Travel to Create Yourself: Branding Lessons Learned Around the World

At the age of 25 I retired…just kidding. But I did quit my job to take a break from the corporate world to travel. I set out on a transformative journey where I solo traveled across Europe and Asia for a total of 18 months visiting 26 different countries.

Throughout my year and a half of travel, I absolutely fell in love with the travel lifestyle. Every single day is exciting – meeting new people, both locals and fellow travelers, trying new foods I’d never even heard of, and checking off some pretty insane experiences from my bucket list such as:

Eating sea cucumber tapas at a restaurant in Seville, Spain (interesting in a good way but don’t need to try again)
Trekking through and sleeping in the jungle for three days in Sumatra, Indonesia to see orangutans in the wild (only one of two places in the world to see this and one of the coolest things I’ve ever done)
Taking a slow boat for two days down the Mekong River from Thailand to Laos (it does in fact go really slow I finished two whole books, next time I will take the bus)
Getting a hand poked tattoo with a thorn by a 108 year old woman in a rural village in The Philippines (not the most sanitary but I didn’t get an infection and have a super cool souvenir)
And so much more…

One of the biggest cliches about travel, specifically backpacking or long term travel, is that people do it in order to “find themselves”. It's the Eat Pray Love jokes that get me every time – trust me I've heard them all.

Although this “find yourself” travel mantra is incredibly cliche, it is true. But it's a little more nuanced – a true "you get out what you put in" type of experience that shapes you. While you travel you tend to look inward and reflect, take in all these new and often intense experiences but it's not really about finding yourself. These experiences change you, change the way you think, enlighten you to new ideas and opportunities, and it is what you do with these experiences that truly impact you long term.

So rather than finding myself, I created myself.

My time traveling taught me so much about the world, myself, the way that I fit into the world, and so much more that is difficult to put into words. Throughout my trip, I collected these thoughts in a note on my phone titled “Life advice / wisdom I’ve accumulated” no seriously, that is what it's called – a little presumptuous but also quite true if I do say so myself. These ideas are applicable to travel of course, and to life in general, but also very much to building, or rather refining the “brand” of person you’re becoming.

Here are 7 key takeaways I've learned from my travels that I feel apply to shaping your personal brand through experiences:

Do more sh*t that scares you.

It wasn’t until I was sitting in my window seat on the plane that it hit me. That I quit my job, sold all my things, and left my friends and family behind to go traveling for an undetermined amount of time with no more of a plan than the first country I was flying into. But nothing changes if nothing changes and I had just made the biggest change of my whole life and was ready to embrace whatever was on the other side. There were many other times throughout my trip where I was faced with this feeling again and I can tell you that every single time the exhilaration I felt far outweighed any fear. There is safety in your comfort zone but there is no growth. And it is only when we get out of our comfort zone, take risks, and remain open to what's possible, that we experience big radical, life-defining change.

How it connects …

Creating and building a brand can be scary, it’s a daunting task and often one that requires quite a lot of time outside your comfort zone. Being a brand leader or brand champion requires you to adapt, test ideas, and maintain self-awareness at a level that inspires others with the confidence to join you in your mission or path to success. Whether you are building a new brand, going through a rebrand, or simply maintaining your brand, most of the work requires innovative thinking and a willingness to try new things.

Make a list then cut it in half.

I don’t know how many times it needs to be said before it finally sinks in (talking mostly to myself here) but LESS IS MORE. Before embarking on this trip I did a ton of research. Everything I read, and I’m not exaggerating here, boiled down into the most simple of terms said: DO LESS. Pack significantly less than you think (you can always do laundry), when in doubt leave that item at home (you can always buy it abroad), and most importantly spend more time in less places. The piece of advice that stuck with me the most was to make a list of every place you want to visit and then cut it in half. Cramming in as many experiences, cities, and countries as quickly as possible is exhausting even when it is also exciting and fulfilling. With this less is more philosophy to traveling, going slower in your travels you’ll get to experience places, more deeply, and really understand the culture.

How it connects …

Simplicity is crucial to forming memories. Whether it's travel experiences or brand experiences, the simpler things seem to stay with us longer. When you try to do too much, serve too many people, or see everything on your list, you lose a little bit of the present and the opportunity to connect with what's already there for you. Stay a little longer, do less, cut your ideas in half and only pursue the ones that you simply can't live without. That's a trip worth taking and a brand worth experiencing.

Keep an open mind.

This saying goes for a lot of things in life but is especially important while traveling. Every single day is full of trying new things (foods, experiences, languages, sports, music, art, everything). And many of these things will be a bit uncomfortable and maybe even overwhelming at times but it is essential to keep an open mind during all of these experiences. Just because it’s not the way you normally do it at home or the way you’ve been told it should be done doesn’t mean that a different way is wrong. Trust me I have had plenty of experiences that many people would cringe/roll their eyes/turn away in disgust at, that at first thought I did too, but they turned out to be some of the best experiences of my life.

