Travel deeper: five ways in which travelling transforms us

This series was born from a simple idea — that travel isn’t only about moving from one place to another, but about going a little deeper.
Travel Deeper is an invitation to look beyond the surface of things: to discover what journeys can teach us — about ourselves, about others, and about the world we live in.
Today, we’re talking about transformation — that subtle, quiet kind that happens almost without us noticing, and yet stays with us long after we return home.

 
A journey is, by its very nature, a transformative atmosphere.
It takes us out of our comfort zone, encouraging us to find new resources, adapt to new patterns, build new habits, and stretch our branches — like a plant being moved into richer soil, full of nutrients it has never encountered before.
It invites us to consider new ways of living, to meet new people, and to discover how they inhabit the world.
It’s a small but powerful revolution of being — one that deserves to be respected and cherished.

It’s worth remembering that a trip doesn’t have to change your life.
Expecting every holiday — even a walking journey — to be life-changing can actually keep us from enjoying all the gifts it has to offer.
If we’re always chasing the next “inner revolution,” we risk missing the small, lasting moments that matter most: a new perspective, a spark of curiosity, or simply precious time spent with friends and loved ones.

Here are five gentle ways a holiday can be quietly transformative — not through big revelations, but through small, lasting shifts that stay with you in the years to come.

 
1. Achieving something you once thought impossible

Finishing a weekend walk; your first hiking trip in the mountains; a two-week adventure among the peaks of Mont Blanc; a long journey along the Via Francigena; or simply spending a full day walking, kilometre after kilometre.
These are all small but significant milestones — things that once seemed out of reach but that you’ve accomplished.
Overcoming what you believed were your limits is deeply transformative: it reshapes how you see yourself and reminds you that you’re capable of more than you imagined.

 
2. Stepping beyond your comfort zone

It might be as simple as walking long distances every day, or daring to speak a few words in a language you don’t know, accepting the risk of sounding foolish.
It might mean spending a week travelling with a friend and learning the art of compromise — or joining a group trip and sharing experiences with strangers who will soon become companions.
The challenges that truly change us aren’t only physical. Even the moments that make us uncomfortable can become opportunities for growth, if faced in the right spirit.

 
3. Finding new perspectives

Travel naturally puts us in touch with new worlds.
You don’t have to go halfway across the globe — even a nearby region can open your eyes to different ways of living.
Meeting people whose values differ from yours, or seeing how others shape their daily lives, can lead to subtle but meaningful shifts in perspective.
A transformative journey isn’t necessarily dramatic: sometimes it’s just the moment you see something differently and quietly weave that insight into your own life.
Every journey creates an inner travel diary — not only made of words or photographs, but of ideas, solutions, and lessons that will resurface when you need them most.

 
4. Trying something new

And more generally, doing something you’ve never done before.
If you’re a sea lover, try the mountains.
If you’ve always travelled in Italy, why not explore abroad — maybe a destination you’d never have considered?
Never tried a walking holiday? With the right support and the right destination, maybe now is the time.
Trying something new makes us more flexible, opens our minds, and often surprises us — because we discover we like something we’d never imagined.
Expanding the idea we have of ourselves is one of travel’s most beautiful gifts: a part of you that you thought didn’t exist might simply be one you hadn’t met yet.
And suddenly, what you’ve always done isn’t the only or safest choice anymore — sometimes, change is beautiful simply because it helps you appreciate what you love even more.

 
5. Rediscovering the value of coming home

Every journey — long or short — ends with a moment we often overlook: the return.
Coming home isn’t just the end of the trip; it’s the beginning of integration.
It’s when we notice how we’ve changed: in our thoughts, our habits, our way of looking at the familiar.
Sometimes the transformation doesn’t happen while travelling, but afterwards — when the memories of places and people continue to echo quietly within us.

 
In Closing
Every journey leaves a mark — big or small, visible or invisible.
It doesn’t have to be a revolution; it just has to move something within you, even by a single step.
And perhaps that’s what traveling deeper really means: not just going somewhere new, but returning home a little changed, a little richer, a little more yourself.