A Thoughtful Transformational Tool: Travel
What exactly IS transformational travel? Plus two ways to experiment for yourself.
“I believe that travel—created thoughtfully—can be one of the best tools towards each of us leading a more impactful life. And that has a multiplier effect.”
In 2002, Michelle Hirschman and I met as fellow volunteers for several weeks in Ghana. We reconnected in 2025 for a week-long mentoring walk in Costa Vicentina, Portugal. That’s 23 years separating two transformational life experiences—both anchored in travel.
Michelle and I have been talking about transformational travel ever since (podcast).
I’ve been a fan of transformational travel for years.
I didn’t call it that. I just knew I traveled differently. I like testing my assumptions. Feeling a bit outside my comfort zone. Co-creating experiences, not just receiving them.
It makes me a better version of me.
Experiential travel allows us to connect with our destinations and people. It might revolve around food, culture, adventure. It’s enjoyed in the moment.
An Italy food tour. An Antarctica adventure. A history tour of Europe. If you are like me, we relish these experiences.
Transformational travel takes it a step further. You’re a contributor and active participant. The deeper connection might challenge your mindset or worldview. It influences your thinking and future choices.
A volunteer community home build in Guatemala. Visiting with students and impactful businesses in Cambodia. Leading a program at a girls’ school in Kenya. The impact through personal connection is the point.
My joy is finding people around the world leading in transformational travel. This Journey Woman article highlights a few of them.
From Europe to Africa, they become my friends and teachers. We can’t help but collaborate. I’m obsessed with sharing them with other curious-minded people.
That’s why I lead Venture Travel.
It’s choosing to invest with your travel time and money budget in yourself. It’s replacing sight seeing and box-checking with deep and memorable conversations. At some point there’s a reset. A reframe. A nudge to be courageous.
The result—not always immediate, but inevitable?
A pivot in your business. A philanthropic commitment. A new partnership. A career change. A refined definition of success.
I’ve witnessed each of these in others; I've experienced all of them myself.
Here are two ways to experiment for yourself.
I met João Perre Viana and Nuno Santos Fernandes on a one-week walk of the Camino de Santiago in 2023. They are founders and mentors with Walking Mentorship.
Receiving the invite, I felt pulled to join. A light structure applied to walking and nature? It seemed exactly what I needed to sort through the mess in my head.
I said yes. And here’s what happened next (Walking the Way).
Now I’m co-leading a walk with João and Nuno and inviting you to join. Venture Spain Camino (September 2026) feels like sharing a gift.
We’re walking the famed pilgrimage on a customized version of the Portuguese Coastal Way—starting in Vigo, Spain and ending at the famed Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The Walking Mentorship journey is interwoven—a chance to take a snapshot of your current moment in life, clarify your ideal future, align your vision & create an action plan—alongside others doing the same.
It isn’t just an iconic walk enjoyed with the idyllic food and wine of Spain (though it’s certainly that, too!) It’s travel that transforms.
Interested? Join us for a call to TALK ABOUT THE WALK (RSVP) on March 20.
I first visited Morocco in January 2025. My husband and I spent time in the mountains, the sand dunes, and quiet corners of Marrakech. I expected a strict society where my female voice wouldn’t necessarily be valued. Instead, I found a culture appreciating of differences.
I loved the contrast of tradition alongside modernity—a woman wearing a hijab and running a startup; a city filled with artists, surfers, and avant-garde designers with call to prayer echoing in the background.
I didn’t visit Morocco intending that it would be a locale for a future venture. But upon my return, Morocco kept showing up in all my worlds.
I’ve learned to act on these signals.
One person who showed up was Siham Lahmine. Yes, I met Morocco’s first woman‑owned travel organizer on LinkedIn. We met on Zoom, and by our meeting end we knew we had to collaborate. Over the past year, we’ve worked to curate an incredible experience.
Venture Morocco (March 2027) is designed by Siham and I to challenge your vision of Morocco.
We connect to education and entrepreneurial visionaries. There’s a focus on art, food and sustainability. There’s an Agafay Desert retreat and a rural cross-cultural homestay. It’s tradition meets modernity in the global connector of countries. Dynamic and culturally-accepting Morocco changes mindsets.
Yes, there’s the Morocco must-haves—art, medinas, camels and tagine. But this is the rare Morocco itinerary designed to transform.
I’ll end with the quote I started with.
“I believe that travel—created thoughtfully—can be one of the best tools towards each of us leading a more impactful life. And that has a multiplier effect.”
I said it years ago. I’ll keep repeating it.
It’s the WHY of transformational travel.
Open to thinking differently? Join me in Venture Travel . Beyond experiential travel, these experiences might even challenge your mindset or worldview. When you travel differently, you think differently. That’s transformational travel.
We are kindred spirits, Holly! I would love to hear some of your favorite versions of transformational travel.
I totally agree. I have been traveling a lot and focus on it being transformational in every way. And with that intention it is such…