Travel Stories From Bryan Vowels and his Daughter, Kendall

How can we live a fulfilling life? For some the answer includes travel and all the experiences that come along with those adventures. Few people know that better than TrueNorth’s own Bryan Vowels and his oldest daughter, Kendall. For Bryan, time in nature restores the soul and has even shaped his life’s strategic plan. Kendall, an Icelandic Cave Tour Guide  who has explored the world both solo and with family, loved Iceland so much after three visits that she decided to call it home.

We asked them both what makes travel so fulfilling, their top tips for planning a trip, the unexpected ways travel changes us, and how exploring the world connects to their TrueNorth. From embracing the chaos to learning to say “it will all work out,” their answers just might inspire your next adventure.

How is travel fulfilling to you? What type of travel is most fulfilling to you and why?

Kendall Vowels:

The more I’ve travelled, the more that I value spending time in nature during my trip. There are so many beautiful places in the world, and I want to see as many as possible! Because this is what I value, I usually like to book my own trip rather than take a tour. It’s a lot more work, but the flexibility makes it worth it.

I tend to alternate between solo traveling, and traveling with friends and family. If there is someone who wants to join me, I’m always up for company and a shared experience! But once I got over my fears of solo travel, I can’t believe the additional experiences I’ve been able to have!

Bryan Vowels:

I really like all types of travel but being in nature restores my soul. I find travel fulfilling because it both provides a break from the daily routine to rejuvenate me and meets my love of exploring the culture and history of others and God’s beautiful creation. I enjoy creating adventures and memories, and sharing experiences with others. 

What top five tips do you have for traveling? Especially with family?

Kendall Vowels:

1. Travel during the shoulder seasons of your destination! It’s the time where most major attractions are still open, but there are less crowds and prices tend to be lower.
2. Leave time for the unexpected. I love a packed itinerary, but there can always be things that go wrong or take longer than expected. It’s nice to have some breathing space, and add additional activities in as time allows.
3. Skip using AI to do your travel planning. I can’t count the amount of unrealistic travel guides I’ve seen it create. It’s a useful tool to start the ideas, or polish an itinerary, but there are AMAZING free resources from travel blogs that will give you a more realistic idea for your trip. They’ve been there, lived it, and the AI is usually pulling from these sites anyways – you might as well go direct to the source.
4. When you travel as a group, use the downtime in particular to connect. Our family likes to play cards on free evenings, or on roadtrips we alternate who picks the music.
5. Be curious, present, and let yourself be awed.

Bryan Vowels:

1. Have a general plan on what you are doing every day.
2. Be flexible. Part of the joy of travel is discovering unplanned sites and adventures.
3. Build excitement for the trip with family members by sharing tidbits of what they will see and experience.  
4. Remember, the best memories of your journeys usually have nothing to do with money, meaning you do not have to spend a fortune to travel. Though, as you’re budgeting, also remember to invest in things that make sense like a unique tour. When I look back at great trips with the kids, it was the things that went wrong that we laugh at the most today, so embrace the chaos.  
5. I asked one of my favorite clients who traveled around the world, “what was your favorite trip?” She responded “Bryan, my favorite trip was where I was at when I was there. I opened my mind up to the people, to the culture and the different foods and Bryan, I made friends all over the world.” This is the best advice on travel I have ever heard. Be in the moment. Do not look for the problems, differences, or challenges but seize the moment on your trip and take time to soak it all in. This advice from a 90 year old taught me much more than just how to travel but more how to embrace the journey of life.  

What are the unseen benefits of travel?

Kendall Vowels:

Resilience is the first that comes to mind. What you’ll find is that you CAN survive a 12 hour layover, sleep overnight on an airport bench, change your plans on the day due to inclement weather, walk tens of thousands of steps every day for a week, figure out how to get to your hotel after you took the wrong train…not like I’m speaking from personal experience or anything. The more you encounter uncomfortable experiences during travel, the more you can deal with them in day to day life as well.

Bryan Vowels:

I believe travel does a lot. It opens up our eyes to the fact that we live in a big world. In college, I had a chance to do a summer program at Christ Church at Oxford University in England. I realized we live in a big world with a lot of different opinions and that is beautiful. I can and should hold onto my core beliefs and values, but I now have a better appreciation that others see the world differently and that is okay. I also believe it brings you renewed energy.  The excitement of planning for a trip and then being there adds joy, excitement and a change of pace.  

What are your favorite parts of travel?

Kendall Vowels:

I’m a photographer, so what I love most is being able to capture beautiful places and then share them. More than that though, I love new experiences. When I visited Morocco last year, it was the first time in a while that I experienced true culture shock…and it was extremely gratifying! Travel breaks me out of the day to day, and helps me to really appreciate life.

