How to Create and Live By Your Traveler's Manifesto

Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

If you often find yourself wishing you could travel more but just can't decide where, when, or how, then this article is for you.

Table of Contents

1. What Is a Traveler’s Manifesto
2. Benefits of a Traveler’s Manifesto
3. Getting Inspired
4. Writing a Draft
5. Revisiting Your Draft
6. Using a Second Set of Eyes
7. Finalizing and Displaying

When it comes to travel, are you feeling less satisfied than you think you could be? Like something is missing? Or maybe you’re just not seeing new places as often as you’d like. You think about going “someday,” but “someday” never seems to arrive.

Possibly, you’re unsure where you want to go, why you want to go there, or even why you want to go anywhere, for that matter? But you still know you want to travel.

As citizens of the world, traveling allows us to shatter stereotypes, make cross-cultural connections, and leave a positive impact — all while changing ourselves for the better at the same time. But, we need to create clarity around it all in order to make this kind of difference and gain the satisfaction that we know is possible.

That’s where a traveler’s manifesto comes in. Learn more about what a traveler’s manifesto is and how you can start writing your own today!

1. What Is a Traveler’s Manifesto

Simply put, this type of manifesto is a written declaration that will give your travels meaning and direction. It will help you prioritize what’s important to you, provide inspiration, and guide your choices on your adventures.

Think of it as your own personal mission statement. And, after taking this pledge that you create for yourself, you’ll be on your way to leading a life rich in new experiences!

2. Benefits of a Traveler’s Manifesto

So what else can a traveler’s manifesto do for you? Check out these other reasons why you may want to write one:

• Act as your best, authentic self during travel but also in everyday life, too!
• Make important decisions in your travels
• Clarify your travel priorities
• Help guide your actions when you’re not sure which direction to take

3. Getting Inspired

You might be concerned about where you’ll get ideas for your manifesto. Don’t worry, the ideas should all flow right out of you! There are tons of manifestos out there that you could draw inspiration from, but just remember, yours should be totally unique to you. A simple search for “personal manifesto, travel manifesto, or personal mission statement” yields some great examples to base yours on.

Here’s what we stand for at Conquest Maps:

• We believe that travel is one of the greatest sources of fulfillment in life.
• Travel teaches and develops traits such as curiosity, perseverance, and gratitude.
• Exploring new places encourages growth and learning in each of us, which opens our minds, broadens our horizons, and gives us greater perspective.
• Ultimately, travel is a powerful and necessary antidote to bigotry, ignorance, and limiting beliefs.
• By helping others travel more, we believe we will help make the world a better place.

While this will surely continue to evolve, this is a solid foundation upon which we make decisions. We’ve carefully considered and developed why travel is important to us and why we want to make a difference in the world within this niche.

One of the best parts is that your manifesto can help you surround yourself with people who see their relationship with travel as similar to the way you do.

4. Writing a Draft

Now it’s your turn to try! First, decide what format you want your manifesto to take. It could be a bulleted list, short paragraphs, or a letter you write to yourself. (We’ll provide some templates at the end of this article and make it super simple!) Jot down all the ideas that come to mind.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Why do I travel?
• What do I stand for?
• What makes me come alive?
• What are my biggest dreams and goals?
• What am I most passionate about?
• What gives my life purpose?
• What do I want my legacy to be?
• What inspires and motivates me?
• What travel experiences have shaped me?
• What are my core values?
• How will I deal with disappointments and hardships?
• How will I handle failures and mistakes?
• What is my approach to risk-taking and seizing opportunities?
• How will I spend my time? My money?

A great way to get even deeper with your manifesto is to answer your questions, and then to that answer, ask "why?” again. Take it a few layers deep for a deeper, truer reason why you answered the questions the way you have.

Here’s one example that will give you a place to start:

Q: Why do I travel?

A: Because I want to broaden my horizons and learn about other cultures while having fun and getting a break from my day-to-day life.

Q: Why?

A: Because understanding other cultures and having a greater perspective helps me appreciate my own circumstances.

Q: Why is that important?

A: Because understanding how well I have it here makes me grateful. Being grateful for what I have in my life is an important aspect of being and becoming the best version of myself so that I can show up for my family and friends as an inspirational and uplifting presence who will be able to help them become the best versions of themselves as well.

It gets really interesting when you go deep. You’ll learn things about yourself that you might not have realized before!

Guidelines for Your Manifesto

When you start writing, especially when you’re answering some tough questions, use these guidelines to keep you on track:

• Use strong and empowering language
• Write it in the present tense
• Use the first person (I, me, my…)
• Make it uplifting

You might want to make your manifesto short enough that you can read it before and after every trip, or even every day. Start your sentences with phrases like:

• I will…
• I am committed to…
• I want to live in a world where…
• I believe…

5. Revisiting Your Draft

After you’ve written a rough draft, it’s a good idea to set it aside for a bit, then come back to it the next day. You can highlight what you feel most strongly about and cross out what you’re unsure about, or that seems redundant or unnecessary. You might also want to periodically edit your manifesto, treating it as a living document that evolves and grows as you do!

6. Using a Second Set of Eyes

Since a manifesto is personal, it’s completely up to you if it makes sense to share it or not. But another set of eyes could help you see more clearly and could even spark some inspiration in others to follow in your footsteps. Having another person question and explore your manifesto will solidify your commitment to yourself to be the person you want to be.

However, if sharing doesn’t seem right to you, you don’t have to do it! Use your gut as your guide. Maybe, later on, it will feel like the right moment to share.

7. Finalizing and Displaying

Challenge yourself to truly live out your manifesto. Don’t just tuck it away in a notebook or desk drawer, never to see the light of day again. Once you have a final version, print it out big and make it pretty. Hang it somewhere where you’ll see it every single day, like your mirror or the fridge door. Make it part of your morning routine, or read it before bed. It’ll eventually become a habit, and you won’t even have to think about it.

Your traveler’s manifesto is a powerful tool. It should inspire you, challenge you, and change you in all the best ways. Remember, it’s a living document that will guide you as you navigate through your journey. Be sure to reference it often as you travel to ensure you’re staying on track and in line with your unique core values.

And of course, as promised, you can download our simple template to get you started! This template is a simple document that you can print and take with you, just as a starting point on the path to having your own Traveler’s Manifesto.

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Get Started Today!

Once you’re clear on why you’re traveling and understand what role you want travel to play in your life, the next step is to make sure you know where it is you want to go! Make a list of your top destinations and take steps to accomplish your travel goals.

Tracking your travels is a great way to keep your manifesto fresh, and it’s easy to do. It has a plethora of benefits that are sure to help you succeed on your own personal journey, too! Consider commemorating each trip with a special souvenir or wall decor — like a travel map!

Our Maps

At Conquest Maps, we provide beautiful, pinnable, personalizable push pin maps that are guaranteed to help you achieve your travel goals so that you can truly become the person you want to be and live a life rich in experiences. See how we can provide you with the perfect map that matches your personality, travel goals, and budget, and you’ll be on your way to living out your new traveler’s manifesto.