The Travel

Colleen Waterston traveled the world from October 2014 through the end of 2015. Her original goal was to visit 30 countries and interview 300 people, asking three important questions. In the end, she visited nearly 40 countries and asked the questions of 700 people. The journey itself was incredible. But it was never meant to be simply a globe-trotting adventure for one individual. It was an opportunity to learn from people around the globe, share their thoughts, and ultimately increase our understanding of each other in this Big Shared World.

Explore the interactive map to see where Colleen traveled by clicking on the countries highlighted in red. From there, you can view photos that highlight the people and the cultures that made up the inspiring BSW journey.

The journey took place from October 2014 through the end of 2015. My goal was to visit 30 countries and interview 300 people, asking three important questions. In the end, I reached nearly 40 countries, and asked the questions of hundreds more than I set out to connect with. (I also expanded my interview to include six demographic questions of each of my interviewees.)

The journey itself was incredible.  But it was never meant to serve only myself as a fun travel adventure. It was meant to be an opportunity to learn from people around the globe, and ultimately to build community for understanding each other a little better in this Big Shared World.

In 2016, I spent time making sense of all the insights learned along the way, reflecting on lessons and interactions that help tell the story of the journey, and the takeaways to share.

Now, I am in the process of finishing and publishing a book about the experience, and creating ways for people to interact with the ideas that bring Big Shared World to life.