Want to Build Your Confidence? Travel Can Be a Powerful Tool for Personal Growth
It can happen suddenly - that moment of awe you feel after having a mind-opening realization about yourself or from something you experienced. Your eyes open wider. You feel a sense of peace and validation.
We all crave moments of self-discovery, where we can step back from the demands of daily life and truly reflect on who we are and where we're going. Times of challenge, such as a breakup or divorce and other life transitions, can be especially powerful opportunities to go inward. And while traditional methods of introspection, like therapy or meditation, can be incredibly helpful, there's one powerful tool that's often overlooked—travel.
In an interview for L3 Philosophy™ with Emmi, I had the opportunity to sit down with Grace Simmons, a confidence coach who blends her love of travel with her mission to help people build self-esteem and emotional resilience. Grace’s approach to personal development, especially through the lens of travel, is nothing short of transformative. As she shared her journey and insights with me, our discussion reinforced what I know to be true about how travel is more than just an escape—it’s an experience that can deeply shift our mindset, boost our confidence, and help us tap into a better version of ourselves.
In this blog post, you will discover how travel can be a powerful tool for personal growth and supercharge your confidence.
Watch our interview by clicking below!
The Traveler’s Mindset: Curiosity as the Key to Confidence
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to fly the coop and get a taste of a new place, then you’ve probably noticed that you tend to see and think about things differently when you’re in a new environment.
My L3 Philosophy ™ guest Grace and I began our discussion by talking about the role that travel can play in your life when you are going through life’s challenges, transitions, or even just your own internal personal struggles. Grace introduced a concept that she calls the "traveler's mindset", which is more than just about packing your bags and heading to a far-off destination. It's about adopting a curious and open approach to life. She explains, "When people travel, they want to put on this brand new personality... it’s helpful to go in with a curious and open mind, and those different skills can be applied to your work, your relationships, and your own self-development."
At the core of this mindset is the willingness to explore not only new places but also your inner world. When we travel, we allow ourselves to step outside of our usual routines and comfort zones, which often leads to profound personal revelations. This sense of exploration, this open curiosity, is exactly what can be translated into everyday life. By adopting this perspective, we can approach our challenges with a sense of adventure and a willingness to learn—key ingredients for building true confidence.
Reflection and Practice: For one day or one week, notice if you embrace the “traveler’s mindset” in your everyday interactions. What can you learn here?
Did you know that paid subscribers have access to a weekly Transformation Action Plan and our community “Share & Accountability” chat?
It’s a great way to encourage transformation in each other and have some fun while doing it!
Travel: More Than Just an Escape
Many times when we are experiencing a lot of stress, whether it’s relationship troubles, work stress, or life responsibilities that feel overwhelming, we have the internal response of wanting to escape. Be honest - how many times have you envisioned yourself hopping on a plane to your nearest island and living in a tiki hut?! That has been my daydream many times…so no judgment here.
A big takeaway from my conversation with Grace is the emphasis on the difference between using travel as an escape versus using it as a transformative tool. "It’s easy to use travel as a way to escape," Grace acknowledges. "But real growth happens when you approach travel as an opportunity for transformation."
Last year, for her birthday, she planned a trip to Portugal to embrace her "single woman power." It was supposed to be a break from her routine—a chance to escape. However, Grace quickly realized that simply getting away from her everyday life wasn’t enough to foster the change she was seeking. It was when she approached the trip with the mindset of self-exploration and personal growth that she began to see the real benefits.
I had a similar experience when years ago, I decided to go on my first solo trip to Spain in the midst of a tumultuous Situationship. One part of me wanted to physically distance myself from the man I had been entangled with, but the other part of me went with the intention to develop a stronger sense of independence and self-competence. In my memoir, Who Is Your Red Dress?, I dedicate an entire chapter to my experience with solo travel and how impactful that trip was for my personal growth and self-discovery. In addition to learning a new language, a spark was lit inside of me to continue being courageous and inspired to explore what is possible for me as a woman and in my life.
The lesson here is that travel doesn’t have to involve escaping from your problems; it can be a space for confronting them. It’s about setting the intention to use the time away for introspection, self-discovery, and, ultimately, transformation.
Reflection and Practice: Think back to a time when you went on vacation or took a trip. What was your “why” for going? Notice if or when you take a similar approach to other activities or events in your life.
Travel as a Safe Space for Emotional Wellness
So we know that travel can boost our confidence and open up our minds to new possibilities. But what effect can it have on our emotional wellness?
Travel provides the space to examine your emotional triggers and gain deeper insights into your reactions. "When you’re frustrated, or feeling disconnected from who you are, it’s important to go back to the root of your emotions," Grace explains. "Why are you reacting in a certain way? What happens when you react to certain triggers? Travel gives you the space to reflect on these emotional responses."
Being away from your usual environment allows you to gain clarity about your emotions. Without the distractions of daily life, you can more easily identify what triggers you, how you react, and why. This reflection can be a game-changer in terms of personal growth and emotional resilience. By understanding your emotional responses and learning how to navigate them, you can become more emotionally balanced and confident in your ability to handle challenges—both big and small.
