Conscious Journeying:transforming through travel,

traveling through transformation

An Exploration of the Transformative Practice of Travel

Tiffany Foo

April 2012

Interconnectedness: A worldview which sees a oneness in all things, with no true separation deeper than appearances.

“A human being is part of the whole, called by us ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and his feelings as something separated from the rest- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole [of] nature in its beauty.” ~ Albert Einstein

The Journey Outwards is also the Journey Inwards

PART 1: 2003- 2005

● 16 months (480 days) of mobile exploration in ● 15 countries via

● 78 bus rides, 47 train rides, 12 tuktuk rides, 9 boat rides, 2 horses and 1 camel on

● 48 couches/ local stays

● 4 journals full of travel musings

PART 2: 2008- 2010

● 104 traveler-practitioners (research participants)

● 6 applied methodologies

Culturescape

Soulscape

Landscape

Travelscape

Journeyscape

• Analysis focused on relationships: between a traveler’s worldview and her/his travel experiences; between the needs of the traveler and her/his chosen method of travel; and a traveler’s relational orientation.

• Survey population ranged from 17 to 65 years, came from 14 different countries with 68% of the respondents identifying as Americans. 95 % of my American sample possessed a valid passport and had traveled abroad.

• Over 97 % agreed that travel was relatively transformative. Moreover, having some form of self- reflective practice raised the likelihood of having sustainable transformative experiences during traveling.

• Travelers who stressed excitement as a reason for travel were more oriented toward seeking adventure over connection and were more likely to believe that travel was a necessity. Travelers seeking to engage life also strongly desired to maximize and diversify experiences.

• In regards to gender, female travelers took a much more participatory approach to interaction (35% to 27%), felt generally more connected and were slightly more self-reflective than their male counterparts who adversely exhibited a slightly greater belief in their capacity to affect the world.

• Female travelers were slightly more concerned with the diversification and male travelers with the maximization of experience. They also viewed travel as a luxury and were more concerned with personal comfort than male travelers

Personal Growth = To Expand Ourselves & Our Views of the World

Communion =To Make Connections

Understanding = Making meaning of experiences

Cultural Exchange = Exploration of Other

Rejuvenation = Attending to/ Caring for the Self

Wanderlust = Seeking Something Outside Oneself

Initiation = Ritual Rites of Passage Vacation/ Retreat = A Break from Everyday Life

Why do we travel?

The Spiral of the Evolving Journeyer . . .

“Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labrynth is thoroughly known… Where we had thought to travel outward, we will come to the center of our existence.

And where we had thought to be alone, we will be with all the world.”~ Joseph Campbell

Developmental Map of the Evolving Journeyer

• Traditional Traveler: Follower of Pre-delineated & Pre-packaged Journeys

• Conscientious Traveler: Expert & Master of the Journey

• Sensitive Traveler: Participant in the Journey

• Heroic Journeyer: Co-creator with the Journey

• Journeyer with a Thousand Faces: Integrater of Journey and Journeyer

CouchSurfing´s Mission Statement:Create Inspiring Experiences

We envision a world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter.

We envision a world where everyone is inspired to help and care for each other, regardless of differences in culture and ideologies. We believe that the more we see the world as an exciting mix of unique peoples, the more motivated we

are to protect and preserve diversity

The CouchSurfing Global Initiative- www.couchsurfing.com

The CouchSurfing Global Initiative

 CouchSurfers 4,090,015  

 Successful Surfings (approx)  4,364,873

 Friendships Created (approx)  4,297,826

 Positive Experiences (approx)  6,971,570

 Unique Countries Represented  251 

Unique States/Provinces Represented 3,110 

 Unique Cities Represented 87,373

 Unique Languages Represented 366

Hero’s Journey & Our Collective Narratives as Global Citizens

Personal Journey

Journeying as Practice

Global Initiatives & Global Impacts

The world is my playground,

my classroom, my lab,

and ultimately, my responsibility.

~ Tiffany Foo