Pepperdine GSEP alumnus Michael Bennett Helps Travelers Return Home Ready for Change

For Michael Bennett (MBA ’06, EdD ’12), travel is more than a change of scenery. At its most powerful, it creates an opportunity to see the world—and oneself—from a new perspective. That belief is at the heart of Explorer X, the travel company Bennett co-founded in 2017. Instead of filling itineraries with attractions and activities, Explorer X designs slower, immersive journeys that encourage meaningful connections with local people, traveling companions, and oneself.

“Most travel companies focus on creating value—or perceived value—by offering as many activities and experiences as possible,” Bennett said. “The problem is that people leave their ‘vacation’ feeling exhausted.”

Explorer X takes a different approach. Travelers spend more time in fewer places, engage deeply with local cultures, and leave room for reflection and spontaneity; an approach Bennett calls “slow travel.”

Discovering Travel as a Tool for Growth

Bennett completed Pepperdine’s full-time MBA program in 2006 with an emphasis in global business, followed by the Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership program in 2012. Professors Farzin Madjidi, Bob Paull, Daphne de Porres, and Kent Rhodes influenced his education and entrepreneurial journey. De Porres, in particular, helped him recognize travel as a powerful form of experiential learning and personal growth. A program trip to China also proved transformative. Although Bennett had traveled throughout Europe and Latin America, it was his first visit to Asia.

“The cultural dissonance was shocking,” he said. “It opened my eyes to an entirely new way of being, living, and experiencing this world.”

Bennett’s doctoral dissertation examined how adults learn through travel. His research revealed that while many organizations offered transformative outdoor experiences for young people, few provided comparable opportunities for adults seeking positive change. That insight led Bennett and his business partner to establish the Transformational Travel Council in 2016 and Explorer X the following year.

Creating the Conditions for Transformation

Explorer X begins by learning about each traveler’s life, goals, and expectations. Its team then designs an itinerary that may stretch the traveler’s comfort zone, foster connections with local people, and leave space for exploration and reflection. Travelers also receive the company’s Mindful Travel Toolkit and Guide, which includes readings, questions, and activities for use before, during, and after a journey. Bennett describes travel as a progression. Distinctive local experiences provide the foundation, while a slower pace creates room for reflection. That reflection can produce meaning, and meaning can become transformation when travelers act on their insights after returning home. Yet Bennett is careful not to promise that Explorer X, or travel itself, can transform anyone.

“Explorer X can design the experience and the pace - that’s the opening,” he said. “Whether someone actually engages, reflects, and acts on it is theirs.”

Travelers have used that opening to pursue passion projects, leave unhealthy situations, and return to meaningful work. “The traveler did all the work,” Bennett said. “That change is the transformation.”

Supporting Local Communities

Explorer X works with local teams that understand each destination’s history, culture, and traditions. Guides and drivers are locally based, and accommodations are generally independent or family-owned.

“Our goal is to keep as much money as possible in the destination itself,” Bennett said.

Travelers are encouraged to travel like a “HERO”: be humble, engage respectfully, reflect and be open-minded when challenges arise.

Expanding Access Through the Hero Travel Fund

Bennett created the Hero Travel Fund to recognize people making meaningful contributions to their communities without receiving significant financial rewards. In its first year, the fund awarded $18,000 in travel credit to two recipients. A New York City social worker traveled to Tanzania, while a teacher who helps first-generation immigrants learn English and navigate the educational system used her award for a honeymoon in Slovenia. Bennett hopes the fund will grow alongside Explorer X so that more community heroes can experience thoughtfully designed journeys.

Building a Business with Purpose

Bennett believes purpose should be central to entrepreneurship. His advice to Pepperdine students and alumni begins with finding work they care deeply about and identifying the impact they hope to make.

“Everything starts with passion for the work that you’re doing,” he said. “Without that, everything else falls apart.”

He also encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to seek experienced mentors, approach finances realistically, and remain open to beginning at any stage of life. “Don’t be afraid of failure,” Bennett said—a lesson he continues to practice while helping travelers venture into the unfamiliar and return ready to show up differently in the world.