, it was my job to live enough for the both of us. 

And that’s exactly what I did.

Was I an anxious, sad, angry mess of a person?

Absolutely. I was still getting used to a world that my mother wasn’t a part of. 

And honestly, you never get used to that world. You just deal with it because you don’t really have a choice.

But I also knew that I wanted my mom to live on through me and that I didn’t want to live a life where the haunting phrases “should of,” “could of,” and “would have” swirled through my head and ate away at my happiness.

So, I went. I packed a boatload of tissues, sobbed my heart out, and attended Christmas mass at the Vatican. 

I also threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, walked through the Colosseum, chowed down on gelato, and spent two weeks doing all the things my mom and I had wanted to do. 

And that’s when it hit me. I had never gone to Rome alone because my mom had always been there with me. Maybe she wasn’t physically there, but I thought of her and felt her presence every minute of every day. 

Her presence also reminded me that life isn’t about the things we buy or the money that we have.

It’s about making memories with the people we love; people that never really leave us since they are constantly influencing our lives in countless ways.

And after my trip to Rome, I finally knew that my mom would always be there because she had forever changed my life in the best possible way. 

-Kelly from Girl with the Passport

7. Studying In Finland

One of my major life-turning points happened during my exchange studies in Finland.

Until then, I was studying at a university in Prague, had a part-time job at a renowned management-consulting firm, and thought I was on the right path in life.

At the University of Economics where I studied it was notoriously difficult to get on an Erasmus exchange trip abroad since the demand was huge. Everyone wanted to go!

Regardless, I decided to sign up early for my last semester, just to see what the process was like to be better prepared for applying again in a year.

I did make it through all the three rounds and surprisingly got a spot at a University in Turku, Finland! I was ecstatic. The success brought its own challenges, but once you set your eyes on the goal, nothing can stop you.

And I had the time of my life in Finland.

I met the most amazing people, traveled a ton, partied a lot, and bonded with friends from all over the world.

Given I was one of the few people there who really needed to pass all her courses and additionally write her thesis, I managed to run on an impossible sleep schedule of four hours per night. But I made it!

My studies in Finland opened up my horizons, too.

The summer after, I wrapped up my life in Prague and went on to study in Germany and China . The whole time I traveled as much as possible, often going on solo adventures. It was only a matter of time when I’d start my own travel blog.

My Finland adventure led me to a life of freedom made up of remote work, travel blogging , and plenty of traveling. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. And it gave me one of my favorite true adventure stories that I can now share with others.

-Veronika from Travel Geekery

8. How Cuba Changed My Life

One of my favorite inspiring stories about travel takes place in Cuba.

I visited Cuba in February 2013 and it changed my life — and I like to think it did so for the better.

Interestingly, I expected a completely different country and was compelled to write about it when I got back home.

But let me tell you more.

I read copious amounts of blogs and travel diaries to prepare myself for the trip to Cuba so I thought I’d go in with a fairly good idea of what to expect. Each and every post I read spoke of marvelous landscapes, pristine beaches, crumbling but charming cities, and welcoming locals.

All of it was true, in my experience — except for the locals.

I didn’t find them so welcoming. At least, not genuinely so. They only seemed to welcome me as far as they could get something in exchange: money, clothes, pens, soap, you name it. 

Each and every day in Cuba was a challenge to avoid the scams, to avoid being ripped off, to fight off each and every attempt of people trying to take advantage of me. I usually managed, but it was exhausting and it left a sour taste in my mouth.

Once I got back home I felt the urge to write about my experience — not for other sites or papers as I’d often do. This time I was afraid I’d be censored.

So I opened my own blog. With zero tech knowledge, zero understanding of online content creation and SEO, I started writing and telling people what they should really expect during a trip to Cuba.

I’d put up the occasional post, but continued with my usual job.

At the end of the year, my contract as a researcher in international human rights law at the local university ended, and I decided to stop pursuing that career for a while.

I packed my bags and left for a long-term trip to Central and South America . I started writing on the blog more consistently and learning, and eventually took my blog full-time , turning it into a career.

As of today, I have never looked back and have no regrets.

The one thing I’ll do, as soon as I can, is travel to Cuba to say thank you — because it changed my life in a way nothing else has ever done. 

-Claudia from Strictly Sardinia

9. A Short Travel Story About Finding Inner Peace In Patagonia

Life in London is hard.

Life in London as a gay single brown refugee is harder.

Juggling between work, my passion for traveling, and the prejudices that I dealt with on a daily basis eventually took their toll on me and I reached a breaking point.

The fact that I couldn’t return home to see my family and being away for them for almost nine years was enough to hammer in the final nail in the coffin.

I almost had a nervous breakdown and in that moment of desperation, which I knew would define the rest of my life, I took a month off and headed to Patagonia.

It was probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. The 36 hours it took me to get to El Chalten from London were tiring but Patagonia blew me away.

On my first day there I did a 28-kilometer (17-mile) hike which included a steep mountain climb. It was incredible how moving through the forest helped me clear my mind. And as I stood in front of Laguna de Los Tres, the rain and clouds gave way to sunshine and a rainbow.

I felt at peace.

The countless hikes, great food, and the warmth of locals in Chile and Argentina helped me get back in my skin and find the peace I was missing in my heart.

Nature is indeed the best medicine when it comes to stress relief and I won’t be coy about hugging trees to speed up the process (it did).

Patagonia was life-changing for me.

The beauty of nature struck me at each point and every time I thought it wasn’t possible to beat the view, the next one did just that.

I came back a changed, resilient, and most importantly, a happy person.

-Ucman from BrownBoyTravels

10. Looking Inwards & Making Connections With Strangers

It was decades before I traveled solo for the first time in my life.

This trip — a six-day escape to Colorado — was the first trip that was not for business or family reasons but just to travel and discover.

As I prepared for it, I had a strange feeling of excitement and nerves at the same time. I had all sorts of thoughts and doubts:

Would it be fun?

Would I be bored?

Would I stay in bed all day or would I bounce with excitement to do the next thing?

I wasn’t sure. Little did I know that it was going to be a memorable journey of self-discovery. 

As a good wife and mom, for me travel is always about the family; always thinking of who would enjoy what. It’s about family time and bonding. It’s about creating memories and travel stories together. It’s all so wonderful.

But on a solo trip who would I connect with? What would I say?

Well, I found that I got to do anything I wanted!

Usually when I travel with my family, if I feel like going on a drive that’s not on the itinerary or getting a snack no one else is interested in, we simply don’t do that.

So it was weird to just go do it. Really, that’s a thing?

As for making connections, it was so easy to meet locals while traveling and also to connect with other travelers. Honestly, I had conversations everywhere — on planes, while hiking, in restaurants, in the hotel lobby.

It was quite an eye-opening experience to meet a mom of 18 kids and hundreds of foster kids, a cookie baker, a professional photographer, a family of Fourteener hikers, and an internationally ranked marathon runner.

The inspiring stories I discovered were amazing and nothing like my wonderful safe life at home. 

In terms of travel safety , I got to go rock climbing, solo hiking, driving up a Fourteener, eating alone.

And it was all fine. Actually, it felt surprisingly normal.

It was was just me, my SUV, and my backpack for a week. Most of all, it was a breath of fresh air that I didn’t know existed. 

It’s wonderful to be back home and know that possibilities are endless and there is so much more out there to explore and be wowed by!

-Jyoti from Story At Every Corner

11. A Solo Hike To Find Connection

I have traveled solo many times, but I admit I was a bit uneasy booking my trip to Colombia . In part, due to the country’s dark past. But also because I desperately wanted to do the Cocora Valley hike, and if I’m honest, I was terrified.

This hike is located in the Coffee Triangle, an area recognized for its beauty as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It features both rainforest and a stunning green valley speckled with cartoonishly-tall wax palms rising 200 feet or more.

It’s incredibly beautiful.

It’s also a long hike and quite challenging — it generally takes between six and eight hours and there is a steep area with over 3,000 feet of elevation within a quarter of a mile.

I wasn’t in hiking shape, so I was a little concerned. But, worst of all for me were the seven dodgy-looking suspension bridges. 

I’m terrified of heights.

And, I’d be going alone.

I decided to go anyway and I met an incredible woman on the bus to Salento, the town near Cocora. She was also traveling solo and we agreed to hike together.

The town is a backpacker enclave and we met up with a small group of people all traveling solo. As the days passed, our group got larger and it was such a magical experience.

