Ashley Travels The Globe

May 24, 2023

It’s been a long time coming, but I am so happy that I finally found my place in the travel world. I finally know who I am as a traveler and what it’s called!

I am an Immersive Traveler.

You have no idea how hyped I am to say that. Me! Ashley Travels the Globe has finally found a term for the type of traveler she is. I finally found my niche!

For years since I started Ashley Travels the Globe, I tried to figure out what type of traveler I was and who my audience would be. And I couldn’t quite figure it out. I knew I wasn’t a luxury traveler. I wanted to be one, but I knew I wasn’t. I knew I wasn’t a backpacker. I attempted to be a minimalist traveler, and often times I am. But a minimalist traveler didn’t encompass my true essence as a traveler.

I was and am the traveler who never really fancied hotels and resorts. I’ve also been the traveler who has been told on different occasions that I like to stay in the “hood” or “trenches” when I travel.
But that wasn’t the case. And I also don’t believe that where I stayed when I traveled was the “trenches” or “hood.” Instead, it was the places where you’d find the everyday person — the everyday hustle and bustle: the culture and the true essence of a destination.

I loved being a part of the everyday culture of a place. I enjoyed being immersed in the daily life. I enjoyed meeting the locals and hearing their stories. But I never knew what I was doing had a name. I just knew that I didn’t identify with the way other travel influencers traveled. It was nice, the way they traveled, but it wasn’t what I was doing.

And I didn’t find out that what I was doing was called Immersive Travel until I had a brief conversation with a friend about potentially visiting Aruba for my 12 trips in 12 months challenge.
She mentioned that Aruba might not be that fitting for me since I am an immersive traveler, and Aruba is more of a relaxed vacation spot.

Immersive Traveler? I said to myself. And at that very moment, everything about how I liked to travel made sense. I enjoyed going deeper than just going to a destination and doing all the touristy things. I always wanted to go below the surface and see the real version of a place. Hang out with the real locals, not just the hotel and resort staff. I enjoyed a small struggle and learning to navigate like a local because it challenged me. And I enjoyed the challenge.

You see, immersive travel teaches me about myself, and that’s why I enjoy it. Each struggle forces me to evolve, make new friends, and learn stories about the beautiful people in this world.

And since learning that I’m an immersive traveler, I have an even better understanding of my why in terms of why I travel. My reason has always been that I wanted to become more worldly and cultured. But now I travel because I want to continue shaking hands, hugging, laughing, and enjoying the stories of people I otherwise would have never met, and allow myself to learn their stories and to have them become a part of mine.

So welcome to Ashley Travels the Globe, my life as an Immersive Solo Traveler!