What does traveling mean to you?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary puts the word ‘travel’ as a verb and an action. Travel, to go on a journey or embark on a trip. However, what do the words ‘journey’ and ‘trip’ entail? These broad general terms allow people to use them in a personal sense. Meaning, a walk to work for someone could be just as much of a journey as traveling around the world for someone else. When you think of your ideal travel and journey experience, what comes to your mind? What measures are you willing to take to make that journey happen; to make it epic? Would it be a weekend getaway, a week-long vacation, a month of hopping around? How about a whole year of being on the move? Define your journey and what it means for you to travel.
Meet the Hansens!
When you put the word ‘global’ in front of ‘travel,’ it specifies the plan to travel around the world. The Hansen family from Denmark is doing just that. After selling the family house and business and uprooting the kids from school, the Hansens set out east into Europe with an end goal of going all the way around.
After meeting the family at the Overland Expo West, the New Legend team could not help but invite them to our home base, Ames, Iowa. Although cornfields and flat landscapes are not always the most exciting view, the peace and calmness of Iowa horizons and sunsets cannot be beaten.
From Flagstaff, Arizona, the Hansens agreed to meet with us after spending another month crawling up the West Coast, passing through Banff, and then driving down through Montana. Finally, they arrived in Ames.
The thing about social interaction, in general, is a certain amount of perspective and learning made through everyday conversation. As the Hansens iterated, traveling only amplifies those interactions when going from culture to culture, giving even more perspective.
Hospitality, an important attribute in the offroad and traveling community.
One of the big things the New Legend brand is all about is hospitality. When traveling, even throughout the U.S., interactions with people from different places happen. What makes a good experience better is the people that are involved, whether those people are your close traveling partners or the gentlemen who spend an hour helping you find an ATM in the middle of Japan. Hospitality and kindness go a long way in each culture. We want to hang on to the importance of being people together.
“When you see people in the city with a map, addressing them and asking if they need help or if they would like for you to show them the way makes a world of difference. We were in a city, and our Range Rover was down, and a gentleman spent an hour with us looking for an ATM being very helpful and kind” (Emil Hansen, 23-year-old son).
“Back home, I would run and exercise on the bike trail and would see campers and travelers along the way and think why are they here? What is the point of this? After my experience traveling, now I want to address them with kindness because my perspective has shifted” (Maas Hansen, Father).
Apart from the amazing sites and adrenaline rushes this world has to offer, it would not be the same if you were doing it alone. In traveling and watching travelers, putting yourself out there to take the first step of being friendly can make crazy changes to the way you think and lead you to places you never thought you would be. All with a simple, “How’s it going?”, or “Can I help you?”, or “What’s your story?”
What a great time and experience for the New Legend team and the Barber family to not just host a family but a spectacular story.
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