As much as I love city travel, this small town won my heart.

My new friend and I set off on the hike and met two other women who were nervous to do the hike. We all went together.

When we got to the first suspension bridge, I paused. I was embarrassed to admit my fear, but the bridge swayed widely and there was nowhere to hold onto.

When they realized how out of my comfort zone I was and how scared I felt, everything changed. Instead of me dealing with it alone, they were all there to encourage me.

One crossed the bridge to encourage me from the other side and they stayed off of it to limit the sway. Crazy enough, I not only crossed the seven suspension bridges, but I also crossed one an extra time when we went the wrong way on the trail.

I did it! 

I was prepared to be blown away by Cocora Valley’s beauty, but what I wasn’t expecting was what a life-changing travel experience my time there would be.

 -Sam from My Flying Leap

12. How A Pet Sitting Travel Experience Led To A Passionate Career

We wanted to go to the Caribbean but didn’t know much about the islands or how we were going to afford it.

By chance, a friend of ours in Australia mentioned “pet sitting” and that it is something you can do all over the world.

We quickly created an account on a pet sitting website and began searching for options. There were only a couple of sits available in that part of the world, but we tried our luck, sent a request, and to our surprise landed a three-month gig in a beautiful house in the US Virgin Islands — with an infinity pool overlooking the British Virgin Islands.

A month into our sit, we had explored the destination pretty well and so had a lot of time on our hands. We managed to secure another sit in Grenada, so our year was going to be taken up with Caribbean pet sits.

Inspired by a Canadian couple that had previously stayed at our Grenada housesit, we decided to start our own travel blog. We began by writing about The Virgin Islands, highlighting the beautiful beaches and funky bars.

But for every photo of a beautiful beach there were 10 photos of trash.     

It was hard to ignore the plastic pollution issue, especially on such pristine and remote beaches.  So, we began to share photos of the trash we saw and how much we could pick up on our daily dog walks.

The more we looked into plastic pollution, the more we realized the severity of the global plastic pandemic. From that point, we used our platform to create awareness and highlight ways to say no to plastic and travel plastic-free .

We changed our daily routines, our way of living, and even our diets to accommodate more organic foods and little to no plastic packaging.

It’s been over three years now and we continue to do what we can. This journey has led us to some amazing places, working with great conscious brands and even organizing a country-wide beach clean-up campaign in Grenada.

Our aim now is to keep on going.

We love connecting with like-minded people and love the shift over the last few years that brands have made towards creating more sustainable products and services.

It’s been an amazing few years that was sparked by a conversation about pet sitting. Who would have guessed?

-Aaron & Vivien from The Dharma Trails

13. Learning To Slow Down The Hard Way

On Christmas of 2017, I was born again.

We like to spend our Christmas holidays somewhere warm abroad, and that year we chose Uganda.

Nature, wildlife, and sunny days were a blessing when it was so cold and dark in Europe. Life was beautiful, and we had a rental car and a busy schedule ahead to explore the country.

This is where this short travel story turns into one of my more scary travel experiences :

At Murchinson Falls National Park, we had a car accident.

I lost control of the car, and it rolled over, destroying windows, chassis, and engine.

But we were alive! My right arm was severely injured, but we managed to walk to our lodge, not far inside the park.

In the lodge, I was happy to learn that there was a pretty decent American hospital in Masindi that was just a one-hour drive from the lodge. Moreover, one of the lodge’s guests was a nurse who cleaned the wound while we were waiting for the taxi from/to Masindi.

The hospital took care of us, and after a couple of injections and stitches, I was ready to head to our new hotel in Masindi; however, my wound required daily dressing and more injections, so we were asked to stay in town for a few days.   

Masindi is the kind of place where you may want to stop to buy some food or water, but that’s it.

The town’s highlights were the market and our daily visit to the hospital, so we ended up looking for the small things, chatting with the medical staff, the hotel staff, the people in the market, and learning more about their customs.

We learned to slow down the hard way.

When we were allowed to leave, we took a road trip south through the country to see something else. We did not care about our travel bucket list anymore — we were alive, and we wanted to enjoy Uganda’s unique nature and its people. 

In the end, our Uganda trip was not about the places that we saw, but the people that we met. It was travel for experience vs sightseeing.

I hope to revisit Uganda one day, with a stop at Masindi for some food, water, and maybe something else.

-Elisa from World in Paris

14. A Cycling Trip To Remember

During the summer of 2019, I cycled solo from London to Istanbul. This huge bicycle tour took me 89 days and through 11 countries.

As you might expect, it was a challenging yet incredible journey, which saw me pedal along some of Europe’s greatest rivers, pass through some of its best cities, and witness some of its most beautiful scenery.

It’s becoming more and more important for us to think about the impact that travel can have on our environment. This was the inspiration for my bicycle tour; I wanted to find more responsible ways to explore the world and avoid flights where possible.

I discovered that bicycle touring is one of the most eco-friendly ways to travel, as using nothing but a bicycle and your own pedal power you can carry everything you need while covering surprising distances each day.

The simplicity of life and the sheer amount of time I spent cycling alone gave me a lot of time to just think . This really helped me to come to terms with some personal problems rooted in my past and, as a result, I arrived solo in Istanbul with newly found confidence, independence, and liberation. 

Cycling across the entire European continent may seem like an impossibly daunting task, but I assure you, it will make you feel like a new person, just like it did for me.

-Lauren from The Planet Edit

15. How The Caribbean Shaped Me Into A Fully Sustainable Traveler

One of my first international trips as an adult was traveling around the Caribbean .

I checked into my hotel in Jamaica and asked for a recommendation for a local place to eat. The receptionist told me that under no circumstances should I should go into the town because it was really dangerous, but that — to my luck — the hotel’s restaurant offered wonderful Caribbean food.

I pondered my options:

Did I really want to spend all my time on the beach without getting to know a single local?

I was a very inexperienced traveler and very young, but there was only one answer to my question:

Absolutely not. I was not going to be visiting a new place and staying hostage in a hotel chain. So out I went.

The poverty hit me in the face. After only seeing fancy resorts, the reality was hard to swallow.

A few locals approached me and were super curious as to what I was doing there alone, since most tourists didn’t go there.

I told them I was interested in meeting them and experiencing their culture. And just like that, I was embraced.

We met more people, had some food, and then we danced the night away. They had so little, yet they wanted to share it with me. They wanted to make me feel welcome.

And they undeniably did.

The next morning all I could think about was how all the money most tourists spend goes to big corporations. The locals have to be thankful if they get a job that pays minimum wage, while foreign businesses earn millions.

I have always been environmentally conscious, but this trip made it clear that sustainability goes well beyond nature and wildlife.

It’s also about communities.

From then on I always look for locally owned accommodation, eateries, guides, and souvenirs.

Sustainability, with everything it entails, became a motto for me and changed the very essence of the way I travel.

-Coni from  Experiencing the Globe

16. Lessons From My Students In Peru

One of the most life-changing trips I’ve ever been on was a volunteering experience in the stunning city of Cuzco in Peru.

I spent a month there teaching English and Italian to a group of local adults. And even though my time there was short, the travel experience was so humbling that it changed my outlook on life.

My lessons took the form of active conversations, which essentially turned into a massive multilingual cultural exchange between me and my students. Hearing my students talk about their lives — and realizing just how different they were from mine — made me look at my own life with a fresh new perspective.

One person spoke about the three years he spent living in a jungle with his dad, where they fed off of animals they hunted in order to survive.

Another student told me about her ultimate dream of mastering English so that she could become a tour guide and have a more stable future.

For me, these stories were a reminder of just how small I am in this world and how much we can get consumed by the small bubbles we live in. 

Most of all, my students showed a passion and appreciation for life that I’d never witnessed before.

This is true for the locals I met in Cuzco in general. The quality of life in Cuzco is very modest; hot water is scarce and you learn to live with little.

But the locals there do way more than just that — they spontaneously parade the streets with trumpets and drums just because they’re feeling happy, and their energy for the simple things in life is incredibly contagious.

It was impossible to not feel inspired in Cuzco because my students always had the biggest smiles on their faces, and the locals showed me again and again that simply being alive is a blessing.

I went to Peru to teach, but ended up learning more from my students and the locals there than they did from me.

Ever since I got back from that trip, I made it a goal to slow down and not take the simple things in life for granted.

