Travel and Personal Growth: Khin Omar Win of Gangtey Lodge On Why & How Traveling Can Help Us Become Better Human Beings
An interview with Maria Angelova
Seek places off the beaten track — regain the sense of adventure, and element of surprise and inspiration by going somewhere where few have been. Taking the time to be consciously present in places of natural beauty can increase mindfulness.
Thankfully, the world is open for travel once again. Traveling can broaden our horizons and make space for people to become more open-minded. How can travel give us the opportunity for personal growth? What are some ways that travel can help us become better human beings? As a part of our series about “How Traveling Can Help Us Become Better Human Beings”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Khin Omar Win.
Khin Omar Win along with her husband Brett Melzer own the multi-award-winning 12 suite Gangtey Lodge sits perched high above the protected Phobjikha (Gangtey) Valley in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. At Gangtey Lodge sustainability is not just a word but a way of life. Through dedicated programmes to assist the community, supporting the 17th Century Gangtey Monastery, and working in collaboration with the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN), Gangtey Lodge is committed to helping protect the culture, traditions and biodiversity of Phobjikha Valley.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I was born in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma), but moved to London when I was five with my parents, brother and baby sister. My father was a doctor who had been involved in some demonstrations, and left Myanmar to get us away from the military regime. We left Burma in the late 1970s, away from the warmth of a large, loving multigenerational family home of my grandparents, aunts and uncles, to the cold of a three bedroomed Doctor’s flat in winter in London.Growing up in England my parent’s stories about Myanmar fascinated me. Being shy and sheltered, I saw travel as pure escapism. My first overseas trip was to Myanmar at the age of 11. Yangon was a time warp of faded, crumbling colonial architecture, unspoilt culture, and smiling people who still wore the national dress. Family and community ties were strong, with day-to-day life steeped in ritual-bound Buddhist traditions. I found myself in what seemed like parallel worlds that continued to exist, even once I returned to modern life in the UK. Decades later, my first trip to Bhutan brought back these same emotions.
What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.
I have been in the luxury experiential travel industry for the past 20 years but growing up I had always dreamed of a career in the development aid sector, which my degree was focused on.My father was my first inspiration. A doctor and practicing Buddhist, he loved his job and drummed into me from a young age the importance of doing one’s job with passion, purpose and to help others. He worked long hours but was never tired, and would always say ‘if you find a job that you are passionate about, it will never feel like work’. He also taught me to pursue contentment (the long-lasting feelings of satisfaction and gratitude), rather than happiness (the temporary feeling of joy), or purely money. His words were always in the back of my mind when choosing to pursue my career. My second inspiration was my husband, Brett. I had actually never planned to pursue a career in travel but instead fell into it by falling in love! Six months after moving to Myanmar in my mid 20s to pursue my career, I met Brett when he gate crashed a friend’s dinner party. Five months later, we were engaged. At the time, Myanmar had just joined ASEAN, and was opening up to the world, through tourism. Just over a year after we met, we left our jobs and set up our first tourism business together, Balloons over Bagan.My brief experience as a consultant with the UNOPS in upper Myanmar, exposed me to the limitations of the international aid sector, and lead me to believe that we could combine our business in tourism with a strong social development angle, something which is integral to all our projects to this day
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?
My mother for her strength, steadfast support, and guidance, my husband Brett for his sense of crazy adventure, and my first serious boss, Michael Dobbs-Higginson, former chairman of Merryl Lynch Asia pacific, who taught me structure and discipline in a commercial sense.
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or takeaway did you learn from that?
Very early in my career, my husband and I built a luxury wilderness lodge in Northern Myanmar. We were fortunate to have an internationally renowned architect offer his services, and I remember sitting in a tea-house, debating how long it would take to build. Our architect said ‘three months’ based on his experience building similar structures in Indonesia and Brett agreed. The design was eight rooms, built from wood, thatch and bamboo. I asked the local tea-shop owner, and explained the structures and materials needed. ‘How long do you think it will take us to build?’ I asked. ‘To collect the materials and build?’. She considered for a moment, before replying. ‘Three years’.
She was right. It took us three years. Little did we know at the time that we would have to plant, grow, harvest and prepare all the materials that we needed. Building our 12 roomed Gangtey Lodge also took three years. The lesson I learnt was to always approach new situations with an open mind and leave assumptions behind; that things always take longer than expected; finally, to always respect and listen to local knowledge, however crazy it may sound, and that you don’t know what you don’t know.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
The Buddhist saying ‘Life is Impermanent’ — that all things in life are subject to change, with good times following bad, and bad times following good. This resonates with me both in business and in my personal life. Understanding that life is impermanent has made me optimistic, resilient and grateful when times are tough; cautious and to prepare for the future when times are good.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
Post COVID, we noticed that many of our guests were visiting Bhutan not just to sightsee, but with a deeper underlying purpose — to connect with their loved ones after years apart; to question their purpose in life; to seek spirituality; or to understand Bhutan’s concept of Gross National Happiness for a different perspective. Almost all commented that they found solace in the nature of the valley, the values and simpler way of village life based on spiritual and community ties, and the warmth of, and connecting with, our team at the Lodge.In response we are launching our Bhutanese inspired ‘5 Keys to Well-Being Retreat’ focusing on connecting with people, physical activity, learning new skills, giving to others and being mindful.
