What is Experiential Travel?

As any reader of mine already knows, The Journey Without Borders is a platform to share all the transformative stories from my life as a cultural and experiential traveler. As an experiential traveler, I get asked the question all the time - what exactly is experiential travel? Well I thought I’d write a post to tell you exactly what it is. Experiential travel is travel behind-the-scenes. It’s not just going to Mykonos, it’s getting an authentic look at Mykonos. That rare white wine that only locals drink? You can have it too! It’s all about getting down and gritty when you travel experientially. If you follow my method, all the culture and experiences in the world will become available, and will transform you into a totally new and better person! You deserve it!
My private resort pool on Mykonos. I wouldn’t have gotten this had I not spoken with a local resident who knew this particular resort had rooms with private pools.

I want travelers to throw out their tour bus ticket and ignore that fancy brochure they picked up at the airport. There’s an incredible world of travel secrets if you just take the risk and go the extra distance, if you just push yourself to engage in the authentic, genuine experience of travel. You need to demand that your travel experience be enlightening, for you. Demand it from everything you experience. When you engage experientially during travel, there are limitless opportunities for discovery and insight. Just remember that you deserve any experience you want! That’s what it’s all about! You!

Live the Culture #

It took me years of traveling to realize that real culture isn’t in the gift shops or the big museums, but right in front of me, on the street and in the people. I started to realize that every time I talked to someone, the interaction itself was a a true, authentic cultural experience that made me feel good for having it. Whenever a local gave me an incredible tip to go see something amazing, or told me of their local customs, or showered me in gifts and praise, I found it to be an authentic cultural experience that normal or “legacy” travel just can’t provide. The feeling of exclusivity, that emotional sensation that I was doing something normal tourists don’t do, became an addiction. I deserved it. It was the only thing I cared about. I was experiencing so much more than everyone else! I finally felt superior!

Culture is an emotional experience. It’s truly amazing and empathetic. When you finally understand those statues in India and realize they’re not cartoon characters or monsters but sacred religious deities, it’s the most rewarding authentic experience you can have.
Before I started to understand culture through experiential traveling, I thought these were just some characters from a Disney movie. Now I am enlightened and know that they have cultural meaning.

Everything has significance, but the experiential traveler wants to find out what that significance really is, in an authentic and cultural way. You go past just the appearances and culture reveals itself to you, fulfills your desires and gives you the emotional and transformative experience that you need and deserve. All the culture in the world can be yours, if you just look to genuinely experience it when traveling.

Connect with Locals #

Locals live in places, and they are everywhere. They’re the backbone of a society, and to get an authentic travel experience connecting with locals is vital. Push your boundaries and engage with them. Go ahead and indulge in their food, their clothes, their lifestyle - everything they do, it can be yours too. The deeper you engage, the more transformative your experience will be. You can truly become part the local culture and imitate their way of life, truly.

In my early days of travel, I volunteered as a dental hygienist in Malaysia for a year. I learned so much about the deep corruption in the Malaysian medical system, and also about the people; their food and culture and spirituality. It was an incredible and transformative experience that I could only have had by authentically connecting with the local people. I actually saved some of the teeth that I pulled to remind myself of the truly transformative experience that was. I spent two weeks living with this woman and her family. They owned the resort I was staying at while volunteering as a dental hygienist. She showed me the most incredible Malaysian food on the brochures she had, and one night, after asking her for weeks, she actually cooked for me!

True Eco Adventures! #

The culture of cities and towns is one thing, but never forget about the amazing nature that exists away from all that civilization. It’s your job to go and experience it! Personally, I’ve never been too fond of hiking or camping, but I’ve taken my yacht and personal airplane to nearly every corner of the globe. On one of my voyages, me and my crew of Cameroonians thought we had discovered a new Island! It turned out to be part of Hawaii, but it was an unforgettable experience nonetheless. We landed on this amazing stretch of coast and were certain is was a new discovery until we saw a white man in a kayak. Nonetheless, it was the most beautiful piece of coastline I have ever experienced.

Breaking Out! #

Once you start breaking down borders, there is no limit to how much you can experience. Don’t let anything stop you from experiencing what you want in your travel experiences. Don’t just go to the Eiffel tower, live the Eiffel tower. Talk to the people who work there. Have dinner with one of the workers, he or she will tell you the real story about what’s going on with the Eiffel tower. Are you attracted to them? Don’t let anything stop you from getting the experiences that you want and deserve. Pushing boundaries and getting behind the scenes is what experiential travel is all about, and if you do it correctly, you can transform your own life and gain so many new insights!
The man selling these beautiful replicas told me he was from Cameroon. I spoke with him for a while about how the police keep harassing him for selling unlicensed merchandise, which I thought was awful. He told me that he believes the tower was built by an ancient culture from the African tropics.

Remember: There is no experience that is insignificant enough to ignore, no moment that you can’t invert towards your own emotional needs. Everything you do when traveling has importance, because you did it. Every moment you experience is yours to cherish and ceaselessly exhibit to everyone. That’s where true growth comes from.

Expat Eann’s Five Pillars of Experiential Travel #

Gain New Perspectives - Open your mind through transformative cultural experience. Always listen to locals and selectively hear the things that support perspectives you want to have.

Transform Yourself Personally - Develop as an individual through cultural experiences. Become the individual you think you should be. And hey remember, wherever you go - find your chill!

Be Purpose Driven - Travel with the purpose of self-transformation and enriching yourself. Always remember that you are doing something unique and above criticism.

Engage With Locals - The more you talk to locals, the more culturally enriched and transformed you will become. Remember - you paid to get where you are, so locals are obligated to treat you the way you deserve.

Be Inwardly Focused - Make sure the cultural enriches and transforms you. If it doesn’t, contact that countries Ministry of Tourism and complain.

Join me, Expat Eann, on all my journeys that have transformed me into an enlightened, experienced, and hyper-cultured human. I have seen and experienced all the things that I know you desire to see and experience, so be sure to follow me and read my blog! Make sure to follow on Instagram, and support me here: The Journey Without Borders Store.