Every time I get upset about something, I think about the Peruvians in Cuzco parading their streets in song and pure joy, and I tell myself to stop complaining.

-Jiayi from  The Diary of a Nomad

17. Braving Travel With Chronic Pain

Santiago de Compostela is a beautiful city with a prominent cathedral positioned centrally within the city.

While the historical cathedral attracts numerous visitors, even more well-known is the route to Santiago de Compostela, Camino de Santiago –- the world-famous pilgrimage route that has a plethora of trailheads and ends in Santiago. 

Home to locals, students, English teachers, and those on a spiritual pilgrimage, personal conquest, or a great outdoor hiking excursion, Santiago is a magical city.

My introduction to Santiago de Compostela doesn’t begin on the pilgrimage route, yet ends with a spiritual awakening analogous with those other unique pilgrimage stories.

It was my first solo trip abroad teaching English in Spain, a country that’s always been on my travel bucket list. A small town outside of Santiago was selected as the school I’d be teaching at for the year.

Unknowingly, this teach abroad program chose the perfect city for me to live in. 

A year prior, I suffered a traumatic brain injury that left me unable to function normally and complete average tasks. Migraines, headaches, and dizziness became my body’s normal temperament, a hidden disability invisible to the naked eye. 

Braving travel with chronic pain was the first lesson I learned during the trip.

The vast green outdoors and fresh dew from the morning rain enlivened me daily and reminded me about the importance of slowing down so I could enjoy traveling with my hidden disability. 

I also learned to stop often for daily tea breaks and to embrace the long lunch hour,  siestas , with good food, company, and a nap to rest.

Meeting locals , indulging in local food, and learning Spanish allowed me to connect deeply with the beautiful culture of Santiago. After all, my dream was to travel to Spain, and I more than accomplished that dream.

Difficult or not, I learned to own my dream and I was more than surprised with the results.

Who knew that a year after my injury I’d be traveling the world with chronic pain, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.

-Ciara from Wellness Travel Diaries

18. A Blessing In Disguise

2020 has been a wild year for all of us and foreign students in China are no exception. As soon as the malevolent virus began to make its rounds in China, our university sent us home for “two weeks.”

However, within a short time, countries began to shut their borders and these “two weeks” turned into months, a full year even.

Crushed by the burden of online lectures and virtual labs, my boyfriend and I packed our bags and caught one of the first flights to his home country of Pakistan.

I had always been an over-ambitious traveler. I believed numbers were everything — the number of countries I visited, the number of hours I spent on a plane, the number of international trips I took in a year. These numbers were what defined me.

My feet were constantly itching and I never liked to spend more than a few days in a place before heading to the next country. Revisiting a place felt superfluous to me.

That’s why I was hoping to spend a month or two in Pakistan and then continue to check new countries off the list — after all, my online classes finally granted me the freedom to “work on my numbers.”

But as is usually the case in 2020, things turned out quite different from what I had expected. Borders remained closed and worldwide infections stayed rampant. At this point, I have already spent nearly half a year in Pakistan.

During this peculiar time, however, an amazing thing happened:

My mindset about travel started to change and I began to look at my long stay in Pakistan as perhaps my most valuable travel experience ever.

I may not have visited dozens of countries like in previous years but my experiences were deeper than ever before.

From trekking to one of the world’s tallest mountains to sharing tea with heavily armed officers at nearly 5,000 meters altitude to exploring hidden beaches in the most secluded regions to spontaneously being invited to village homes, my adventures in Pakistan couldn’t have been more incredible. They opened my eyes to the sheer diversity of many countries and completely transformed my idea about traveling. 

It took me nearly a full year of heavy restrictions on international travel and a few months in one of the world’s most fascinating countries to give up on my superficial ideals and become a more mature traveler.

This time will always have a special place in my heart.

-Arabela from The Spicy Travel Girl

19. What The River Taught Me

My travel story takes place in the summer of 2017 — the final summer before I graduated university — as it continues to play a significant role in the person I’ve become.

When I say that, people ask me if it was the portion of the summer I spent solo backpacking in Europe . And to their surprise, it wasn’t. It was actually the latter portion of the summer where I stayed closer to home.

For July and August I worked as a canoe guide leading whitewater canoe trips on remote rivers in Canada. It was here that I got to canoe the powerful and iconic Missinaibi River, a river that continues to influence me all these years later.

The Missinaibi River flows from the powerful Lake Superior to the even more powerful salty waters of James Bay. Here, I led a group of eight teenagers through dozens of whitewater rapids over 500 kilometers (~311 miles).

With no cell service for 25 days, we were forced to disconnect from anything other than the river.

During this trip I learned two important lessons:

First, I learned to be confident in my own abilities as a leader and problem solver.

There were a few rapids where my campers’ boats flipped and I had to rescue the campers and the canoes. One rescue saw two boats flip on a mile-long rapid. It took six hours to make it down the rapid, and during this time I managed stuck canoes and crying campers.

And while this was one of the most difficult rescues I’ve done, I was amazed at how calm I was throughout it. I gave clear directions, prioritized effectively, and kept my campers safe throughout the entire experience. Following the rescue, I had a newfound sense of confidence in my abilities.

The second lesson I learned on the Missinaibi was the power of disconnecting from society and connecting with the people around you.

A wild river commands all of your attention. Each day, you and your group must take down camp, load canoes, paddle up to eight hours while navigating both rapids and portages, get to a new campsite, set up camp, cook dinner, and go to bed.

And without the distraction of technology, your attention has nowhere else to be. You focus on the river and your teammates.

As someone who had wrestled with anxiety and depression prior to this summer, I felt at total ease on the trip. Now I seek societal disconnection and human connection as much as I can. 

Sometimes the most profound, life-altering trips are the least expected trips closer to home.

-Mikaela of  Voyageur Tripper

More Short Travel Experience Stories

25 Crazy Travel Stories You Need To Read To Believe

23 Inspiring Travel Stories Sharing The Kindness Of Strangers

17 True Short Adventure Travel Stories To Inspire Your Next Trip

38 Inspiring Travel Love Stories From The Road

16 Short Funny Travel Stories That Will Make You Laugh

20 Embarrassing Travel Stories That Will Make You Laugh & Blush

21 Travel Horror Stories About Scary Travel Experiences

Do you have any inspiring travel experience stories about life-changing trips to share?

Enjoyed these inspiring stories about travel? Pin them for later!

Related posts:

Hi, I’m Jessie on a journey!

I'm a conscious solo traveler on a mission to take you beyond the guidebook to inspire you to live your best life through travel. Come join me!

Want to live your best life through travel?

Subscribe for FREE access to my library of fun blogging worksheets and learn how to get paid to travel more!

Turn Your Travel Blog Into A Profitable Business

Subscribe to my email list to snag instant access to my library of workbooks, checklists, tutorials and other resources to help you earn more money -- and have more fun -- blogging. Oh, and it's totally FREE! :) //  Privacy Policy . 

Check your inbox for your welcome email + resource library password!

These stories are so much fun to read! Thanks so much for putting a post like this together. It’s great to be able to check out other people’s blogs and read about other people’s experiences!

Always great to read about travel experiences of others. Some great stories to read over coffee. I’ve Pinned your post for future reference and to share with others. Will check out each story author’s blog as well. Great Job! 🙂

Amazing story for new traveler like me thanks for your contribution

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

9 Powerful Transformative Travel Stories That Inspire Share Tweet Pin Share

By Tonya Fitzpatrick, Esq. | December 3, 2022 The World Transformative

Listen below. Click “globe” for more languages.

The greatest gift that travel affords us is the power to transform our lives. Travel is like an elixir for the soul. A single trip can change your life by giving you the space to embark on an inner journey towards personal growth and self-reflection. 

Traveling removes us from the daily distractions that keep us stuck. It gives us room to hit the reset button and to examine how we view ourselves and whether our self-talk is supportive or destructive.

When we travel we are given the ability to appreciate the humanity in others. By traveling we learn to recognize and honor the similarities we share with others from different cultures.

While we’re not able to travel as we did before COVID-19, we can still experience travel through the stories of others and relive our own magical memories. 

We compiled nine powerful transformational travel stories that promise to inspire you and offer a reminder about the gift of travel. Enjoy!

