Anyone who loves to travel will not be surprised by Tom Leegstra’s belief that travel transforms us for the better. But few of us have taken the time to analyze that transformation. In The Transformative Power of Travel: Discovering Himself by Exploring the World, Tom shares how travel changes us, teaching us to be more patient, more tolerant, and more open to new ideas, perspectives, and differences. Sometimes travel and the experiences that come with it can also be a bit uncomfortable, but in those situations, we are more likely to experience a transformation.
The Transformative Power of Travel has all the basic tips you need to travel, but beyond the basics like getting passports and remembering to pack toothpaste, the book explores how to set goals for your travels – goals that aren’t just about seeing. a sight. , but maybe about learning more about the special someone you are traveling with, or just learning to relax and have fun, or learning to appreciate history or art, and most importantly, learning about other cultures and realizing at the end of the day that people are basically all the same.
Tom begins by asking us to remove our clothes, not literally, but metaphorically. It is time for us to be ready to clothe ourselves with new experiences. Traveling makes you feel naked and vulnerable, but Tom reminds us that it is during those vulnerable moments that we can grow the most. “When you’ve removed all your clothes, you have nowhere to hide that real, vulnerable self.” Then you can start transforming that self into an even better version of yourself.
Of course, the world is full of places to travel. Tom is a true world traveler who has visited forty-three countries. For this book, he focused on three amazing and diverse countries that have helped transform it: France, India, and Cuba.
France is the journey he took with his girlfriend, a journey that solidified their relationship and eventually led to his marriage. Yes, they visited the Eiffel Tower and all the other romantic places in Paris, but they also spent time getting to know each other in beautiful romantic settings to determine how compatible they are.
In India, Tom learned some amazing things about himself and how he reacts to discomfort and the feeling of being out of control in a strange environment. He also had some truly wonderful ideas. Here’s your how about visiting the Taj Mahal:
“Being there creates a surreal feeling of oneness with the people who created the site, even though they lived miles and miles apart on a continent other than mine and centuries before me. Being there in person made me feel like I was connected. with those people in one way or another. It’s a difficult feeling to put into words, but it made me feel small and very humble. “
Throughout the book, Tom adds professional advice and reflections on his experiences. It also teaches us to think for ourselves. For example, when she arrived in Cuba, she met someone who had just arrived alone from Mexico City. He states: “I had heard horrible and scary things about Mexico City, but she had explored the city by herself and seemed to have no fear at all. I found it incredible. I thought I was a coward for not having been to Mexico City. . yet. That again taught me a wonderful lesson: don’t believe everything you hear in the media. Keep it real! Do your own research and ask travelers who have been there. “
This statement reveals a great advantage of traveling: it destroys false prejudices and preconceived notions. Tom states: “I have come to believe that travel is the best and fastest way to break our own assumptions or prejudices about people, places and cultures.”
Tom also covers what to do when things go wrong. The bottom line: keep calm. He says, “While these events may initially appear to be happening to us, we can learn over time that these events occur for us. There are lessons for growth that we can learn from these events and their consequences.”
The book concludes with appendices that provide additional resources and explore how to deal with ambiguity and other issues during your travels.
If you’ve ever wanted to experience Cuba, India, France, or any country, this is a great book to start with. If you love to travel, you will love reading about Tom’s experiences. If you are nervous about traveling, become an armchair traveler by starting with this book; You may find that it makes you brave and sets you up for an adventure.