Travel and Personal Growth: Samantha Kaiser Of The Lifestyle Travelers On Why & How Traveling Can Help Us Become Better Human Beings

Thankfully, the world is open for travel once again. Traveling can broaden our horizons and make space for people to become more open-minded. How can travel give us the opportunity for personal growth? What are some ways that travel can help us become better human beings? As a part of our series about “How Traveling Can Help Us Become Better Human Beings”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Samantha Kaiser.

Samantha Kaiser is a self-published author of “Become A Better You Abroad,” a book that shares ten skills students can learn by living overseas. Samantha is the author and owner of the website thelifestyletravelers.com, where she provides outdoor travel information to her monthly viewers. As a communications scholar, she has spent her early career encouraging others to learn about themselves through international travel.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

Growing up, traveling was always a big part of my life. My parents would take us to Florida every year during the winter, and there were a handful of occurrences when we traveled to Texas to visit my great-grandparents. Additionally, my parents enrolled me in a Spanish immersion elementary school where Spanish quickly became my second language. There were always exchange high school students that traveled from different Spanish-speaking countries. They would come into our classrooms to help out and share stories about their life and culture. Ultimately this began my interest in experiencing different cultures and learning about other parts of the world.

Sometimes when we visited my great-grandparents in Texas, we would cross the border into Mexico and spend the day there. My parents would make me translate for them, and they always encouraged me to immerse myself in the culture. I felt very self-empowered being able to communicate with people who spoke a different language than the one I had grown up knowing. It gave me a sense of interconnectedness that I still carry with me today.

What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.

I think my childhood inspired me to pursue a career in intercultural communication. As I got older, I continued my advanced Spanish classes through high school and did some traveling on my own. At first, it was only short distances between states because I was under 18, but it gave me the self-confidence to know that traveling was possible in the future.

When I began my bachelor’s degree, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I knew that I loved to write, but I knew that journalism wasn’t for me. That was when I decided to pursue my communications degree because I felt like it was something I excelled at and a value I had ever since I was young. Eventually, I added Hispanic studies to my degree, which allowed me to study abroad in Spain for two months in 2018. This experience was life-changing because it was the first time I had lived in a culture different than mine. That was the turning point for me.

I spent the next few years interning for study-abroad organizations and encouraging students to live, work and travel overseas. It gave me a sense of purpose and insight into my true self, and I wanted to share my story with the world. After I graduated, I self-published a book on the benefits of studying abroad. I decided to get my masters in intercultural communication to combine my communications degree with my Hispanic studies degree. As of now, I’m the author of a website dedicated to outdoor travel. Eventually, I hope to find a steady career path in climate change advocacy on the global stage.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?

The person who encouraged and pushed me the most on my journey through my career and education would have to be my grandmother. She was the person who insisted I enroll in the Spanish immersion elementary school. She always saw the value in me knowing a second language. I’m so glad that she did because had it not been for her, I wouldn’t have chosen the path I did today.

She was also the person that suggested I major in Hispanic studies. I admit that it bothered me at the time because I felt like she was pressuring me to pick a career path that she wanted for me, but in reality, it was just a continued belief of how well it would serve me later on. I’m glad I eventually took her advice because it led me to study abroad in Spain — the best experience of my life.

She has also helped me in other ways. She owned a bookstore when I was a kid, so she always encouraged my brother and me to read. I’m sure that also led to me pursuing my writing. Not only did I self-publish a book on my experience, but I now enjoy writing about my travels to other parts of the world, even within the United States. I give her credit for helping me figure out what I’m passionate about, even if that wasn’t her intention.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or takeaway did you learn from that?

One of the funniest mistakes that happened to me was a job opportunity I accepted last November. I was going to be doing conservation work in Flagstaff, Arizona. I recently moved to Tucson, and the job I was going to start was three hours away from my apartment. The job provided housing, so I would need to share a house with some of my coworkers.

I packed all of my gear into my car and drove the three hours to Flagstaff. I arrived at the house and found my room. I quickly realized I would share a tiny room with five other girls. The other two rooms had eight other people. There was only one bathroom between the fourteen of us, and the kitchen was disgusting. I felt like I was living in my first college house, but worse.

I had the worst gut feeling in the world. I knew it wasn’t a good fit for me, but I had an internal battle with myself because I didn’t want to quit too early. However, I couldn’t sleep due to my anxiety, so at one in the morning, I quickly (and quietly) repacked all my bags and headed home. I felt like I was “safe” since it was in the middle of the night, and no one saw me leave. But when I unpacked the next day, I realized that I’d completely missed a drawer and all my pants were missing.

I realized that leaving my pants would be too big of a loss. So the next day, I drove back and had to come face to face with my roommates I had so desperately tried to avoid. In the end, it turned out to be a funny story. I found a better job that suited my needs, but it taught me a few things.

I learned to listen to my intuition because it knows best. Ultimately, I knew it was not the right fit for me deep down. Secondly, caring about what other people think has held me back and has prevented me from staying true to myself. I now know that the only approval that I need is my own. Lastly, I learned it is better to confront your issues straightaway than to do so embarrassedly later. Conflict or discomfort never goes away by avoidance, ever.