Bryan Vowels:

Airline delays. Just kidding but it is true that things that go wrong can lead to life changing events. Check out the song by Head and the Heart “Missed Connection” where the singer tells the true story of meeting his future wife because of a missed flight. Anyway, I will get back to the answer. To me, my favorite part of traveling is seeing the joy in others who experience something new. Experiences and memories go hand and hand. I also love the laughter of reminiscing with family and friends on past journeys.   

What’s the most daunting part of travel and how do you (can others) overcome that?

Kendall Vowels:

When you’re traveling, things can and will go wrong. You’re putting yourself into an unknown environment. Easing into different kinds of travel can help you to gain confidence in unknown situations. For someone who hasn’t travelled much, I would recommend group tours that take you to several different cities. They will take care of almost everything, but you can still encounter different cultures and experiences. As you then get more comfortable, you could move to a hybrid model where you have some day tours, but also some itinerary you plan on your own or with a travel planner. And then once you get the travel bug like me, maybe you’ll travel any way and any chance you get!

But there is a difference between being unsafe and being uncomfortable. Needing to figure out how to use public transportation in a new city is uncomfortable. Deciding to drive in Iceland when the government has issued a severe weather warning, that’s unsafe. What it boils down to is that the most important thing is to be prepared, but be open. You get so much more out of travel when you feel confident, but are adaptable when things change or go wrong.

Bryan Vowels:

Getting started. I have clients who never traveled who started by going on either a group trip or would work with a great travel planner to lay it all out. As you get more comfortable with travel, you may want to plan your own trips but if not, find a travel planner you love and start dreaming of the next adventure.  

How does travel align with your TrueNorth, or help you on your journey toward your TrueNorth?

Kendall Vowels:

I believe my TrueNorth has to do with creating, learning, and exploring. When I’m living life in these areas is when I feel like I’m living life best. I don’t always have to be traveling to engage in these things, but travel is the best opportunity I’ve found to engage all three.

Bryan Vowels:

It is my TrueNorth. Travel, especially being in nature draws me closer to God and allows me to live out what gives me light so that I can share that light with others. Several years ago on a hiking trip to Yellowstone with my oldest daughter, I got up early to write my life’s strategic plan. It started with “knowing today, I can go out today and become bear scat. I want to spend the time that I have left by doing things that bring light to my soul, so I can bring that to others.” This included:

• Exploring the world, continuing to be a student not an expert by exploring new ideas, how the world works and God’s creation.
• Creating. Being a part of creating new things, whether that is a new service, a way to change the world around us with others, or a new experience for others.
• Share. Being generous in sharing time, resources, and advice to better serve others.  

Travel fills all of these for me.   

Are all trips the same? Same goals for every trip? What do you look for when planning a trip?

Kendall Vowels:

Definitely not, I travel for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, it’s to explore somewhere new. Sometimes, it’s to revisit someplace that I love. Sometimes, its main purpose is to spend time with friends or family. Sometimes it’s to spend time alone. Rarely, it’s to relax- I usually come back from traveling more tired than when I left! But to me, that’s the difference between travel and vacation, and I usually use traveling to do and see as much as possible!

Having a clear purpose for your trip is important when planning. It can help you set the pace, decide on if you want a guided tour or DIY, prioritize what you want to do, and more.

Bryan Vowels:

Depends. Sometimes it is a place to spend time together and slow down after a busy season and sometimes a grand adventure.  

What draws you to Iceland? Tell us about your experience there?

Kendall Vowels:

What doesn’t draw me to Iceland is more the question! What first drew me, made me visit three times before I moved here, and still puts me in a state of awe, is the nature. Waterfalls, northern lights, glaciers, volcanoes…the list goes on and on. It’s been amazing to explore the island in different seasons and conditions, and even after a year, I still have an ever growing list of places I want to visit or visit again.

What keeps me here though is so much more, which includes learning about the culture and adapting to a new place. It’s been about building a community, getting acquainted with the pace of life, finding out what job opportunities there are here, and trying (and often failing) to learn the language. There’s a great phrase in Iceland, þetta reddast, meaning it will all work out. It’s something I’m trying to adopt into my life and travels in the future.

Bryan Vowels:

God’s Creation at work. The people are friendly but it is nature on an amazing scale. From glaciers to volcanos, the power of the sea, the beauty and majesty of incredible waterfalls, whales, puffins, and herds of wild reindeer. To me it is a magical place and I am so happy that our oldest, Kendall, has a chance to live there for a few years.

Thank you Kendall and Bryan for sharing more about your approach to travel and how it’s become a key part of living out your TrueNorth. 

Also, we love having Kendall’s photography around the office. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to stop by our office to check out her scenic captures.