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” Seneca

Volunteering in Paraguay

In the summer of 2003, I left the US at age 16 to spend eight weeks volunteering in rural Paraguay. This transformative experience confirmed my suspicions that the world held treasures much more captivating and enriching than the glossy American lifestyle that I, in my infinite teenage wisdom, despised. 

Spanish, a language I had never used outside the classroom, became a constant source of joy, frustration, connection and fascination. I began to dream in Spanish and delighted in the frequent opportunities to learn new words and new ways of looking at the world. Guaraní, another language spoken in Paraguay, was impossible to master, but also offered some fun insights. For example, it has two different words for “we”, one that includes the person you’re talking to and one that doesn’t. 

You might think that living far from paved roads or the internet would be boring, but I found the opposite to be true. Although there was often nothing to do, I was surprised by the complete absence of boredom. I learned to live in the moment, to enjoy what was, to not worry about time or the future. It could be frustrating, like when we were waiting for the saplings for a tree-planting project. When are they coming? Later. But when later? Today? This week? Later. But eventually, you learn to let go. 

I returned to the US, finished high school, went to college, majored in Spanish, studied abroad in Spain and… never went back. I’ve lived in Madrid for over 10 years now. I’m not sure I would have made it here if it hadn’t been for that summer in Costa Peña.

Va nessa Johnson , Content Specialist, ByeVisa

Exchange Student Experiences

I was an exchange student in both high school and college. I lived with a family in France during my junior year of high school and on-campus in Florence, Italy my junior year in college. These experiences started my lifelong love affair with both France and Italy. I am still in contact with the family I lived with and returned for several of my sisters’ weddings and have visited friends in both countries many times over the years since. When my husband and I were dating we took a trip to France and Italy because I knew I could not be serious with someone long term if he did not want to travel there with me and in fact he passed the test with flying colors. My friends and family in Europe agreed he was a keeper. I speak both French and Italian and try to keep up my language skills as much as possible.

Living in a foreign country during your teens and 20s shows that there are far more similarities than differences. If everyone in the world were free to travel and was encouraged to explore other cultures/ways of life there would be no more war in this world. It is hard to fight with people once you see their families love them as much as yours does you. They may eat different foods, listen to strange music, celebrate holidays you have never heard of and have customs you do not recognize but they also have parents, siblings, children, and grandparents they care about deeply just like you do.  

Paige Arnof-Fenn , Founder & CEO, Mavens & Moguls

Photographing in Kenya

Spending a month travelling with camel herders in Northern Kenya taught me a lot about taking pleasure in the simple things in life.

I was photographing the innovative work of an NGO using camels to deliver HIV drugs to patients living in isolated nomadic communities. 

As the camels were loaded up with solar-powered fridges to keep the medication cool, we had to travel lightly, carrying with us just the bare essentials. As a result, for almost the entire month we ate the same meal of maize porridge and beans every day, and then the cold leftovers for breakfast the following morning. Grim times indeed. 

On those few days, we were fortunate to come across a small shop and could buy luxuries like flour, milk and sugar, the breakfast pancakes we devoured were the single most delicious things I have had in my entire life. 

Later in the trip, I was also given a crash course into the fragility of life in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. The region was hit with unseasonable thunderstorms and the dry river beds we had been using as our makeshift roads were transformed into terrifying torrents of water with standing waves as tall as a man. 

Not a single Kenyan member of our team could swim but they still bravely waded across chest-deep rivers to complete the trip. Luckily no one was injured but across the area, a number of lives were lost to the floods.

Whilst only a month in duration this trip has had a profound impact on my outlook and appreciation for the mundane things, such as the simple luxury of being able to walk to the convenience story and buy a pint of milk. 

Andy Barker , U.K. photographer based in Vietnam, Andy With A Camera

Solo in Indonesia

Spring, 2015. I’d quit my job as an agency copywriter, bound for 3 months in Indonesia – the first solo trip I’d ever taken, the longest I’d been alone. I was leaving my family, friends, boyfriend… and I was doing it completely bald.

I had alopecia areata: a condition I used to hide under wigs and headbands, never feeling like my “true self”. Then the day before my flight, I shaved my remaining hair off. I wanted a fresh start…and seeing as no one would know me in Bali, it seemed like a good opportunity!

At first, I was terrified. But at an ashram in Candidasa, yoga and meditation helped me relax and feel good in my body for the first time in years. Then a healer in Ubud (which I later found out, was Wayan from Eat, Pray, Love!) helped my hair grow back, a few months later! (It fell out again, unfortunately. But I’m ok with that. 🙂

Because what I learned most from that trip, was to be comfortable in my own skin. I got used to the stares, the points and the giggles (locals were sweet but not very subtle!) and by the time I landed home in Ireland, I could talk openly about my alopecia without getting upset… a first for me! Not long after that, I set up Lady Alopecia – a website to inform and empower people like me with all forms of hair loss. Nowadays, I get messages daily telling me what an “inspiration” I am. I reply that I wasn’t always this way: I have that transformative trip to Indonesia to thank for it!

Emma Sothern, freelance copywriter, part-time yoga/meditation teacher, full-time alopecian

  https://ladyalopecia.com/  / Yoga for Alopecia  online course

African Townships

I’ve been blessed to travel the world my entire life, and, for the past three years, full-time. One of my most transformative travel experiences so far was in Africa, last year. 

The first thing that struck me was how white I am. I’ve never been a minority anywhere else in the world. The impact of noticing the color of my skin was humbling. Now I know what it’s like for many other people in the world. I think everyone should know what this feels to build more compassion for humanity. 

The layers of poverty in the townships and squatter camps was incomprehensible to me. Before my trip, I had no idea what a township was. I learned it’s a city onto itself. Inside are all levels of rich and poor. It was the squatter camp in Cape Town, South Africa, however, that really got to me. I saw innocent children laughing and learned they would fall prey to a cycle of abuse and drugs. I was inspired to work with a local church group creating resources to change the futures of these beautiful children. Experiencing this first-hand made me want to do more and inspired me to question the different levels of wealth in the world. I continue to question this. 

Finally, I felt a visceral connection with the land and the animals, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I drove through thousands of miles of beautiful nothingness, delighted that the land belonged to the animals, and I was the zoo. The leopard is the most beautiful animal I’ve ever seen. I felt like I came home and I can’t wait to return. 

Heather Markel , full-time traveler, travel writer and motivational speaker, www.HeatherBegins.com

Living to Share the World with Family

In 2006, I woke in the middle of the night. I stood up and immediately collapsed. I was five months pregnant, and I was frozen on the floor for five hours. When I could move, I woke my children and raced to the hospital. After 8 months of testing, the neurologists didn’t know why I had the brain crash, but they gave me 5 years to live. Devastated, I couldn’t imagine not raising our three children, aged 5, 3, and 4 months. For the first few years, I was busy dying. 

But, my husband’s 40th birthday was coming and I wanted to give him a magical trip so I arranged to show up at a conference he was attending across the country, and I whisked him away. Our visit to Costa Rica was all for him, I wasn’t the adventurous one. However, sometime between whitewater rafting, ziplining and canyoning down a 250-foot waterfall, a switch flipped in my mind. Even though I wouldn’t live long enough to give my kids the world, I could show it to them. I vowed to visit 50 countries before I turned 50, bringing them to international giants like China, Russia, and France, as well as treasures like Estonia, Montenegro, Haiti, and the Philippines. 

Fourteen years later, we have visited 49 countries, have experienced sixty-plus different languages, and made memories that have created children of the world. I can think of no better gift for my kids than experiencing the power of travel. 

Leanne Kabat , Mom of Three | World Traveler | Writer | Speaker

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights. It is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the minds of the living.” Miriam Beard

Central America in the Peace Corps

In 2008, I joined the Peace Corps. I’d left my digital career in pursuit of helping others. That desire sent me to Nicaragua in a small town call San Juan de Oriente. I’d never been to Nicaragua or even Central America.

My mission was to work with the town’s pottery makers to bring their creations to a wider audience. At the time, the town’s artisans largely competed amongst themselves for a limited range of regional customers. My goal was to bring them online.

But, what I didn’t know, was how much my travel experience would transform me. Thrusting myself from the typical middle-class American experience to a mosquito net covered bed over a dirt floor gave me an entirely new outlook on life. Don’t get me wrong, there was a certain peace to the sound of the constant jungle-like rain on the zinc roof. But, it was far from what I saw as “normal” at the time.

