New E-book Reveals Private, Life-Altering Advantages of Journey

Anybody who likes to journey won’t be stunned by Tom Leegstra’s perception that journey transforms us for the higher. However few of us have taken the time to research that transformation. In The Transformative Energy of Journey: Learn how to Uncover Your self by Exploring the World, Tom shares simply how journey modifications us, instructing us to be extra affected person, extra tolerant, and extra open to new concepts, views, and variations. Generally journey and the experiences it brings can be a bit of uncomfortable, however in these conditions, we’re all of the extra prone to expertise transformation.

The Transformative Energy of Journey has all the essential recommendation you want about touring, however past basic items like getting passports and remembering to pack toothpaste, the ebook explores methods to go about setting objectives on your travels-goals that aren’t nearly seeing a sight, however maybe about studying extra in regards to the particular particular person you’re touring with, or simply studying methods to loosen up and have enjoyable, or studying to understand historical past or artwork, and most significantly, studying about different cultures and realizing on the finish of the day that persons are mainly all the identical.

Tom begins by asking us to take off our clothes-not actually however metaphorically. It’s time for us to be able to dress ourselves in new experiences. Journey makes you are feeling bare and weak, however Tom reminds us that in these weak occasions is once we can develop probably the most. “When you’ve got taken off all your garments, you’ve got nowhere to cover that actual, weak self.” Then you’ll be able to start remodeling that self into a fair higher model of you.

In fact, the world is stuffed with locations to journey. Tom is a real world traveler who has visited forty-three international locations. For this ebook, he centered on three superb and various international locations which have helped remodel him: France, India, and Cuba.

France is the journey he went on together with his girlfriend, a visit that solidified their relationship and finally led to their marriage. Sure, they visited the Eiffel Tower and all the opposite romantic Paris sights, however additionally they hung out simply attending to know one another in stunning romantic settings so they may decide how appropriate they’re.

In India, Tom discovered some superb issues about himself and the way he reacts to discomfort and feeling uncontrolled in a wierd surroundings. He additionally had some really great insights. Right here’s his remark about visiting the Taj Mahal:

“Being there creates a surreal feeling of oneness with the individuals who crafted the positioning, regardless that they lived miles and miles away on a distinct continent than I do and centuries earlier than me. Being there in particular person made me really feel I used to be related to these folks a method or one other. It’s a sense that’s exhausting to place into phrases, nevertheless it made me really feel small and really humble.”

All through the ebook, Tom sprinkles in Professional-Ideas and Reflections on his experiences. He additionally teaches us to assume for ourselves. For instance, when he acquired to Cuba, he met somebody who had simply arrived by herself from Mexico Metropolis. He states: “I had heard horrible and scary issues about Mexico Metropolis, however she had explored town by herself and appeared to haven’t any worry in any respect. I discovered that unimaginable. I believed I used to be a wimp for not having been to Mexico Metropolis but. That taught me once more a beautiful lesson: Don’t imagine every part you hear within the media. Hold it actual! Do your individual analysis and ask vacationers who’ve been there.”

This assertion reveals a serious benefit of travel-it destroys false prejudices and preconceived notions. Tom states, “I’ve come to imagine that journey is the perfect and quickest option to bust our personal assumptions or biases about folks, locations, and cultures.”

Tom additionally covers what to do when issues go fallacious. The underside line: keep calm. He says, “Whereas such occasions might initially appear like they’re occurring to us, we will study over time that these occasions occur for us. There are classes for progress we will take from these occasions and their penalties.”

The ebook concludes with appendices that present extra assets and discover methods to take care of ambiguity and different points throughout your travels.

In case you’ve ever wished to expertise Cuba, India, France, or any nation, this can be a nice ebook to start out with. In case you like to journey, you’ll completely love studying about Tom’s experiences. If you’re nervous about touring, then change into an armchair traveler by beginning with this ebook; it’s possible you’ll simply discover that it makes you courageous and prepared for an journey.