article written by Diane Stopyra, feature writer and associate editor, UD Magazine
He’s come face to face with an African bush elephant in Botswana, feasted (reluctantly) on a slab of reindeer tongue in Sweden, and perched on black volcanic rock at the base of the iconic Skogafoss waterfall in Iceland — a cascade so thunderous it features in both Viking lore and Game of Thrones.
Michael Bennett has explored more than 50 countries, collecting both passport stamps and life-affirming experiences. Now, the University of Delaware alumnus is facilitating awe-inspiring moments for clients around the country. Co-founder and CEO of Explorer X, a travel design company based in Seattle, he’s helping people not just see the world — but feel it.
“We look at the work we do less as travel planning and more like art,” said Bennett, Class of 2000. “These aren’t cookie-cutter tours. These are the experiences we hope will rewire your brain.”
A native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Bennett grew up in a middle-class family whose vacations rarely stretched beyond the Jersey Shore — or, for a splurge, Myrtle Beach. His only globe-trotting came from devouring dog-eared copies of National Geographic.
Until, that is, UD.
On a study abroad trip to Costa Rica, the business major traded suburban routine for a full-sensory awakening. He lived with a local family who owned a three-legged dog and cold-water-only plumbing. He explored the glassy surf of Tamarindo, the tangled jungles of Montezuma and the lively markets of San Jose. Even the sight of armed guards stationed outside neighborhood buildings, semi-automatic weapons slung across their chests, jolted him in the best way. He felt completely, totally, ridiculously alive.
And then he got plowed over by a car.
While out for a jog one evening, Bennett came upon a vehicle that signaled one way but turned the other, and his head collided with the windshield. He suffered a concussion, a broken hand and pebbles embedded so far into his shoulder, they’re still there. But he also discovered a new perspective.
“I was this 20-year-old kid thinking I was immortal, and then suddenly I realized: Life can be really, really short,” he said. “This was a powerful moment for me. Moving forward, I wasn’t going to take experiences — or life — for granted.”
Following graduation, Bennett landed a job doing marketing for a semiconductor manufacturer, a role “just as terrible as it sounds.” The position only fueled his wanderlust. When he learned about a colleague’s upcoming trip overseas, he helped him plan, using company equipment to print large-scale (think five-foot-by-eight-foot) maps of Europe. When Bennett was terminated for printing these maps, he set off for Europe as well and spent six weeks exploring the sights and side streets of 13 countries.
“Totally worth getting fired,” he said.
Eventually, Bennett made his way to California’s Pepperdine University for an MBA in global business (and another semester abroad, this time in Copenhagen), plus a doctorate in education focused largely on experiential learning. His dissertation: travel as a catalyst for personal growth.
“It’s not just about collecting Instagram shots,” Bennett said. “Travel shifts how you see yourself and the world. You come back a new, better version of yourself. And you move about the world differently.”
Today, Bennett facilitates that growth at Explorer X, the company he launched with a partner nine years ago. He and a team of self-described travel designers (“agents” doesn’t quite cut it) create highly customized itineraries for clients in 25+ countries. They specialize in “slow” travel, not merely handing off sightseeing checklists that span every tourist attraction imaginable, but curating fewer — and more meaningful — experiences. These plans, which start at about $20,000, aren’t the kind you can dream up with a little bit of ambition and some Wi-Fi; the designers rely on their own globe-trotting reconnaissance as well as the expertise of “local destination partners,” on-the-ground collaborators Bennett’s met through professional conferences.
The experiences on offer are intimate and, in many cases, off the beaten path. In Italy, clients take private cooking classes at the home of a local chef. In Spain, they visit the studio of art restoration experts, learning over wine and cheese how to revive paintings worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. And in the Faroe Islands, they climb with a private guide to the edge of the world, a narrow, grassy headland where rugged sea cliffs disappear into mist. For the especially adventurous, Explorer X offers Destination: Unknown, a custom itinerary meticulously planned around the traveler’s passions and interests, with one major detail withheld until a day or two before departure — where, exactly, they’re going.
“People tell me over and over again: My life has just gotten so mundane and predictable,” Bennett said. “It’s Groundhog Day, and they’re looking for that feeling of being alive.”
To help clients get the most out of their experiences, Explorer X equips each traveler with a “mindful travel toolkit” — a collection of resources (articles, prompts and activities) meant to encourage reflection before, during and even after a trip. For some, that reflection has clarified major life decisions. One client decided to leave a toxic relationship; another worked up the courage to ask for a promotion. But for most travelers, the changes are quieter. For a couple traveling to Chile, the shift began with a simple mantra: “Let it roll.” They chose it as a reminder to go with the unexpected: canceled flights, missed connections, whatever the trip might throw their way. But the phrase followed them home.
“They tell me it’s become a guiding principle,” Bennett said. “Now it shapes what they say yes to, what they say no to and how tightly they hold on to expectations.”
The Blue Hen is so convinced of travel’s power, he’s begun giving it away. Through Explorer X’s Hero Travel Fund, the company sets aside 1% of its annual revenue to send people doing difficult, service-oriented work on restorative journeys. Last year, the fund awarded about $18,000 to two nominees. A New York-area social worker who grew up in foster care — and spent more than a decade working to improve the system — received a 12-day trip to Tanzania. Another award helped fund a honeymoon to Slovenia for a teacher who mentors first-generation immigrants.
While Bennett said he’s gratified to offer these once-in-a-lifetime journeys to deserving individuals, he cautions against thinking transformative experiences happen only in remote locations — or while floating above them in a luxury hot air balloon, as the case may be. Even a modest day-trip to a Delaware park or Jersey Shore beach has the potential to clear the mind and reignite a sense of wonder for the world around you — if you allow it.
“As long as you approach an experience with an open heart and mind, you can learn from it,” Bennett said. “This is what leads to more understanding, more patience and less judgement — all the things the world needs.”