Upon return, I looked at the American experience of overwhelming luxury and consumerism with fresh eyes. It sent me hurtling down a path to escape the typical 9-to-5, build my own business, and achieve financial independence.

These days, at 36 years old, my goals harken back to my experience under those zinc roofs, on the rickshaws, and with the pottery makers who were born into a singular career path. By limiting our wants, my partner and I have the time to focus on others—and use our wealth to lower the ladder for those behind us. There’s enough in this world to remove struggle for so many that needlessly experience it, it just takes more individuals changing course.

C hris Wellant , Co-Founder of TicToc Life

Beyond the Caribbean Resort

One of my earliest memories is from 40 years ago, a family trip when I was 8 years old. We traveled to St. Lucia in the Caribbean. We stayed in a beautiful little resort and swam all day in the pool and in the gorgeous turquoise waters of the sea.

One day, my mom decided that we should explore the island and see the sugar cane fields. I will never forget that day. We left this pretty hotel with running water, a comfortable bed, and delicious food, and drove inland. After that, all that I remember seeing is poverty.

Everywhere we went, I saw one-room huts made out of scraps of corrugated metal, dirt, mud, and jungle barely contained. Then, at the end of our day, we passed yet another, except this time, a family was there. A father with two little boys, shoeless, were running, laughing, and smiling. Clothes were in tatters, garbage was everywhere, a fire was blazing nearby with a pot simmering, but all of them were happy despite the conditions in which they were living. Seconds later, we drove by and they were gone.

At that moment, all I wanted to do was to stop the car and talk to the man. I had so many questions. I wanted to ask him about his life, learn, and understand. What did the inside of his hut look like? Was it comfortable? Would the kids go to school one day? Were they hungry? And other more silly questions, like did it hurt to run around in bare feet? I was so completely and utterly curious about what I had just seen. And devastated that shortly after, we were back at the resort.

That moment triggered something deep inside me. Ever since then, I have been insatiable about my desire to travel and see different cultures. The more remote, different, untouched, and authentic, the better. Since then, I have been to over 65 countries, my children 45, and I look forward to the day when we can explore the world again.

Nicole Hunter , mother of 4 and a travel blogger –  Go Far Grow Close

Swimming with Whales in French Polynesia

For the month of September, I was on a remote island in French Polynesia swimming with humpback whales, living with a local family, and learning their traditions. We truly lived off the land and sea for that month, without enough internet signal for much more than an email or Whatsapp message. Though so much was going on in the world that seemed hopeless, being in that environment felt so healing. We were a small microcosm of the world, and yet it felt so complete. I suspect that spending 22 straight days in the Pacific, swimming with humpback whales, greatly contributed to this sense of wholeness. 

Swimming with such large creatures probably sounds crazy to some people. The days are long, the water can be rough, and the currents are often strong. It’s not easy Caribbean lagoon swimming – this is the mighty Pacific. Yet those moments when you jump in with a playful baby, a couple dancing and swirling around each other, or a group of playful adults, it somehow feels so beautiful and so safe. These gentle giants are amazingly aware of their large bodies, and their agility is impressive. They’re so interactive as well, regularly making eye contact and in some of my experiences, swimming with us for hours. 

Sometimes it feels like it’s not the same world that ‘normal’ life and the whale swims take place in, but I suppose we all need those escapes, don’t we? 

Kristin Addis , CEO of Be My Travel Muse

The magic of travel is that no matter how many stories you read, pictures you see, or research you do, you never know quite what you are going to get or how it is going to affect you. Every place, person, and experience is different, and there is no end to the growth that comes with travel. The experiences you gain, whether you realize it at the time or not, will forever have a profound effect on how you see the world and how you choose to live in it.

We hope these stories have inspired you to keep travelling and discovering what type of magic will transform you next.

“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” Mary Anne Radmacher

Book Your Travel to ANY Destination

Use the interactive map below to search,  compare and book hotels  & rentals at  the best prices  that are sourced from a variety of platforms including Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, Vrbo, and more.  Search for ANY destination by  clicking in the upper left corner of this map . You can also use the filter to fine-tune your search, and find restaurants, attractions, and more!

Tonya Fitzpatrick, Esq . is co-Founder of World Footprints , a social impact travel storytelling content hub she runs with her husband, Ian, that has been recognized as Best Social Impact Travel Media Company by CEO Monthly. She is an award-winning travel and business journalist, global public speaker, and 3-time TEDx speaker.  Tonya regularly shares her insights on career transitions, DEIA in travel and the transformative power of travel to audiences all over the world.  Recognized as Black Travel Journalists of the Year—an honor she shares with Ian, Tonya contributes her time and leadership to several boards and commissions in the travel community including SATW, The Explorers Club (DC), North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) and JourneyWoman. Tonya recently was been appointed to the Maryland Tourism Development Board by Gov. Wes Moore.

More articles by Tonya Fitzpatrick, Esq.

OUR CHANNELS

• > inothernews
• > 10 Inspiring Travel Stories That’ll Make You Break The Monotony & Pack Your Bags

inothernews

Dec 14, 2015 at 10:44 AM

10 Inspiring Travel Stories That’ll Make You Break The Monotony & Pack Your Bags

Most of us dream about getting away from our regular jobs and going off to see the world, but very few people have the sheer passion to do it. It’s always good to get a healthy dose of inspiration for your travel dreams however, and there’s no better place or people to turn to than the ones who took the plunge.

Here are the people who have travelled the world and given us wanderlust!

1. Murad Osmann and Natalia Zakharova

The ‘follow me’ instagram couple.

This Moscow based couple’s Instagram account exploded after they put up a series of pictures of Natalia leading Murad in exotic spots around the world . The first picture happened by accident, but it soon snowballed into an entire segment, with the couple travelling everywhere from Spain, Brazil, New York and India.

2. Three mothers who drove from India to London

Rashmi Koppar, Dr Soumya Goyal and Nidhi Tiwari drove a massive 21, 477 kms through heavy snow, rain and rough terrain to get from Delhi to London by road recently . They drove 600 kms a day and went covered India, Myanmar, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Finland, Czech Republic, Germany and the United Kingdom!

3. Roshni Sharma, who rode a bike from Kanyakumari to Kashmir

Roshni claims she feels liberated riding around in the midst of nature . With her trusted bike, she rode all the way from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, all on her own. She is India’s first female to do so, and she covered 11 states in 19 days

4. Indian tea seller couple who travel the world

65-year-old Vijayan and his wife Mohana, who run a small tea stall, have travelled to 17 countries in the last 40 years . With an intense passion for travel, the couple save money, take bank loans, head to a new country and repay the debts over a couple of years after they return. They have been to Britan, France, Austria and a bunch of other places.

5. Malaysian travel blogger Ying Tey

Ying Tey gave up her corporate job and started travelling after her mother’s death, as she realised thatthere’s more to life than just existing. She has travelled around 66 countries, and writes her own (pretty famous) travel blog.

6. English teacher turned travel writer Liz Carlson

Frustrated and unhappy with her English teaching job in Washington, Liz Carlson saved up some money and travelled everywhere from Jordan to New Zealand, becoming a popular travel writer in the process. The travel bug bit her while she was teaching in Spain.

7. Lawyer turned travel writer Jodi Ettenberg

After more than five years of working as a corporate lawyer in New York, Jodi quit and started travelling around the world, keeping the the rest of us updated through her website Legal Nomads. The site shares pictures of her travels and is also a food blog.

8. Travel writer Robert Schrader

In 2009, Robert left America, and with it his stable and ‘regular’ lifestyle to follow his passion for travel and adventure. He has travelled through more than 50 countries since then, and runs his own travel blog called ‘Leave your daily hell’ in an effort to inform, inspire and empower fellow travellers.

9. Kim Dinan, who sold everything to travel the world

Kim Dinan runs the website ‘So Many Places’, which came about after she and her husband decided to quit their regular jobs and travel the world full time. She and her husband saved up as much money as they could and sold pretty much all their possessions, and have now been to countries like Peru, Spain and Nepal, just to name a few. According to her, she’s living her dream.

10. Travel writer Matt Kepnes

Matt decided to quit his job and travel the world in 2006 after a chance encounter with a bunch of backpackers the previous year. He has found ways to travel as well as work in different countries over the years, and runs his own website called ‘ Nomadic Matt ‘. He has been to over 70 countries and worked a myriad of jobs to sustain his lifestyle.

follow scoopwhoop

Models Vs Me: Clothes From Sarojini Nagar

Women Guess The Price Of Men’s Clothes

Women Review Mens Intimate Products

₹5000 At Amazon Vs ₹5000 At Flipkart

Drunk Vs Sober Cook Off: Chai & Samosa

Men Guess The Price Of Women’s Dresses

Adult Toy Or Innocent Item?