Reflection and Practice: Do you mostly rely on yourself or others for your emotional wellness? Pick one new practice to try this week that can help you more skillfully identify, express, or manage your emotions.
Building Confidence Through Reflection and Experimentation
As a former high school Biology teacher of 16 years, I cannot believe it has taken me 44 years to figure out that life is just a succession of experiments. You’d think I’d embrace the scientific method in this context given my background - but that can feel scary.
During our conversation, Grace encourages people to not just "get away," but to use travel as a time for active experimentation. "When you’re traveling, you’re in a space where you can experiment," she says. "What happens when I try to set this boundary? What happens when I say no to a certain thing? What do I look like when I’ve released control and I’m just actually able to explore something new or scary?"
This mindset of experimentation is particularly useful for building confidence. By stepping outside of your comfort zone in a new environment, you are not only confronting the unfamiliar but also testing your own limits. Whether it’s practicing saying no, setting boundaries, or trying something new, these small experiments can help build your confidence, which can be applied back home in your everyday life.
Confidence isn’t built by avoiding discomfort, but by pushing through it and learning how to navigate new situations. "Travel doesn’t necessarily mean going across the ocean," Grace offered. "You can start with a quick weekend trip, just to get away for a day or two. See how you react in a new town, away from your usual triggers, and reflect on where you’re trying to go and the person you want to be."
By experimenting with new situations, setting new boundaries, and confronting fears—whether it's trying a new cuisine or engaging with strangers—travel becomes a powerful tool for building self-assurance.
And this can be critical for someone recovering from heartbreak or trying to manage big changes. One of the things I hear most from people I work with is, “I want to feel more confident.” This is usually because their own sense of self and self-esteem have taken a toll from the stress of an ended relationship or long-time disconnection from a partner.
In order to build your confidence back, you have to first build trust within yourself. And travel is one strategy that can help you do that.
Reflection and Practice: Are there areas within yourself or in your life where you’d like to grow your confidence? How often do you try “experiments” in your own life? Pick a small life experiment to try next and simply observe the data you get back.
Bringing the Experimentation Back Home
The ultimate goal of using travel as a tool for personal growth is to carry these lessons back into your everyday life. As Grace puts it, "You have to understand the difference between the person you are now and the person you want to be." Through travel, we experiment with new behaviors, new mindsets, and new ways of being. And when we return home, we can integrate these lessons into our routines.
This brings us back to the idea of uncertainty. Often, we fear uncertainty in our lives because it feels overwhelming and uncomfortable. But Grace highlights that "uncertainty can actually be kind of fun" when viewed through the lens of travel. When traveling, we embrace the unknown—whether it’s trying a new activity or navigating an unfamiliar place. By seeing uncertainty as an opportunity for growth and discovery, we can transform it into a source of excitement rather than dread.
The key here is to take that energy of experimentation and curiosity and bring it back into our daily lives. "Life itself becomes an experiment," Grace says. "You get data back from your experiences, and it informs you about how you can design your life moving forward." This mindset can help us approach challenges with a sense of fun and curiosity, knowing that even if things don’t go according to plan, we’ll learn something valuable in the process.
Travel as a Catalyst for Personal Growth: Key Takeaways
Adopt a Traveler’s Mindset: Approach life with curiosity and openness, just as you would approach a new destination. By doing so, you can unlock new ways of thinking, new opportunities for growth, and a deeper understanding of yourself.
Use Travel for Transformation, Not Escape: Travel isn’t just about running away from problems. Instead, view it as an opportunity for self-exploration, introspection, and change. By setting intentions for your travels, you can ensure that your trips lead to personal growth rather than just temporary relief.
Focus on Emotional Wellness: Travel offers a unique opportunity to reflect on your emotional triggers and reactions. By gaining clarity about your emotional responses, you can build emotional resilience and confidence in handling life’s challenges.
Experiment and Step Out of Your Comfort Zone: Whether it’s setting boundaries or confronting fears, use travel as a safe space to experiment with new behaviors and experiences. The more you practice these experiments, the more confident you’ll become in your ability to navigate the unfamiliar.
Bring the Lessons Back Home: The true power of travel lies in integrating the lessons you’ve learned into your everyday life. By adopting the mindset of a traveler and embracing uncertainty, you can continue growing and designing the life you want long after the trip is over.
Thinking about travel as a tool for confidence and self-discovery is a refreshing reminder that personal growth doesn’t always require grand gestures or radical life changes. Sometimes, all it takes is a shift in mindset—an openness to exploration and a willingness to experiment with the unknown. Whether it’s through an international adventure or a weekend getaway, travel offers endless opportunities to learn about yourself and become the person you want to be.
So, the next time you set off on a journey, don’t just think about the destination—embrace the transformation along the way.
Emmi Fortin
Breakup & Relationship Coach
Host of L3 Philosophy with Emmi
If you enjoyed this article and want to expand on the reflection exercises in it, You might like these guided journals!
Never miss a new article. Subscribe to the L3 Philosophy™ newsletter to have new insights, tools, and wisdom delivered directly to your inbox each week.
