By: Michael Youngblood, Co-founder & CEO, Unsettled.
Forget what you assume about community-driven travel.
It isn’t all parties. It isn’t a group of extroverts chatting 24/7.
We’re all walking contradictions, and so too is Unsettled.
Some days we crave deep conversations around a fire. Other days, we want to disappear into the wild with nothing but our thoughts and a damn good book.
Our trips aren’t designed for one or the other, and knowing that there are statistically slightly more extroverts than introverts in the world, we strive to create a community and adventures where the minority is welcomed as much as the majority.
Besides, in our experience, our diversity sharpens each other. In this case, the deep thinkers bring reflection. The firecrackers bring energy.
The Science & The Story
In one of my favorite books, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain reminds us that the best environments allow for both: space to engage and space to retreat. Research in personality psychology shows that extroverts crave external stimulation to fire up their brains, while introverts hit capacity fast and need to reset in solitude.
Unsettled gets that. We design experiences and environments where you get both: the resting, recharge, and solitude and the stimuli, excitement, and energy of a diverse group of people.
We build this into our overall trip structure and unstructured. We put this into action when we make introductions on day 1. We space events out across our trips. We treat each participant like the adult they are and give them autonomy anywhere in the world to curate moments of what they need and want.
We infuse choose your own adventure days. Our trips have moments, even days where we open the calendar and let participants curate what they want in each destination. Some participants adventure and others recharge.
We invite solitude. Our trips have moments for solitude and reflection. We move and we definitely adventure, but we also pause and soak it in.
We don’t do small talk. We set the stage for real conversations—around a dinner table, on a trail, under the stars, or at a happy hour (with or without alcohol).
Why This Matters
To be honest, we live in a world that can equate extroversion with success. But some of the most unforgettable moments come from the quiet ones and some other moments come from those here to connect.
That’s why Unsettled isn’t just a space for travelers. It’s a space for misfits, deep thinkers, adventurers, and the unapologetically curious—no matter where you fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum.
So whether you thrive in the energy of a group or in the quiet corners of a journey, it’s time to adventure. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a piece of yourself in someone who sees the world completely differently. That’s the point, after all.
Unsettled is a global community for those who live and work differently.
Growth | Meaning | Adventure