Men Try Identifying Women’s Intimate Products Part 2

₹10,000 At Uniqlo VS ₹10,000 At Marks & Spencer

Can We Cook Better Than Saransh Goila?

Life is short. This story is a reminder to live it to the fullest.

There really are no words to explain the despair of going home from the hospital the day my husband passed away following a 6-month battle with cancer.

It was literally incomprehensible to me that he wasn’t alive anymore.

Nothing really prepares you for death, especially that of your spouse, even when it’s been anticipated for months. All you know for certain is that life will never be the same.

I had always been passionate about traveling, and in our 8 years together, my travel infatuation rubbed off on my husband.

Once my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, I didn’t go back to work at all for over a year. For 6 months, my life became about being the best caretaker, advocate, personal pharmacist, and wife I could possibly be. I lived and breathed for him because that’s what he deserved and needed, and I wanted to spend every second I had left with him.

Having been together since we were 19, I needed to learn how to be an individual. So much of who I was had been defined by us as a couple. Who was I, after all of this? What did I want out of life? I needed to find out. I needed to encounter myself somehow.

Arriving in Hawaii by myself was quite possibly the loneliest feeling ever, second only to leaving the hospital the day he died. But I rented a car, I walked the beaches, I hiked to waterfalls, and I spent time with old friends who lived there.

Then I went to Kauai and rented a beautiful house in the jungle by myself. I spread my husband’s ashes in the ocean at the secluded beach we’d discovered together the first morning of our honeymoon. I hiked some of the NaPali Coast by myself, and I wallowed in sadness most of the time, wishing a heart attack would strike me dead so I could be reunited with my husband or at least be put out of my misery.

Something about having to be alone and carry the weight and pain with me continually made me stronger. And doing it in unfamiliar places with no one to lean on gave me confidence. Maybe I learned I could rely on myself. I was my own good friend. Being alone with my thoughts and memories was the hardest thing I could face, but I think at the time, it seemed easier than going back to my old routine with a huge vacancy in my life.

Pretty soon, I was on the go continuously.

I went to Florida and saw my dad for the first time in 6 years.

I went to Australia by myself and walked the phenomenal white powder sand of Whitehaven Beach, went scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef, rode a helicopter over the reef and the 12 Apostles, and I made lasting friends from all over the world.

With a close friend, I went to Tanzania. We went to the incredible island of Zanzibar and stayed in a traditional 1500s palace, we wandered the narrow rock streets of Stone Town, and snorkeled in the Indian Ocean. Afterwards we went on an unforgettable Serengeti safari.

After numerous other trips to the US East and West coasts and back to Maui again, it was time to return back to work. But I had made a commitment to myself to work less and experience more. I’ve never gone back to work full time since, and I don’t ever plan to.

The lesson I learned from the loss of my husband was to live in the moment. He taught me that experiences and connections in life are what matter most.

We can’t predict the future, or even control much of it, but I don’t want to wait to follow my dreams and check things off my bucket list.

I hope you don’t either.

Ready to follow YOUR dreams and explore the world? Check out Intrepid’s range of small group tours in 100+ countries.

Feeling inspired?

Jessica Carpenter

Jessica is a travel blogger and part-time pharmacist based in a tiny ski town in Eastern Washington State. After losing her husband to cancer, she made a commitment to work less and experience more. 6 continents later, she is slowly checking things off her mile-long bucket list. Jessica's obsessions in life are her dog, Griffey, traveling, dessert, coffee, and waking up in a tent in the mountains. Follow along on Instagram @jessica_traveler or myfeetwillleadme.com.

You might also like

Why ninh binh and lan ha bay should..., love elephants here’s why you should visit mandalao..., why you should visit the most peaceful place..., what it’s like spending the night in a..., 10 things i wish i knew before hiking..., what i wish i knew before hiking to..., the best thing about a family tour seeing..., sharon sold her home to travel the world...., meet the 25-year-old on a quest to visit..., a teen’s eye view of intrepid family tours, meet 7 intrepid women building a brighter future....

• Carry-on Luggage
• Checked Luggage
• Rolling Luggage
• NEW Cargo Hauler XT
• Rolling Duffel Bags
• Large Duffel Bags
• Backpack Duffel Bags
• NEW Cargo Hauler Duffel
• Travel Backpacks
• Carry-on Backpacks
• Waist & Fanny Packs

Pack-It System™

• Pack-It Isolate
• Pack-It Reveal
• Pack-It Dry
• Pack-It Gear
• Pack-It Sets
• Packing Cubes
• Toiletry Bags
• Compression Bags
• Garment Folders
• Electronics
• Pouches and Sacks
• Travel Comfort
• Money Belts
• Travel Wallets
• Luggage Tags & Locks
• RFID Security
• Travel Blog
• Sustainability

Item added to your cart

10 travel stories & tales from around the world, get inspired by these amazing travelers, young and old, who have journeyed to the world’s furthest reaches, from the highest peaks to the hottest deserts, and everywhere in between. they share their incredible travel stories online, so you can take inspiration from their extensive travel experiences..

There are many different ways to travel around the world and for some, your basic all-inclusive resort experience just won’t cut it. If your kind of travel is more about self-discovery than selfies , find inspiration for your next journey from these ten adventurous world travelers who went off the beaten path and share their incredible travel stories with all who are ready for a dose of armchair travel. They grab their bags , fill their waist packs with photography gear, and pack their travel journals so they can bring you stories, videos, and photos from all over the world.

You never know what you’ll learn about yourself when you challenge yourself and experience the unexpected as you look to find your unknown.

Best Travel Stories

These 10 recommendations feature epic travel stories about current, recent, and a few little know past travelers and bloggers exploring the globe. These famous travelogues will take you around the world right from your couch.

A Journey to Rival the Odyssey

“People sometimes refer to me as an explorer, but I am not. Those who follow maps are adventurers, those who wrote the maps were the explorers.” – Karl Bushby

Karl Bushby is attempting to be the first person to completely walk an unbroken path around the world. He began his quest, known as the Goliath Expedition , in 1998 at the tip of South America and is still on the move. He hopes to reach his home in England soon, and as of 2020 he was encountering some visa obstacles, but is still committed to finishing his walking adventure. At journey’s end, he’ll have walked over 36,000 miles, through icy seas, mountains, and deserts , across four continents and two dozen countries. You can find updates on his whereabouts on his Facebook page .

Forbidden Travels to a Forbidden City

"Ever since I was five years old, a tiny precocious child of Paris, I wished to move out of the narrow limits in which, like all children of my age, I was then kept. I craved to go beyond the garden gate, to follow the road that passed it by, and to set out for the Unknown." – Alexandra David-Neel

Famous French explorer Alexandra David-Neel made history in the early 1900s by walking, disguised as a male beggar, across China and Tibet and into the forbidden and fabled city of Lhasa. She then wrote over 30 books about Eastern religion, philosophy, and her travels, until her death at age 101. It is said that her teachings influenced beat writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. She is surely one of the greatest female adventurers of the 20th century , and her travel stories also rank as some of the best travel books of our time. Check out her entire collection of stories and be inspired—we particularly love her journey to Lhasa .

In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan

“Mountains never meet… but people do” – Tim Cope

Tim Cope is no stranger to unusual travel methods. His feats, which have included traveling by bicycle, rowboat, skies, horse, and camel, caught the attention of National Geographic. He has been awarded by the famous publication both Adventure Honoree and Australian Adventurer of the Year. 

His travel story? In 2004, he set off to cross the 10,000 km between Mongolia and Hungary by horse, on the trail of Genghis Khan—a journey that took over three years to complete. He later wrote a bestselling book and created a documentary series about his journey. He now has h alf a dozen travel books detailing each part of his amazing experiences, and each one is worth a read.

In the words of Tim himself :

“Journeys are integral to all our lives. They present testing challenges, moments of exquisite reward and insight, and times when you are racked by self-doubt and problems. Battling it out involves confronting fears, making yourself vulnerable, aiming for something worthy and clinging onto self-belief and passion even when it seems that everything is stacked against you. In the end a journey invariably offers us a chance to learn and grow and reach out for our dreams.”

