8 Ways Intentional Travel Heals Your Relationship with Achievement

Intentional travel redefines success! Uncover 8 transformative ways it heals your achievement mindset, fostering balance and deeper connections.

Hey, empowered explorer!

Here's the truth bomb I wish someone had dropped on me years ago…

Your worth isn't measured by your to-do list, and success isn't limited to your LinkedIn updates.

After living and working across six countries while building a career in higher education and entrepreneurship, I've learned that sometimes the biggest achievements come when we stop trying so hard to achieve.

⬆️ Whew! That’s restackable right there! And, yes…I just made that up and will continue to use it. 😂

Why This Matters (Like, Really Matters)

Let's be honest - you're probably really good at achieving things.

Your CV sparkles.

Your portfolio impresses.

You've got degrees, certifications, and maybe even a corner office.

But somewhere between the gold stars and the goal-setting, you might have forgotten something crucial: how to find joy in the journey rather than just the destination.

That's where intentional travel comes in - not the check-list tourism of "10 countries in 10 days" (though I see you, efficiency expert), but the kind of travel that reminds you who you are beyond your achievements.

1. Permission to Be Perfectly Imperfect

Back in the day, success meant nailing every presentation, every time, right? Well, during my years in China, I redefined my metrics for success. While my colleagues back home were celebrating quarterly targets, I was not-so-secretly high-fiving myself for successfully conversing with a taxi driver with my broken Mandarin.

Loading my items into his car to take me back home.

That moment when he smiled, nodded in recognition and actually took me where I needed to go? It taught me more about real progress than any professional development seminar ever could.

The beauty isn't in the perfect pronunciation (though I know you'll practice it), it's in giving yourself permission to be gloriously, publicly imperfect.

When was the last time you allowed yourself that freedom in your professional life?

2. Finding Joy in the Unplanned Detours

During my time in Kenya, a cancelled flight led to an impromptu mini-tour of Africa, exploring 3 additional countries that were not pre-planned. No PowerPoint could have prepared me for that experience, and no performance review could have measured its impact on my life.

Your color-coded travel itinerary? It's great. Keep it.

But leave some white space for life to surprise you because those unplanned moments often become the stories that shape us - not because they were perfect, but because they were perfectly unexpected.

3. Measuring Success in Moments, Not Metrics

While teaching in Spain, I met a woman who measured her days not in tasks completed, but in sunsets watched. It seemed radical to my achievement-driven mind, but it sparked a question: What if we measured success differently?

Try this: Instead of counting countries visited or landmarks photographed, count conversations that changed your perspective. Count moments that made you forget to check your email. Count times you chose adventure over certainty. (This is DEFINITELY #restackable!)

4. Embracing the Power of Pause

In Monterrey, Mexico, I learned that a three-hour lunch (sobremesa) isn't inefficient - it's intentional. It's about connection, conversation, and being fully present.

For someone who used to eat lunch while answering emails (occasionally still guilty!), this was revolutionary.

What if success sometimes looks like deliberately choosing slow over fast, presence over productivity?

Choosing “Slow” in Windhoek, Namibia, 2023

5. Learning to Trust Your Intuition Again

Sometimes you have to stop writing the pro/con list because you’ll begin to lose faith in your gut instincts.

During my solo travels through Europe, I rediscovered that inner compass. Sometimes it led me to hidden gems in Budapest's Jewish Quarter; other times it got me wonderfully lost in the street.

Either way, it reminded me that not every successful outcome needs to be predicted, planned, or perfectly executed.

6. Redefining ROI (Return on Intentionality)

My type-A sisters, I see you calculating the ROI of every experience. But what's the return on watching the sunset over the Zambezi River? What's the measurable outcome of learning traditional recipes from an Italian nonna?

Some of my most valuable professional insights came from moments that would have looked like "wasted time" on a spreadsheet.

That mooncake class in Dalian? It taught me more about leadership and patience than any corporate workshop.

7. Finding Achievement in Authenticity

Speaking at international conferences from Beijing to Zimbabwe taught me something surprising: my most impactful moments weren't in the perfectly rehearsed presentations, but in the authentic connections made over dinner or coffee dates.

Success began to look less like perfection and more like presence. Less like achievement and more like authenticity. (#restackable)

8. Embracing the Beauty of Beginner's Mind

For my high-achievers, sometimes the most successful thing you can do is choose to be unsuccessful for a while. Learn a new language. Try traditional drumming in Nairobi.

Be gloriously, enthusiastically bad at something new. Watch how it reminds you that growth isn't always vertical.

Your Permission Slip for a New Kind of Success

Consider this your official permission slip to:

• Book the trip without knowing every detail

• Try the thing you might be bad at

• Measure success in smiles instead of miles

• Let go of the itinerary when something more interesting comes along

• Trust that productivity isn't the only path to growth

The Plot Twist

When you travel intentionally, when you learn to embrace imperfection and celebrate small victories, something magical happens to your professional life, too.

You return with fresh perspectives, enhanced creativity, and a more grounded sense of what really matters.

That presentation that used to tie your stomach in knots? It feels manageable after you've successfully navigated the night market in Taipei.

That difficult conversation with your team? It's less daunting after you've learned to communicate across language barriers in the Philippines.

Your Next Step (No Achievement Required)

I'm not going to end this with a call to book a flight right now (though if you want to, go for it! I’m here to help if you want to chat.). Instead, I invite you to sit with a question:

What would travel look like if you removed the pressure to achieve anything at all?

Share below: What's one way you'd like to redefine success in your life? No metrics required, just dreams allowed.

For my planners who are already breaking out in hives at the thought of unstructured time - I got you. (Don’t you just love the occasional use of bad grammar? 😂)

Let me help you get ready for an adventure that's uniquely yours.

We will brainstorm your perfect adventure.

No travel agents. Just two passionate explorers planning your next big move in a free 15-minute call.

Or, if you’re not ready to take off yet but are gearing up to unleash your inner travel rockstar, check out my Fearless & Free Audio Affirmations.

Download now to silence self-doubt, embrace the transformative power of intentional travel and start each day with the empowering mindset you need to step boldly into the world.

Dr. CK 💋

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