Is 2017 the Year of ‘Transformative Travel?’

Last year, it was experiential travel. This year, will it be transformational?

That's what Vogue is asking. 

“Industry leaders are saying that “transformational travel” is the next evolution. It has similar elements of experiential travel, but taken a step further—it’s travel-motivated and defined by a shift in perspective, self-reflection and development, and a deeper communion with nature and culture,” writes Michaela Trimble. 

There’s even a new organization leading the “transformation.” 

The Transformational Travel Collaborative (TTC) is “an organization that provides both travelers and travel outfitters with tools to encourage personal and professional growth while on the road,” says Trimble. 

The organization is looking to help develop a deeper travel experience. 

“Today’s culture is device and pace-driven,” Jake Haupert, TTC cofounder and president and founder of Evergreen Escapes tells Vogue. “We’re disconnecting from ourselves, our relationships, nature, and culture. The external pieces of an itinerary don’t reveal the inner journey a trip can inspire.”

Through research, TTC has found a three-phase process to implement. Cofounder and vice president of travel products at Nomad Hill Michael Bennett’s doctoral study revealed these steps. 

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He identified the “departure, the initiation, and the return—the “hero’s journey”—where travelers venture into the unknown to learn wisdom from cultures and places outside their own, returning home to implement this knowledge, ultimately changing their lives and the lives of others around them.”

“We’re at a point where the planet needs a higher consciousness, and transformational travel can give us that,” cofounder of TTC and founding president and CEO of Wildland Adventures Kurt Kutay tells Vogue.

Is transformative travel something that interests you? Read on here for more