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

It’s hard for me to choose a favorite “life lesson quote” because there are so many good ones. I was the ten-year-old who saved only inspiring quotes to her Pinterest board. If I had to choose my favorite, it would probably be:

“When we are no longer able to change a situation — we are challenged to change ourselves.” — Victor Frankl

This quote resonates with me deeply because I’ve always been one to self-reflect and turn inwards. I think that the only constant thing in life is change and uncertainty, and sometimes it can be hard to come to terms with that. The only thing that we can ever control is our actions, reactions, and behaviors. We can also choose how to approach life and the mindset we carry along the way. I love this quote because even in the uncertainty in life, it can still be beautiful if we allow ourselves to see it that way.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

At the end of this month, I start a new job doing conservation work in southern Arizona. For sometimes weeks at a time, I will be going out into the wilderness to maintain or create trails, build fences, restore historical sites, and so much more. I am excited about it because I can travel to different parts of Arizona that I have not seen. I get paid to be outside, and I get to help the environment.

I also find my travel blog to be exciting. It’s a way to share my firsthand experiences with people about the places I’ve traveled. I can also provide helpful information so that they can prepare effectively. I think sharing my knowledge of what I’ve learned along the way and encouraging others to experience similar experiences has been extremely rewarding.

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview about travel and personal growth. Let’s dive deeper into these together. Based on your research or personal experience, why do you think travel can lead to personal growth? Can you share a story?

Travel can lead to personal growth because it’s an insightful experience. One of the first things I realized when I went to Europe for the first time was that traveling opens up your eyes to a much larger picture. You have to leave your culture to reflect on it. When we live a certain way our entire lives, we become accustomed to it and forget that there are other ways of doing things. Our reality becomes our normal, and our focus starts to narrow on the things that have always been in front of us.

There were a lot of things I experienced in Spain that challenged how I thought about daily life. To use the restroom in Spain, you had to buy something. We take that for granted in the United States — the ability to walk into a gas station, use the restroom, and be on our way. That example is silly, but it stands. We never question the small things about our culture, yet they make all the difference when you travel somewhere new.

When we travel, our worldview expands, and I believe that after experiencing new ways of life, we unlock new parts of our minds. Suddenly we feel more innovative and are able to think of different solutions. It truly enhances out-of-the-box thinking, and we become better thinkers. I feel inspired thinking about the growth that comes from traveling because of my personal experience in Spain.

A recent survey from Psychology Today showed that over 80% of participants found that travel helped them with problem-solving or decision-making. Why do you think this is true for so many people?

Travel helps people with problem-solving and decision-making because they are in situations where they have to think outside of the box. Sometimes it can feel like a mind puzzle. Once you figure out the original problem or decisions that you faced, you gain reassurance in yourself and your ability to navigate difficult circumstances. I found this to be true for me in a few ways.

I was one of the few people without data for my phone plan in Spain. I used the wifi when it was available, but other than that, I was out of luck. Salamanca, the city I studied in, was decently small and walkable. I always considered myself bad with directions before my trip, but without my GPS, I had to learn how to navigate the city. It was a problem-solving task for me. At first, I used a physical map, but eventually, I began using landmarks as location markers. Then I knew my way around the city in no time. It was a good lesson for me. I do not need to rely on my phone for directions if I pay attention to my surroundings.

At one point in my experience, I also took a solo trip to a city an hour away. It was a perfect opportunity to explore a new city and figure out what I wanted to do. At first, I used a map to plan my walking route and picked the excursions and museums I wanted to do along the way. I forgot to bring my euros and only had my credit card. Many places only accepted euros, and I was out of luck for many of the places I wanted to visit. I had to improvise my day and was able to find free excursions for students that I did not know about before. It tested my flexibility, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

I think that travel asks us to decide how we want to spend our time. It makes us reflect on who we are and what we like to do. Would we rather stay in a five-star hotel or save money in a hostel? What do we want to do during our free time? Traveling can sometimes be a gamble, so it always strengthens our problem-solving capabilities.

Do you think travel enhances our mindfulness, optimism, or sense of gratitude? How? Can you please explain with an example or story?

Absolutely. In my book, Become A Better You Abroad, I have two dedicated chapters on how traveling can enhance mindfulness and our sense of gratitude. I think that optimism is a mindset, but travel can strengthen it if you put it into practice. These are two stories that are in the book:

In my chapter on mindfulness, I explain that arriving at your destination requires observation. My curiosity immediately skyrocketed when I arrived in Spain. Everything seemed so different. It was things like their notion of being on time, the road signs in kilometers, or measuring temperature by celsius instead of Fahrenheit. The differences I noticed early on motivated me to be present in every experience. I began to take in my surroundings. I started noticing the purple, red, and yellow flowers in full bloom on the mountainside on the bus. I also learned how to navigate the city using mindfulness rather than using my phone as a resource.

