All Episodes 158: Ralph Velasco: Bucket Lists for Travel
158: Ralph Velasco: Bucket Lists for Travel
Ralph Velasco returns to The Prestigious Initiative to share stories and lessons from his new book, Bucket Lists for Travel: Places to Go Before Your Knees Give Out! — a celebration of adventure, aging well, and embracing life while you can. As a travel photographer, entrepreneur, and storyteller, Ralph has spent decades exploring the world and helping others do the same. In this conversation, Chris and Ralph dive into what “mindful travel” really means, why curiosity is the ultimate business skill, and how entrepreneurs can stay passionate while building careers that allow freedom and purpose. With humor, heart, and practical insight, Ralph proves that adventure doesn’t end when your knees start to ache — it evolves. This episode is for anyone ready to explore more — in the world, in their work, and within themselves.
Travel is Not a Checklist: How to Move from Tourist to Cultural Explorer with Ralph Velasco
We’ve all seen it—the frantic rush from landmark to landmark, the phone held high to snap a picture before being herded back onto a bus. We call it travel, but too often, it’s just tourism. It’s consumption, not connection. You return home with photos, but did you ever truly arrive?
What if travel could be something deeper? What if it could be the single greatest tool for personal growth, creativity, and human connection?
In this episode of The Prestigious Initiative, I sat down with Ralph Velasco, an award-winning travel photography instructor and expert in cultural immersion. Ralph has spent decades guiding people beyond the postcard views and into the heart of what makes a place—and its people—tick.
Our conversation was a masterclass in transforming how we see the world. We dismantled the myth of the passive tourist and laid out a blueprint for becoming a true explorer. If you’ve ever felt that hollow feeling after a "perfect" trip, or if you want your next journey to change you, this is your guide.
The Tourist Trap: Why Our Modern Travel Model is Broken
We began by diagnosing the problem. Ralph immediately pinpointed the core issue with how most people approach travel: a focus on logistics over experience.
“People get so wrapped up in the logistics of travel… they forget to actually have the experience,” he observed. We obsess over flights, hotels, and itineraries, treating the journey like a project to be managed. This creates what he called a “tourist mentality”—a passive state of consumption where we simply “show up, look at things, take some pictures, eat some food, and leave.”
The result? A superficial connection that leaves us unchanged. We collect stamps and selfies, but we miss the stories, the textures, and the transformative moments that happen in the spaces between the monuments.
Becoming an Explorer: The Mindset of Intentional Immersion
So, how do we break free? Ralph introduced a powerful shift in identity: from Tourist to Explorer.
An explorer, in Ralph’s definition, is proactive, curious, and engaged. “An explorer is looking to learn something… They’re there to have an experience that they can then bring back and share in a meaningful way.”
This isn’t about physical daring; it’s about a mindset of intentional curiosity. It means putting down the checklist and picking up a sense of wonder. It’s trading the security of a rigid schedule for the vulnerability of a real conversation with a local. As Ralph put it, the goal is to “get a little bit below the surface” of a destination.
Your Camera as a Passport: How Photography Fuels Deeper Connection
As a travel photography instructor, Ralph offered a profound insight: a camera isn’t a barrier to connection; it’s one of the best tools to facilitate it.
Most people use their phone or camera to “take” something—to capture proof they were there. Ralph teaches people to use photography to “give” attention and to “see” more deeply. When you walk through a market looking for interesting light, authentic expressions, or unique details, you are forced to slow down and observe with purpose.
“It gets you out of your own head,” he explained. That mindful focus, that search for composition and story, pulls you out of the tourist bubble and into the present moment of the place. It turns a casual stroll into an active exploration. The camera becomes a reason to linger, to notice, and ultimately, to engage.
The Practical Path to Deeper Travel: Ralph’s Actionable Framework
Our conversation moved from philosophy to practical strategy. Ralph didn’t just define the problem; he provided a clear, actionable framework for solving it.
1. Slow Down and Stay Longer.
The single biggest lever you can pull is pace. Ralph advocated fiercely for staying in one place longer. “Get on the ground, stay as long as you can, and slow down,” he urged. Rushing through five cities in seven days guarantees you’ll only ever be a tourist. Spending four days in one town allows you to learn its rhythms, recognize faces, and discover the café that isn’t in the guidebook.
2. Embrace the “Un-Itinerary.”
Ralph advised blocking out time for absolutely nothing. “Leave big gaps in your itinerary… so that you can be available for whatever might present itself.” This is where magic happens—the chance invitation, the unexpected festival, the spontaneous conversation. Mastery in travel, as in life, isn’t about controlling every moment; it’s about creating the conditions for serendipity.
3. Engage Before You Go.
The exploration starts at home. Ralph suggested doing “homework” that builds anticipation and context. Listen to music from the region. Watch a film set there. Learn a few basic phrases in the local language. This preparation isn’t about planning every minute; it’s about building a foundational curiosity that will make you more receptive when you arrive.
4. Connect with a “Friend of a Friend.”
One of Ralph’s simplest yet most powerful tips: before you travel, ask your network if they know anyone living in your destination. A single introduction to a local person can completely reshape your experience. It’s the difference between seeing a place and feeling it through the eyes of someone who calls it home.
The Ultimate Reward: Travel as a Catalyst for Personal Growth
Throughout our talk, a central theme emerged: the best travel experiences are those that change you.
When you embrace discomfort, practice curiosity, and seek genuine connection, you’re not just collecting memories—you’re expanding your own boundaries. You’re practicing empathy on a global scale. You’re confronting your own biases and discovering your resilience.
Ralph’s mission, through his teaching and tours, is to facilitate this kind of growth. He doesn’t just want you to come home with beautiful photos (though you will). He wants you to return with new perspectives, greater confidence, and a deeper understanding of both the world and your place in it.
That is the prestigious initiative of the true explorer.
If this conversation reshaped how you think about travel, please share it with a fellow traveler. Subscribe to The Prestigious Initiative for more dialogues designed to sharpen your edge and deepen your experiences.
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Randall Ian Thames spent 35 years navigating corporate boardrooms—from C-suite to senior roles at the world’s top consulting firms. Now, through his Inspirit Institute and the “Discover–Develop–Display™” framework, Randall helps leaders find their hidden “superpower,” ignite inner purpose, and produce inevitable outcomes in their careers and lives. In this episode of The Prestigious Initiative, Chris and Randall dig into how to build leadership from the inside out, why purpose fuels sustainable progress, and how every leader can rise—not just to the role, but beyond. Expect practical tools, philosophical depth, and stories that will make you rewrite what you thought success looked like.
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