What Is Intentional Travel (And How to Do It Right)

A New Kind of Journey

Have you ever returned from a trip and felt… unchanged? Sure, you saw the landmarks, took the photos, and sampled the food—but something was missing. You were a tourist, not a traveler. You were there, but not truly present. You moved, but you weren’t moved.

Welcome to the age of intentional travel—a powerful antidote to surface-level tourism. It’s not about where you go. It’s about why you go, how you go, and who you are when you return.

Intentional travel is gaining momentum for good reason. In a noisy, hyperconnected world, more people are craving travel that transforms, heals, and awakens something inside them. They don’t just want to escape. They want to evolve.

In this guide, we’ll explore:

• What intentional travel is—and isn’t

• How it differs from regular tourism

• The benefits for your mental, emotional, and even spiritual life

• How to plan a truly purposeful journey

• Real-world examples of transformative trips

Let’s begin the walk.

What Is Intentional Travel?

Defining the Concept

Intentional travel is the practice of journeying with a clear purpose beyond entertainment or escapism. It’s about aligning your travel with something meaningful to you—whether that’s healing, discovery, reconnection, creativity, or change.

It asks questions like:

• What is calling me to move?

• What am I hoping to learn, unlearn, or release?

• How can I engage with people and places more mindfully?

This doesn’t mean every trip must be deep and solemn. But it does mean you’re aware of your motivations—and willing to let the journey shape you.

Not Just a Trend

Intentional travel isn’t new. Humans have always embarked on pilgrimages, vision quests, and walkabouts. These weren’t vacations. They were transformative rites of passage.

Today, intentional travel revives that ancient impulse in modern form. It’s a rebellion against empty tourism—and a return to travel with soul.

How It Differs from Traditional Tourism

Tourism is often about sightseeing—checking off major landmarks, following pre-packaged experiences, and focusing on external attractions. It usually involves collecting photos and souvenirs, consuming local culture from a distance, and sticking to a rigid, itinerary-driven plan.

Intentional travel, on the other hand, is more about soul-seeing. It emphasizes personalized, intuitive journeys that prioritize internal shifts over external validation. Instead of gathering souvenirs, intentional travelers collect lessons and insights. They don’t just consume culture—they converse with it. Their journey isn’t dictated by an itinerary, but by a deeper meaning guiding their steps.

Tourism Says: "I want to see the world."

Intentional Travel Asks: "How can the world help me see myself?"

Why It Matters More Than Ever

We’re living in the age of burnout, loneliness, and hyper-distraction. But what if travel wasn’t just a break from life—but a way back to it?

1. It Reconnects You With Yourself

When done intentionally, travel strips away your daily roles and routines. You remember who you are beneath the noise.

“I found myself in the desert. Literally. I was walking through silence, and suddenly I remembered dreams I had buried for years.” — John, 35

2. It Challenges Your Comfort Zones

Intentional travel doesn’t coddle. It confronts. It invites uncertainty and demands presence. That’s how growth happens.

3. It Cultivates Gratitude and Wonder

By slowing down and engaging deeply, you start noticing sacred details—an elder’s story, a child’s laughter, a mountain’s stillness. The ordinary becomes luminous.

4. It Builds Connection, Not Just Content

You’re not just snapping photos. You’re starting conversations, learning phrases, helping in gardens, and listening deeply. You leave a place changed, and you’re changed in return.

Signs You’re Ready for Intentional Travel

• You feel restless or stuck and sense a journey might help shift something inside you.

• You’ve done plenty of vacations but want something more fulfilling.

• You’re in a transitional period—post-breakup, midlife shift, career pivot, burnout.

• You want to reconnect with nature, heritage, spirit, or creativity.

• You’re curious what might happen if you stopped planning and started listening.

How to Travel Intentionally: Step-by-Step

1. Start With Why

Before you choose a destination, choose a reason. Ask yourself:

• What do I need most right now—stillness, inspiration, courage, healing?

• What do I want to explore—internally and externally?

This becomes your travel intention—your compass.

2. Let the Destination Choose You

Sometimes you pick the place. But sometimes, the place picks you. Listen to your inner pull. Are you craving mountains, ruins, coastlines, sacred temples, old-growth forests?

