Traveling back to you

NEXTletter turns fears into energy: We ask a question, share perspectives and an experiment to help you and your organization move from anxiety to action – with a future-ready mindstate - every other week.

Author

Frederik Pferdt
August 15, 2025

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Most of us think of travel as escape — a way to get away from our lives.
But what if travel could be the way back to ourselves?

Not the version of you in your calendar right now. Not the version juggling deadlines and to-do lists. I mean the version you’ve forgotten a little — the one who was curious before you were cautious, bold before you were busy, light before you were loaded.

I was reminded of this last summer, biking along the Bodensee where I grew up. I suddenly remembered the exact feeling of my teenage self pedaling that same path — the wind in my face, no plan except to see where the road went. That moment was like shaking hands with a younger me, and I carried that lightness back home with me.

The way most of us travel, we rarely give ourselves a chance to find that version again. We rush to tick sights off a list. We treat trips as quick fixes — a reset button before we return to “real life.” The travel industry feeds this: beach holidays, culture weekends, adventure tours. These are fine, but they don’t ask the deeper question:

What part of yourself is this trip helping you meet?

Because travel is more than movement across a map. Done right, it’s movement within yourself. It can calm anxiety, reignite courage, awaken curiosity, or shrink your ego. But only if we choose destinations — and ways of being there — that match what our inner journey needs.

If you’re reading this while on vacation, you’re in the perfect position to try this right now: look up from your itinerary and ask not just what you came to see — but who you came to find.

  • If you’ve been feeling small, maybe it’s time for mountains that remind you how big the world is.

  • If you’ve been restless, maybe it’s the slow rhythm of a fishing village that will give your mind a new pace.

  • If you’ve been carrying too much, maybe a vast desert is the space you need to finally set something down.

Every destination holds a quality that can nudge us toward who we want to be next. The trick is to choose not just where to go, but what part of you you’re traveling to find.

So here’s the invitation: When you think about your next trip — whether it’s across the world or just across town — ask yourself:

Which version of me do I want to visit?

Because sometimes the most important journey isn’t forward into the future. It’s a round trip to the best of who you’ve been, so you can bring them with you into what’s next.

ONE QUESTION

Which version of yourself would you like to meet again?

TWO PERSPECTIVES

1️⃣

The Younger You

Think back to an age when the world felt wide open — when you made choices from curiosity rather than caution. Younger You wasn’t worried about being fully prepared; they were willing to start, to try, to fall and try again. Travel can be a bridge back to that openness. The landscapes, sounds, and tastes you once loved can act like time machines, reminding you that this version of you isn’t gone — they’re simply waiting for a visit.

2️⃣

The Future You Looking Back

Imagine you’re ten years older, sitting somewhere peaceful, remembering this exact chapter of your life. What would Future You wish you had done more of now? Which trips would they wish you’d taken, which chances embraced, which small moments cherished? Seeing the present through their eyes can change how you choose your next journey — making it less about “getting away” and more about “stepping into” the story you want them to tell.

ONE EXPERIMENT

Your Personal Time-Travel Day Trip

If you’re on vacation right now, take a half-day and make it this: Pick a place — in your current destination or within 1–2 hours of home — that connects to a specific chapter of your life. Your childhood hometown park. A spot where you once celebrated something big. A place you explored in your twenties. Go there intentionally, as if you’re meeting an old friend. Bring an object, song, or food from that time. Spend at least an hour just being there — no phone, no rushing — and notice what memories, feelings, and ideas surface. Then, on the way home, write down one thing from that version of you that you want to carry into your life now.

If you’re on vacation right now…

Enjoy the mountains, the beach, the friends, the strangers, the food, your family — or simply yourself. And if you’re already feeling anxious about returning to your default life with a full inbox and an even longer to-do list, here’s one simple, free action to make your return easier: take 10 minutes before you leave to decide one thing you’ll keep from your trip in your daily life. This will double your future spirit and halve your anxiety about what’s next.

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1:1 Future Being Coaching

If you’re ready to not just travel to places — but travel into the next version of yourself — my Future Being Coaching is for you. In this 1:1 program, we explore who you want to become, uncover the inner and outer blocks keeping you from that future, and design concrete steps so you can live it now. It’s for people who don’t want to wait for change to happen — they want to shape it.

The future isn’t ahead of you. It’s already growing inside you.

Let’s keep creating what’s next - now.

Frederik