In this episode of the Wisdom & Wanderlust Podcast, Michael and Robyn talk with David Alport, a certified personal and professional development coach who helps his clients navigate through life’s transitions and live with more intention. Before he became a coach, David spent more than 20 years in the travel industry and founded Out & About, a company that provided guidance for LGBTQ travelers through print and digital media.

David talks about a trip to India that changed his life and how he approaches travel. He also talks about the similarities between the Burning Man festival and a refugee camp in Kenya. He shares why he goes back to certain destinations more than once and what it means to travel and live with intention.

"The real magic of travel is how it changes your perspective." - David Alport [47:54]

What You Will Learn:

• [00:01] Intro
• [02:44] Working with a coach
• [05:02] David’s strengths as a coach
• [08:16] Meet David Alport
• [10:02] What it’s like coaching during the pandemic
• [15:59] How his focus has shifted and where he wants to go after the pandemic
• [20:58] Where David’s sense of wanderlust comes from
• [21:08] His first international travel experience and some favorite travel experiences
• [24:14] David’s experiences traveling to India
• [33:57] What he’s learned exploring the human condition
• [35:28] The emotional overlap between the refugee camps in Kenya and Burning Man
• [41:42] Why he chooses to revisit places
• [44:51] The perspective circle exercise
• [48:08] How to bring intentional mindset to traveling
• [54:34] Three key tools/hacks for traveling with intention
• [1:02:15] Why David doesn’t have friends who don’t like to travel
• [1:07:54] Rapid fire questions
• [1:19:58] Where to contact David
• [1:21:02] Outro

Resources:

• David Alport’s website
• David Alport on Twitter
• David Alport on LinkedIn
• David Alport on Facebook
• The Transformational Travel Council
• Burning Man
• FilmAid
• Kakuma refugee camp
• The Dadaab refugee complex
• The perspective circle exercise
• The Overstory by Richard Powers