Why I Believe Travel Is About More Than the Destination

Why Travel Has Always Meant More to Me

Travel is often described as an escape. A break from routine. A chance to see something beautiful. And while those things are true, they are not the reason I fell in love with travel.

For me, travel has always been about connection. About stepping into a place that feels unfamiliar and slowly realizing how much you share with the people there. It is about noticing how quickly walls fall when curiosity leads instead of fear.

That belief started long before Wander Barefoot ever existed.

When I was seven years old, my family traveled to Mexico to visit relatives. During that trip, I met a girl who lived in the town we were staying in. She was around my age and from the moment we met, she was full of joy. She was barefoot, always smiling, and completely at ease in her world.

For a few days, she became my constant companion. She showed me her town with so much pride. Where she liked to play. The streets she walked every day. The places that mattered to her. Even though we came from different lives and spoke differently, none of that seemed to matter. We were just two kids learning from each other, connected in the simplest way.

I remember feeling so comfortable with her, even though everything around me was different from what I knew at home. That was the first time I realized how quickly connection can happen when you let it.

On one of my last afternoons there, I asked her a question that came from pure curiosity. I asked why she did not wear shoes.

She looked at me and told me she did not have any.

Earlier on that trip, my family had gone shopping and I had gotten a new pair of shoes. Without much thought, I decided to give her mine. They were a pair I loved, but in that moment, it felt easy. Natural.

I still remember watching her walk away, then skip down the street with the biggest smile on her face. It was the kind of happiness that feels bigger than the moment itself. That image has stayed with me all these years.

What I did not understand at the time was that she gave me far more than I gave her.

She taught me kindness without expectation. Gratitude without excess. Humility without explanation. She showed me that connection does not come from living the same life or speaking the same language. It comes from being open. From showing up. From seeing each other for who we are.

That experience quietly shaped the way I see the world.

As I grew older and traveled more, I noticed that the moments that stayed with me were never just about where I went. They were about who I met. The conversations. The shared laughter. The way people welcomed me into their daily lives.

Travel has a way of reminding us that we are far more connected than we realize. That even when a place feels different from anything we know, common ground is always there if we are willing to look for it.

To this day, on every trip I take, I leave behind a pair of shoes. Not because it is about the shoes. It is a small, personal way of honoring that memory and the lesson it taught me. A reminder to travel with intention. To stay grounded. To give when I can. To remain open to connection wherever I go.

That ritual keeps me present. It reminds me that travel is not something to rush through or consume. It is something to experience fully.

Wander Barefoot was born from that belief.

It is not just a business name. It is a reflection of how I believe travel should feel. Thoughtful. Connected. Human. It is about slowing down enough to truly experience a place and the people who make it what it is.

I believe travel can change us. Not in loud or dramatic ways, but in quiet ones that stay with us long after we return home. It can soften us. Open us. Teach us to see the world and each other differently.

When we wander barefoot, we travel with awareness. We let go of expectations. We step into new places with respect and curiosity. We remember that no matter where we come from, we are all walking the same earth.

That is the heart of Wander Barefoot. And it is the way I hope you experience the world too.