In my chapter on gratitude, I explain multiple instances where I turned my disappointment or sadness into gratefulness. It was something that I did unconsciously. For example, I was in Spain during the fourth of July. The fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays with my family, but it was the first year I wouldn’t be home. Spain set off a firework show that weekend, and even though I felt bummed to miss out on the firework show back home, I found gratitude for a beautiful firework show on a bridge overlooking a river. I felt connected somehow. Traveling brings us a sense of growth, and gratitude trails right behind it.

Surely not everyone who travels automatically becomes an exemplar of human decency. What are a few reasons why some people completely miss out on the growth opportunities that travel can offer?

I had a similar experience when my mom visited me in Spain. I remember her telling me that I was the type of person who embraced different cultures and brought what I learned back home with me. She said that she could visit a country and enjoy her time there but would eventually go back to living the same way as before when she got home. I think people can miss out on opportunities for growth if they are closed off to them.

I believe that to get the most out of our travel experiences, we need to be completely open to what they have to teach us. Whether traveling or not, there are always new growth opportunities. The key to growing through travel is the willingness to stay present throughout your experience. If you show up mindful, there will be a better insight into what life is trying to teach you.

Thank you for that. Now for our main question; What are your “5 Habits You Should Develop In Order Make Travel Into An Opportunity For Personal Growth?”

The five habits I believe can foster personal growth through traveling are…

1. Begin a daily meditation practice.

Meditating daily trains your brain to be more mindful and present in everyday life. You can start small and focus on your breath for five minutes, allowing your thoughts to wander but always bringing your attention back to your breath. Once you have gotten that down, you can always add more time to your practice. Meditation is a great way to also aid in concentration and focus. There are a lot of long-term benefits of meditating, but overall it will improve your travels by bringing more awareness of your trip. In return, you will have a better memory of your experiences!

2. Try something new each month.

Traveling increases open-mindedness, but you don’t need to take a trip to start practicing it! Trying new things is a great way to expand our worldview and open our minds to different things. I suggest setting a goal to try something new each month. It could be a new hobby, sport, or even a new restaurant! When you travel, you will try new things frequently, so this is a great way to start preparing for that.

3. Go on gratitude walks.

Research has shown that practicing gratitude enhances our daily mood and well-being. An easy way to start incorporating gratitude into your routine is to take a walk somewhere and think about things you are grateful for along the way. If you don’t like walks, you can list three things you are grateful for each morning, but the goal is to come up with something different. The more you practice gratitude, the easier it becomes, so once you start to travel, it will be easier to find gratitude in your new experiences.

4. Set SMART goals for yourself.

Setting goals for myself has always been something that helps me with daily motivation and purpose. It can be discouraging doing the same thing every day without an end goal. The key is to set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Following this model, you can make daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. You’ll always have something to work towards. Goals are a great way to progress forward. Once you get it down, goals will make planning your next trip a breeze!

5. Get real about your finances.

We can do all the right things to self-improve, but without the finances to do the things we want, we can be held back by this limitation. Having financial stability goes hand in hand with setting SMART goals. One of the things that are critical for personal growth is having your finances in check. It will bring you up to the next level in your personal growth journey because you can feel confident with your wallet, begin saving for the future, and fund your next trip! Plus, if you take your finances seriously, this can reduce stress dramatically when you do go on your next trip!

From your experience, does travel have a negative impact on personal growth too? Is there a downside to travel?

When I returned from Spain, I felt very misunderstood because my friends from college could never know how much I had grown during my time there. I ended up feeling very lonely. I missed Spain a lot. In a way, I could categorize this as growing pains.

Even though it has been almost five years since I went, I still miss Spain and often reflect back on my experience there. However, I don’t consider this to be a downside. Outgrowing your past self can definitely be painful, but we are all better off in the long run. In the end, I connected with new friends who understood my experience and got an internship in the field.

I took my experience and created something I’m proud of because of it — my book. I do think that returning home and reverse culture shock can be very difficult, but only because a piece of your heart gets left behind. The pain from returning home is a beautiful thing because it’s something that comes along with meeting new people and connecting to new places.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

One person that I would absolutely love to have a private breakfast or lunch with would be Martha Beck. She is the author of The Way of Integrity, a book that really changed my life when I found it hard to channel my inner voice. I also recently learned that she is Oprah Winfreys personal life coach, so I think she would be a great person to converse with over a meal.

Her guidance helped me in my personal growth journey a ton and allowed me to make decisions based on what was good for me rather than for the sake of other people. I look up to her for being so brave in the face of uncertainty and how she teaches others how to do the same in her book. Ultimately, I don’t think half of my relationships would be as good as they are today had it not been for The Way of Integrity.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Readers can follow my work online by visiting my website thelifestyletravelers.com. I regularly post articles on destinations, road trips, and hiking guides. Most of my posts are about travel in the United States, but in the future, my posts will expand on travel within Europe and Latin America.

Additionally, if readers are interested in studying abroad or about the skills they can learn by traveling, they can check out my self-published book on Amazon, Become a Better You Abroad. It costs less than $6 and is available in paperback and kindle formats. The book is a great resource for anyone interested in how travel can improve your self-development.

Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.