How it connects …

Leading a brand (or owning a business) isn't for the faint of heart. It's demanding, requires non-stop attention, and never sleeps; like an impatient toddler who needs everything yesterday and explanations for everything. Being open to feedback, innovation, and with your team will help you grow and see a different side to things you thought you already knew. Stay resilient and open and you'll be amazed at how far (and where) you can go.

You are only as alone as you choose to be.

As a solo traveler this one is big. I am a naturally introverted person and actually love spending time with myself but traveling is all about the connections you make with people along the way. When I told people back home that I was traveling solo, one of the most common replies I got was “... won’t you get lonely” and I can honestly say that throughout my whole trip I never felt that way. I mostly stayed in hostels (typical backpacker move) and met many friends this way, but I also made friends during tours, activities, on various modes of transportation, and while simply walking around and exploring a new place. There were always people around and in many instances the only times I was truly alone was when I chose to be.

How it connects …

Everything comes down to connections and relationships. From our ability to find commonalities with others and form bonds while solo traveling to building communities and tribes with our brands, we are here to share experiences with others. Travel isn't lonely. It's an opportunity to be alone and grow freely without the comfort of guidance. Brand isn't siloed. It's an opportunity to spread ideas, grow others, and share success along the way.

If you’re going to do something, go all in.

Seems self-explanatory (I know), but I saw a quote on pinterest that said "never half-ass anything, always use your full ass" and it stuck with me. Ass jokes aside, it says a lot about commitment. Fully commit to every endeavor, experience, activity and you will get so much more out of it. In terms of traveling this means leaning into all experiences and new activities, full send. It may be uncomfortable and maybe even awkward at times but it truly is the only way to get the most out of [insert experience here]. If you only give half effort, you will only get half of the benefits.

How it connects …

Branding is quite similar. There should be an enforced "no half-ass" policy because timid branding is, well, boring. You have to fully commit to an idea, a stance, a vision and give it your all. People respect dedication, determination and love to see hard-working, passionate people and teams WIN. Stay true to yourself, your message and go all-in, so that there is no doubt of who you are, what you do, and why people should care.

You will get there when you get there.

This is the statement I repeated to myself most often while traveling. There is a level of glamor to the travel lifestyle but the actual travel days from point a to point b can be tough. Think the most uncomfortable seating, or better yet no seating at all, heat, noise, smells, too many people, delays, outright cancellations, and carrying your heavy bags for hours on end. Travel days can be so physically and mentally exhausting it makes you question if you even really like this travel stuff after all. There are only so many things you can control. The days are going to be long and you need to be flexible. Give yourself as much time as you can between connecting modes of transportation and plan for traffic, delays, and everything in between. Most importantly don’t stress the things you cannot control. Focus on what you can control and remember you will get there when you get there.

How it connects …

Can't rush travel and can't rush branding. Both are on their own time with milestones as arrivals and delays as reminders to slow down and learn. Markets shift, we go through rough patches, need new policies, and idk pandemics; all of which can impact your "plans." The fact remains, you have to be able to shift focus to only what you can control. You cannot control external factors in life or in business, so why not lean in. Take the extra time to refocus, reset, and reposition your mindset and/or your teams. Be stronger than the outside forces slowing you down. See it as an opportunity to learn and refine vs expand and accelerate.

Never leave a sunset early.

This one, at first glance, is not obviously about travel but it came from a dear friend I met while traveling. It is a phrase she repeats almost daily and definitely every time we go to watch the sunset together. Never leave a sunset early. The sun dipping behind the horizon isn’t the main show, it’s just the opener. The real magic happens about 20 minutes later when the colors really shine, the rays come out, and the sky lights up. Next time you go to watch the sunset, stay a little longer. I promise it will be worth it.

How it connects …

Creating something that sticks takes a while. We don't just present our brand, our message, our product and boom people flock to us with demand. We have to pitch and wait. We may get traction and excitement, like watching the sun disappear on the horizon, but we don't stop there either. It needs time to marinate, to stick in the minds of your audience and blossom into the bond we aim to create. Don't let uncertainty or lack of patience get the best of you and your messaging efforts. Give it a fighting chance to sink in and wait for the finale.

In the same way you create yourself, you create your brand. Take risks, keep it simple, embrace the vulnerability, build connections, be committed, stay calm, and let the magic happen. These lessons were learned while on the road halfway across the world, which makes them all that much more universal. They can be applied to life, travel, relationships, and most importantly to building a brand.

I hope this encourages you to travel just as much as it does to relax into and elevate your brand. There are opportunities to learn everywhere you go. And to sum it up perfectly I will leave you with this quote…