Examples:

• Need perspective? → Hike an ancient trail like the Camino de Santiago or the Inca Trail.

• Need healing? →Visit sacred sites or go on a retreat.

• Need reconnection? → Seek indigenous homestays, or return to ancestral lands.

3. Create a Flexible Framework

You don’t need to plan every detail. In fact, leave some space. Intentional travel thrives on spontaneity. Instead of itineraries, try:

• A few anchor points (places or people you want to visit)

• A daily ritual (journal, walk, sketch, prayer, meditation)

• A willingness to follow unexpected invitations

4. Travel Light—Literally and Emotionally

Physical clutter blocks energetic flow. Pack minimally. Also, consider what emotional baggage you want to leave behind. Write it out. Burn it. Bury it. Offer it to the sea.

5. Practice Presence

Slow down. Ditch the selfie-stick. Walk instead of rush. Talk instead of scroll. Eat slowly. Breathe deeply.

Be where your feet are, because that’s where the transformation happens.

Examples of Intentional Travel

The Sacred Trail Seeker

Where: Peru
Why: To mark a transition after grief
Experience: A solo traveler joins a guided hike on the Inca Trail. Along the way, they connect with ancient Andean cosmology, face physical challenges, and leave symbolic offerings at high passes. They return lighter.

The Forest Bathing Sabbatical

Where: Japan
Why: Burnout recovery
Experience: A young professional takes a month to forest bathe in Hokkaido. No tourist attractions. Just nature, silence, and slow food. The nervous system rewires. The soul exhales.

The Heritage Pilgrim

Where: Wherever the ancestral call leads
Why: To reconnect with lineage and uncover a forgotten story
Experience: A traveler sets out to trace the steps of their ancestors—whether through Eastern Europe, West Africa, rural Ireland, or a Caribbean island. The path is not always clear. Some records are missing. Stories are half-told. But through conversations with locals, walks through ancestral landscapes, and moments of eerie familiarity, they begin to feel rooted in a way they never have before. What they return with isn’t just genealogical data—it’s soul memory.

Tips for Creating Your Own Intentional Journey

Set an Intention Journal Prompt

Before leaving, write:

"What do I hope to discover on this journey—about myself, others, and the world?"

Create a Symbolic Ritual

Begin or end your trip with a small personal ritual:

• Light a candle for each fear you want to leave behind

• Write a letter to your future self

• Leave an offering to the land or sea

Tools That Help

• Books: The Art of Pilgrimage by Phil Cousineau, Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

• Apps: Insight Timer (meditation), Gaia GPS (trail finding), Google Translate (connection)

• Practices: Meditation, daily gratitude, sketching what you see instead of snapping

What to Be Mindful Of

Cultural Respect

Intentional travel demands deeper listening. Don’t extract from cultures. Engage with humility. Ask before taking photos. Support local guides and artisans. Learn phrases. Leave a generous footprint.

Mental Preparation

Transformation can be messy. You might cry on a bus, question your job, or have a spiritual encounter with a cactus. It’s okay.

Make space for discomfort. That’s often where the gold is.

Safety Still Matters

Being present doesn't mean being naive. Research areas in advance, respect local norms, and trust your gut. Intuition is a vital tool in intentional travel.

How Errant Odyssey Helps You Travel With Purpose

At Errant Odyssey, we believe adventure isn’t always out there—it’s in here. We create tools, guides, and Travel Prescriptions to help you plan micro-quests, life-changing sabbaticals, or sacred wanderings that actually mean something.

Whether you're walking across England’s forgotten paths, volunteering in Peru, or exploring ruins in Mexico—we help you travel differently.

What If Travel Could Heal?

You don’t need to be lost to seek something. You don’t need a passport stamp to change. You just need one thing: intention.

Intentional travel isn’t just movement. It’s medicine. It’s remembering. It's a transformation disguised as wandering.

So next time you pack a bag, ask yourself: “What am I really looking for?”

You might just find it—on a dusty road, in a quiet forest, in a stranger’s story, or in the mirror of a still lake.

Get in Touch

I'd love to hear your travel dreams and inquiries!