Based on your research or personal experience, why do you think travel can lead to personal growth? Can you share a story?
From my experience I think travel can lead to personal growth because new environments expose you to new challenges, and to people who may hold different values and sets of beliefs leading a different way of life to your own.Trips that have impacted me most were a school trip to the Soviet Union when I was 16; spending my university summers volunteer teaching children in Romania; teaching in UN refugee camps in the West Bank; and finally, my first visit to Bhutan in 2004.Guests often say that visiting Bhutan is transformational, with the effect lasting long after their return home. They leave with their beliefs challenged, after conversations with their guides or Bhutanese people about gross national happiness.
A recent survey from Psychology Today showed that over 80% of participants found that travel helped them with problem-solving or decision-making. Why do you think this is true for so many people?
Life can be full of stress and other distractions. Travel can remove people from their daily routine and offer quality breathing space to think and reflect on problems. The change in scenery and exposure to alternative viewpoints can enable people to step back to see their problem in a new light or a different perspective, and gain clarity.
Do you think travel enhances our mindfulness, optimism, or sense of gratitude? How? Can you please explain with an example or story?
Sharing quality time with loved ones, or traveling to destinations seemingly less fortunate than our own can enhance our sense of gratitude. In Bhutan our lodge sits in a remote upland Himalayan Valley. Life here is tough and the opportunities that we have in the West seem a million miles away and unobtainable. Yet people seem just as happy as we are and show acts of kindness and generosity despite their lack of material wealth.
Surely not everyone who travels automatically becomes an exemplar of human decency. What are a few reasons why some people completely miss out on the growth opportunities that travel can offer?
I think some people completely miss out on growth opportunities that travel can offer by traveling with a closed mindset. Not being present is also a common reason, for example, being physically in an exotic location with all the opportunities of growth available, but missing them because their mind is back in New York. Finally, prioritizing only physical comfort, relaxation and fun in a trip, and not the growth opportunities of learning from the different values, beliefs and ways of life of the people in a destination.
Thank you for that. Now for our main question; What are your “5 Habits You Should Develop In Order Make Travel Into An Opportunity For Personal Growth?”
- Step out of your comfort zone. It’s relaxing and convenient to book a luxury villa, in a destination that you know. Successful people tend to surround themselves in a bubble of luxury and efficiency when traveling that may be comfortable but not conducive to personal growth — from the business class flight, to a personal driver and guide, to the 5-star resort. But being out of our comfort zone can test us, challenge us, and inspire us, and lead to personal growth.
- Seek places off the beaten track — regain the sense of adventure, and element of surprise and inspiration by going somewhere where few have been. Taking the time to be consciously present in places of natural beauty can increase mindfulness.
- Go local — wherever you travel, seek and incorporate some experiences led by locals. At Gangtey Lodge we arrange for guests to visit a local farmhouse where guests can spend an afternoon making cheese and butter, having lunch with the family or helping with a harvest. Rolling up your sleeves and bonding with different people in different cultures is always personally rewarding and mentally stimulating
- Tick off your bucket lists — COVID has highlighted that we can’t necessarily leave bucket lists for retirement travel. Seize the day and share trips with loved ones whenever you can.
- Once a year, travel to a place you’ve not been to before — Many people who are busy have the same holiday routine each year — they visit the same places, do the same activities, and get together with the same people each year; Europe in summer, skiing in winter, gatherings at the beach house. Going to new places, meeting new people, enrich us with new perspectives, test our biases, keeps us connected with new trends, or enables us to reflect on our life and current decisions.
From your experience, does travel have a negative impact on personal growth too? Is there a downside to traveling?
Travel can have a negative impact on personal growth if poorly planned. Who hasn’t been on a bad holiday full of stress, by biting off more than you can chew or trying to tick off too many “must see must do” items. Like all good things in life, less is often more and slow purposeful travel is the way to go. Pick just one region or area and take the time and make the effort to fully immerse yourself.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them 🙂
I would love to have a private breakfast with Cheryl Sandberg who made a big impact on my own personal growth. Her Ted Talk, and book ‘Lean In’, led me to participate Stanford’s ‘Executive Course in Women Leadership’. Asian women in business have significant contradictions and identities to navigate. I wanted to thank her for teaching women around the world the importance of ‘sitting at the table’.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
www.gangteylodge.com IG @Gangteylodge
Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent on this. We wish you continued success.
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
Travel and Personal Growth: Khin Omar Win of Gangtey Lodge On Why & How Traveling Can Help Us… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.