Dancing, Badly

“The dancing gives me an opportunity to see places I'd never get to otherwise. I love to travel. The people and experiences have taught me a great deal.” – Matt Harding

In 2003, Matt Harding quit his day job to embark on a journey that would lead him to more than 39 countries in seven continents. Best known for a dance that looks very similar to running in place while snapping, Matt and his dance eventually attracted the attention of Stride Gum. The company then then paid Matt to travel, dance and record videos.

Matt has danced with locals in Mulindi, Rwanda; in a narrow canyon in Petra, Jordan; on a lush hillside overlooking Machu Picchu in Peru; and in a crowded street in Tokyo, Japan, all on his sponsor's dime. Although he no longer actively updates his website, the videos live on, as does his collection of short travel stories on social media and elsewhere, and make for an entertaining and inspiring journey around the world.

From Peak to Peak

“It’s important to try to encourage kids to go outside and protect public land.” – Matt Moniz

Every state has its highest point, and Matt Moniz has climbed them all. By the age of 12, Matt had already earned the record of being the youngest climber to summit all 50 high points in the United States in the least amount of time. 

His journey , which lasted just 43 days, took him from the lowest high point in Florida to the highest point in Alaska . Matt's travels have extended beyond the U.S. as well; he has climbed Mount Elbrus in Russia and Mount Kilimanjaro and is planning to hike all of the Seven Summits. In 2014, he became the youngest climber to make the trek up Makalu in the Himalayas, the fifth highest mountain in the world.

From Ice to the Desert

“That I was the first woman to reach the pole on a solo expedition was unimportant to me. It was the learning experience and the struggle to overcome the challenges that made the journey so rewarding and the prize so precious.” – Helen Thayer

Helen Thayer became the first woman to ski solo to the North Pole, at age fifty. Along with her husky Charlie, she traversed the landscape, temperatures, and threat of polar bears. At age 63, Helen walked across all 1,600 miles of the Gobi Desert. This unconventional explorer also kayaked 2,200 miles of the Amazon River and lived above the Arctic Circle, near a wolf’s den, all of which she’s written books about. Hint: You should read them!

Travelers Exploring Every Corner of the Earth

These adventurous travel bloggers, storytellers, and photographers are inspiring explorers in their own right—their travel stories entertain, their adventures inspire, and they live their passion for travel.

• Paul Nicklen is an award-winning polar photographer using remarkable imagery to share stories of our rapidly changing planet on all seven continents.
• Wandering Earl is an off-the-beaten path adventurer who has visited many places that other people either cannot, or don’t want to go. He sheds light on offbeat destinations adventurous travelers just might want to explore
• Oneika Raymond is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and perpetual explorer—she is a passionate traveler using her travel stories to inspire others to discover the most unforgettable places.
• While certainly not the first family travel bloggers  to set out to explore the world, the Bucket List Family does an amazing job sharing the wonders of the world through videos and imagery that homebound travelers can enjoy with their kids.

Where Will You Go Next?

While your travels may not be as epic in scope as these adventurous travelers, every time we leave home we open ourselves up to new opportunities and color our experiences. 

Best of luck on your next adventure as you make every step around the world one of inspiration sustainability, and adventure!

• Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.

Another World Adventures

The adventure Travel Blog for Curious minds

We curate great adventures. Feed your wanderlust curiosity with inspiring adventure travel writing and storytelling. Think unusual destinations, expeditions, slow, solo and sustainable travel and epic journeys. Then explore our hand picked collection of unusual adventure trips from our network of experienced partners to turn your dream into reality. If you’re looking for adventure, you’re in the right place. Welcome to the Adventure365 Blog by Another World Adventures.

Inspiring Stories

DARWIN200: A global voyage in the footsteps of Charles Darwin

Original post: Another World Adventures

Over two years 2023-2025 a spectacular tall ship will set sail on a global voyage following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin… will you be on board? On 15th August 2023 the DARWIN200 voyage set sail from Plymouth UK on a historic tall ship Oosterschelde, following Charles Darwin’s world voyage …

Kirsten Neuschäfer wins historic Golden Globe Race

So, what is the Golden Globe Race? Entrants race solo, non-stop, and in boats that are reminiscent of the ‘Golden Age’ of solo sailing – meaning that the yachts have to be designed before 1988 and are without electronic instruments or autopilots. The race is based on the original Sunday …

Ascension Island where the sea meets the sky

A POEM about Ascension Island! On Ascension Island, where the sea meets the sky, The wind and waves sing a lullaby, A place of beauty, so wild and free, A paradise on Earth, for all to see. The towering mountains, with peaks so high, Reach up to touch the bright …

Still haven’t found what I’m looking for

This is a joint project by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Playing For Change in honor of the International Day of the Disappeared. The video features over 40 extraordinary musicians from 13 countries who played several instruments and combined their magnificent voices. In the world, each …

5 Exciting UK Adventures in 2023

From wilderness camps to SUP and sail weekenders there are some wonderful bucket list adventures to discover in the UK … or on a wild journey to or from its shores. Here’s 5 of our favourites for you! SUP and sail Scotland on this brilliant 4 day adventure – no …

Postcards from the World’s Most Remote Post Office

Could this be the ‘coolest’ job ever? In October 2022 four women were selected to run the world’s coldest and remotest post office … in Antarctica.  The team were picked to from around 6,000 people who expressed an interest in the role which includes running the post office and counting …

The Ebb and Flow of Travel

I can probably characterise every major trip I’ve ever been on by whether it was an ebb or a flow. By that I mean, whether I was going ‘to’ a place or running ‘from’ another. That place might be a physical destination or an emotional state of mind, usually it’s …

Rowed, sailed and windsurfed – relay baton crosses Channel

On Sunday 9 October, logistics and emotions were taken to a new level for the organisers of the Running Out of Time relay as the baton made an adventurous fossil-fuel-free journey carried by rowers, sailors and a windsurfer across the world’s busiest shipping lane, the Dover Strait, from England to France.  Another …

Climate Relay Running Out of Time

We’re proud to be part of an incredible climate relay called Running Out of Time, an extraordinary 7,767km, non-stop relay from Glasgow, Scotland (COP26 host) to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt (COP27 host) in the name of climate action.  Running Out of Time will be the longest non-stop relay ever attempted with …

Sail Around the World 2022/23

What would it feel like to steer a tall ship across the Ocean? To circumnavigate the globe gliding through the waves. To fall asleep on deck under the countless stars of the night sky or dive from the ship into an azure sea?   Sailing around the world is the …

A Dog’s Life

Caption: Endurance sinking, 1915. Canterbury Museum 1971.53.3. No know copyright restrictions From Kid the Courageous to Osman the Great, the dogs who pulled sledges and provided companionship on the great Antarctic expeditions all had tales of their own. But you know what Shackleton’s dogs were called? Nearly all of them …

What’s it like to sail across the Atlantic during the ARC rally?

A voyage to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Rally. Of those people who have dreamt, planned or actually crossed an ocean there are still only a few who will have experienced that special feeling of sailing the southerly trade wind route. During the crossing the crew participate with …

Follow us on Instagram

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Pinterest

Featured adventures

Discover your next adventure from our tried and tested adventure providers

Sail Antigua to UK via Azores Transatlantic

Transatlantic sailing on a luxury adventure yacht from Antigua to UK via the Azores!

Sail French Polynesia – Easter Island, Pitcairn, Mangareva, Tahiti

Voyage from Easter Island to Pitcairn to Mangareva, to Tahiti French Polynesia.

Sail Tahiti to Cook Islands to Tonga to Fiji

A multileg voyage on the DARWIN200 South Pacific route where you are the crew in the footsteps of Darwin

Explore our unique collection of trips and get inspired for your next adventure

Responsible Tourism

We believe in ‘creating better places for people to live in, and better places to visit’ through a responsible approach to travel. Read how you can travel responsibly on your adventure.

Our journey began on an ocean adventure sailing across the Atlantic ... find our more and get inspired for your next great trip.

Earn Rewards

We'll donate to a nature project in your name in thanks for using Another World Adventures to find and book a trip.

Inspiring Travel Stories With Locals Around The World

A common theme I hear from travelers is how busy and stressful traveling can be. It seems we get so caught up in seeing the highlights of the city that we often forget to slow down and enjoy life outside of the ‘top ten ‘ lists. The following stories are positive encounters with locals that fellow travelers and travel bloggers have had. Hopefully, these travel stories will inspire you to look for different experiences on your next trip – regardless of whether it’s a trip abroad or one closer to home!

