Hello Meaningful Travelers!
Ryan Hitzel is the Founder and Creative Director of The Roark Revival. A brand that makes apparel and gear inspired by/for travel. Listening to this podcast, I was not only impressed by the values in which Roark Revival was built on, but by the sheer passion, and personal story behind the creator of the brand. Ryan brings himself, and his experience to the brand, with nifty features in his clothes that he himself has personally found useful. Talk about creating something that you can use.
The beginning of the podcast asks a question that we all want to know...How did you start? Everyone has a different story, and a different level of comfort going in. In Ryan’s case, he was pushed in by his mother. That's what mothers are for I guess. In the podcast, Ryan explains how when he was in highschool, he didn’t want to go with his friend to Europe. He wanted to stay home, surf, and spend time with his friends and his girlfriend at home. Sometimes it’s hard to leave all we know. Luckily for Ryan, he went to Europe. He ended up staying for 3 months, and absolutely loving it. He even decided to stay longer than originally planned, and keep on travelling. Travel became his new life’s obsession. Travelling, and going with the flow introduces us to new experiences, and new parts of ourselves we didn’t know we could find.
It was awesome that travel was able to touch Ryan at such a young age. But it’s never too late to start travelling. Whether it’s half way across the world, or even in your own backyard, you can see something new, and be open to new experiences almost everywhere. Being open to new experiences, and just being, is spiritual in some ways. Ryan talks about how he went to Iceland and had a spiritual experience. He shares with us how meaningful travel happens when it’s not spoon fed to you, but is just in the air.
Today, Ryan uses his skills, and experiences to funnel that creatively into his brand, Roark Revival. He was always a creative person who directed art shows, photographed, and wrote. Roark is a mythical amalgamation of experiences of the collective traveller. We all follow Roark when we go on our each wayward adventure. The story of Roark, is the wild, meaningful stories we’ve all had, or will have. Roark Revival was born to provide gear for travellers to create their own path, and be inspired by Roark’s travel stories as well.
So why should you listen to this podcast? For me, as a college student, getting ready to go out into the world, travel, and find a career. Ryan assures listeners to just do it and travel. He encourages us to learn by letting go of what you know. For anyone unsure of travelling, this is definitely the podcast you should listen to. I liked it because I could relate to some of the feelings he described. It’s a very relevant question in my life, and to hear someone else’s wisdom is incredibly beneficial.
Also in the podcast Ryan shares his experiences in Japan, and India, and how each place has shaped his life story. Be sure to take a listen to this episode for inspiration, advice, or to simply hear another fellow traveler share their open road experiences. Also if you’re interested in taking a peek at Roark’s gear click here.