Episode
Get Off The Bus: The Traveler’s Path with Doug Brouwer
- Published
- Feb 8, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4066
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://rss.com/podcasts/the-story-of-us/2531822
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Summary
What if travel isn’t about where we go — but about who we become along the way? In this episode of The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being , Jeff Ellison is joined by Doug Brouwer , Presbyterian pastor, author, and lifelong traveler, for a conversation that feels less like an interview and more like a shared walk on a winding path. Doug has spent more than four decades in ministry, serving congregations across the United States and Europe, learning new languages later in life, leading pilgrimages, and listening deeply — in sanctuaries, prison cell blocks, foreign streets, and quiet beaches along Lake Michigan. His latest book, The Traveler’s Path: Finding Spiritual Growth and Inspiration Through Travel , explores how movement through the world can awaken humility, empathy, and meaning — when we’re willing to “get off the bus” and truly encounter others. Together, Jeff and Doug explore: Why travel is part of humanity’s origin story , from Abram and Paul to modern migration How curiosity, beauty, and attention — learned on childhood road trips — can shape a life The difference between tourism and transformation , and what makes a journey “worthy” Why learning even a little of another language can deepen empathy and humility How meeting one person can change how we see an entire culture or conflict Doug’s experience walking the Camino de Santiago , and what pilgrimage teaches that comfort cannot The role of storytelling in healing division and restoring our sense of interconnectedness What prison ministry taught Doug about listening, humanity, and presence How Thomas Merton, Joseph Campbell, and Annie Dillard illuminate the inner and outer journey Letting go of perfectionism, anxiety, and old betrayals — and aiming instead for peace Why Doug believes the…