Check out our One-Year Honeymoon Itinerary for some travel inspiration and trip ideas!

You never know what adventures something as simple as “hello” will lead to!

Natalie from A Pair Of Traveling Pants  / Instagram

While in Vietnam in 2017, my husband and I booked a stay at a guesthouse in the beach town of Nah Trang. We thought we were the only people at this guest house until we met Felix, a German firefighter from Cologne. He was on holiday in Vietnam for a month and the three of us really hit it off, talking for hours and enjoying each other’s company.

We invited Felix to join us while we went to a couple of different areas in Vietnam and he came, a great addition. At the end of the trip, Felix invited us to visit him in Cologne, Germany and we took him up on the offer. I’d never been to Cologne, I’d watched an Anthony Bourdain episode where he gushed over the kölsch beer and schweinshaxe, but that was all I knew.

Felix really pulled out the stops for us. We spent three days in town with him and he drove us out into the countryside to show us the village he’d grown up in. We got a personal tour of the firehouse he works in, including a chance to try on fire suits and get taken up in the cherry picker. He took us to his favorite beer halls and introduced us to his girlfriend, Christine, who was a delight. In the spirit of travel and new friends, we drank and drank our weight in beer.

Thanks to Felix, we got a real insider’s look at Cologne, a place that will always be special for that reason. We’re still friends with him and are currently trying to get him to come to visit us in New York City.

Humanitalian from Humanitalian

I will always remember Madagascar as one of the best trips I have ever done. For the beautiful beaches of the west coast. For the astonishing Tsingy. For the hundreds of giant baobabs. For the great company of my travel-friend. But also, and probably mostly, for the company of Coco, our local driver.

He picked us up in Tulear and drove all the way north to Antananarivo, following the west coast of Madagascar. Well, he did not reach the capital, but that’s coming later in the story.

I firstly have to commend him for his driving skills. The sandy tracks of that part of the island are very tricky and junctions are very difficult to recognize. It was great to have Coco leading us so that we could spend our time enjoying all the baobabs and the brousse, how the bush is called. But the best thing about Coco was his sweet attempts to make us at ease. With his poor French, he tried to explain to us everything about Madagascar and the Malagasy people. And how much he knew. We ended up inviting him for every lunch, on the condition that he could take us to have some good local food and we could meet local people. We had many experiences together, including nine tire changes!

One night he made an attempt to let us hook up with some Malagasy girl, thinking it was a good way to thank us! Unfortunately, the time for goodbye arrived. We were heading to Antananarivo when the last tire broke. As it was getting dark and we had to fly out the day after, he managed to find us another driver. He had to stay with the car and find accommodation in the village. We left him some money, a torch, a hoodie, and a jacket. Once back at home, I managed to call him to say hello and he thanked us so much for all those small gifts that helped him during the night. We are now planning a second trip to Madagascar, this time on the coast south of Tulear. But one thing will remain the same: we will ask Coco to be our driver again!

Lauren from Laurens Travel Diary

I was walking along a beach in central Vietnam. The beach was quiet, the sun hot and half a dozen fishing boats bobbed by the shoreline. As I walked by, a young boy, no more than 12, popped up from sleeping on one of the boats. He seemed startled by me, but smiled and asked if I’d like some fruit. I looked over onto the deck and saw a coconut, some bananas, and a pineapple sitting on a cloth. It was a hot day and the idea of coconut water and fresh pineapple was appealing to me, so I climbed up onto the boat and helped the boy prepare the fruit.

He told me his name was Long and that he lived nearby but would come out here to his father’s fishing boat when he felt sad. I asked him why he felt sad today, and he answered: “my mother is angry at me for breaking a bowl.” After we’d enjoyed the fruit, I asked Long if he’d like to come to the market with me. He said he would, and so we headed to look around some of the handicrafts, where, after a while, he exclaimed: “the bowl is just like my mother’s!” I smiled at him and purchased the bowl from the woman.

I’d never seen such joy in someone’s eyes – I hope his mother was delighted when he arrived home with the bowl.

Seema from Mildly Indian

Our trip to Vietnam was a well-researched one. We had a clear outline of where we wanted to go. But, somewhere along the lines, we forgot that we need to learn how to ask for vegetarian food. with the places we planned a bit way out into the villages, it was indeed quite a strain to look for a decent meal.

The back and forth trying to find something vegetarian to eat left us with a mountain of unknown leaves alone for a couple of days. Then slowly it was getting nagging as we needed to eat.

This particular day we were on a trip to explore the river caves. We were on a local bus and got off at the boating spot. As we were rowing along, our stomachs growling and we were discussing the ordeal of finding food again. The boat lady who listening to the whole chatter and telling us to “duck” when the caves were low, suddenly said “chai”

Now, what was that?? A chai latte in the middle of the dark cave or did she want some tips for tea!!!

As we got down and tipped her. She vigorously showed eating action and said “Chai!! chai!!” again. We thanked her as we understood it was something to do with eating….and moved on to find a place to eat. We decided to try our luck and said “Chai” as we were ushered in. A quick exchange of words between the ushers and they cleared a long table for us and signaled us to be seated. Then one of them came and called us… We followed a bit scared as we didn’t know what mystery we were heading to. A small room to the corner of the buffet hall was quickly opened they said “Full chai!”

We entered and gingerly opened the bowls set on the table. Our eyes rolled out to see the array of vegetarian dishes, stirfry rice, tofu of 5 to 7 types, a myriad array of veggies. We felt like we were mythological “Bagasura”, the feasting demon. We didn’t mind missing our immediate bus. We were so thankful to see some wonderful food.

We thank the boat lady every time we mention Vietnam and spread the word “Chai” all along. Hope you have some wonderful interactions along with your travels too. It makes them not only memorable but humbling to know people all around are lovely and compassionate.

Ruben from Gamin Traveler

  A post shared by Ruben & Rach ⌁ Travel Couple (@gamintraveler) on Apr 6, 2018 at 6:00am PDT

Rachel was the one who introduced me to all the local food in the Philippines. She also introduced me to her friends in the country as well. As for me, I tried my best to cook Spanish food for them, too. All the while, we were traveling as much as we can to nearby destinations. Finally, after 2 weeks, I had to leave the Philippines because my flight had already been booked. But I knew I’d be coming back again and again to the country. Eventually, we decided it would be best to collaborate and start a travel blog, Gamintraveler.com. With my expertise in traveling and Rachel’s social media knowledge and skills, we knew we could make something special.

Rachel and I have already taken so many trips together since that fateful encounter. We’ve traveled to almost every country in Southeast Asia. What lies next for us? We are on our way to do a Eurotrip together! Everything’s exciting and better than we have ever dreamed! We are truly lucky.

I hope you enjoyed this collection of travel stories from around the world. If you did enjoy them, I hope you will take a look at their websites for more great stories and travel information.

If you have a story that you would like to contribute please send an email to [email protected]

Similar Posts

Visiting A Japanese Tea Plantation

Picking Tea in Japan My trip to Shizuoka, Japan included an obligatory trip to a tea plantation. The tea farm was in the hills, a short drive outside of the city. Getting there was a snap…

What we are packing for our round-the-world backpacking trip

Our Packing Philosophy A goal of ours is to live out of our backpacks during our year-long honeymoon. We will be traveling with two medium-sized backpacks – 48L (his) and 38L (hers). 365 days packed into…

Adventures in Bogor Indonesia

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the first post ever made on Adventure Filled Life! This trip to visit an old friend was the closest and dearest travel experience in my mind and was the first one…

The Best Ways To Save Money When You Travel!

Travel, especially international travel, can be an expensive undertaking. Planning a trip is almost always exciting – while finding ways to save money when you travel can be a pain. Hopefully, these tips will help you…

Life in a $6,000 Presidential Suite

A Night in the Westin Presidential Suite The chance to stay in a  $6,000 a night room doesn’t come around every day. But, when it does, the feeling is magical. Business as usual I flew to Wuhan for a one-day…

How To Save For A Vacation (Updated)

If you are reading this you are likely wondering how to save for a vacation. Travel certainly isn’t cheap, especially when you factor in lost wages and the ever-present rent that needs to be paid. So,…

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .