How to Become a Global Citizen: Q & A with Freeman Fung

When Freeman Fung was 19, he boarded a plane solo for the first time. His destination? An AIESEC exchange in Europe, where he would become one of the few Asian people living in Transylvania, Romania.

The exchange was a huge leap outside his comfort zone; he was a student who spent most of his time playing video games to escape his low self-esteem. It was also an exchange that would change the trajectory of his life.

Over the next decade, Fung would travel to more than 34 countries; studying, interning, and working his way around the world and even taking to the stage as a TEDx talker. His story is chronicled in his book, Travel to Transform: Awaken the global citizen in you and thrive in the modern world. Part memoir, part self-help book, it is an unflinching look at the challenges and triumphs that travel can bring,

Now, the international speaker and transformation coach is in the process of developing an online course to help others move towards a path of global citizenship: Travel Mastery Blueprint, which will launch in July.

We caught up with Fung, who is now based in Sydney, to learn more about why he believes so strongly in the tranformative power of global citizenship.

Verge: What inspired you to write Travel to Transform?

Fung: The book is a vehicle to my mission, which is to help people travel with purpose and become global citizens.

In the past, the term “global citizenship” felt hokey. It felt like something far-reaching, like for people who are in the United Nations. But I think that’s no longer true—we’re living in a globalized world, where everyone is a global citizen by default. Now, we’re redefining and reimagining what it means to be a “global citizen.”

Through my own travel journey—one that started with me going to Romania at 19 as an Asian with AIESEC, a youth-led organization that offers exchanges—I had a chance to learn about navigating and bridging cultural gaps and transformational travel. I think that travelling with purpose is beneficial, because you can fast-track your own personal growth. Once you’re aware that you’re not just a tourist travelling inside a bubble, you realize that you’re also equally leaving a footprint. You’re interacting with people and leaving an impression of who you are on that place. That essentially helped me realize that is the way we can change the world.

The words were almost written to help a younger version of myself, that version of me as an Asian struggling kid, when I started on my journey a decade ago.

In your book, you write about moving past ethnocentrism and towards a “world-centric” consciousness—which you argue is critical in a globalized world, since ethnocentrism can lead to a false sense of superiority. Do you have any advice for travellers on how they can start to build a world-centric approach before they even depart their home country?

Building that worldview before you even depart is essential to unlocking your journey abroad. I went through trial and error, stereotypes and injustice. I really learned from my pain of saying the wrong things. Having a world-centric attitude in place before I travel has unlocked new opportunities in my recent travels. I want it to become a movement that gives people permission to see themselves as global citizens, measured by their awareness and understanding of the world—rather than the amount they travel.

We’re still separating “travel” and the personal growth paradigm into two different spheres. When we go on TikTok, we see amazing cinematic footage of travel influencers under waterfalls. And I’m not saying that we can’t have that experience—but travel is way more than that. It’s about embodying the global knowledge we have now and to understand where we come from.

Before people start to travel, they should master their inner journey, which is understanding their own core values, what they’re seeking in life, and what direction their inner compass is pointing in. Preparing a holistic suitcase of travel means aligning your mind, body and spirit and thinking about what you really want to pack in your suitcase.

As we both know, travel is not equitable, especially when it comes to access to resources. But one idea comes through clearly in your book: Global citizenship is valuable for everyone and travel is just one vehicle to achieving it. What advice would you offer non-travellers about how to become a global citizen?

Global citizenship is not measured by the frequency of travel, because we’re already living in a world that’s so globalized. Everything we’re using around us is built through globalization and technological expansion. The phone that we’re using right now might be assembled in China and designed in Silicon Valley and distributed through a global supply chain. We’re living in an era where we’re surrounded by people who may speak a different language and may not necessarily be from the same country. We’re surrounded by multiculturalism.

The funny thing is, most people haven’t recognized it yet—because it takes an upgrade of human consciousness to be able to recognize that they are global citizens. It’s a mindset shift and requires an embodiment of a new identity as a citizen of the world.

Global citizenship is not measured by the frequency of travel, because we’re already living in a world that’s so globalized.

We don’t have to be travelling to exotic countries or on a cultural exchange to experience all these things. We can invite our neighbours—who may not speak the same language as us—over for dinner. We can celebrate diversity and inclusion in our workplace. It may be simply organizing a potluck and bringing food from your country to share. It’s simply hanging out with people you may feel uncomfortable with because they’re different from you.

If you take the courage to go outside your comfort zone and really let go of any prejudice you have or that fear inside of you, you’re taking a step towards making an invitation for compassion and kindness. Whether you’re travelling or not, it’s going to open up so many new global doors for you—and it leads to building your career, your community, your relationships, your intellectual and emotional growth. . . the possibilities are virtually endless once we unlock this door.

You also write that we should try to stay open-minded and respectful of other cultures, but you point out that being respectful of other cultures isn’t synonymous with blindly accepting or agreeing with other people or values systems. In our current political climate—where online communities can be so polarizing and so many echo chambers exist—it seems like this message is more important than ever.

I think that’s such a core value of being a global citizen. We may not necessarily agree with something—whether it’s something someone says or a certain cultural aspect or perspective from an individual person—but that doesn’t mean that we can’t like that person. I believe conscious global citizens can reach a state where they can say, “I don’t agree with you, but I still like you.”

I’m not saying it’s easy or that it’s going to be comfortable—but it’s so worth it. The more I embrace this, the more I practice it, the more new global opportunities and doors open to me, because people start seeing me as someone with the ability to bridge cultural gaps. People start seeing me as not just this Asian guy from Hong Kong, but as a global citizen. And this is available to every single person, no matter where they’re starting from; whether they’re a student, have a nine-to-five, or are a digital nomad. It doesn’t matter what type of traveller you are or what stage of life you’re at. It’s a global mindset that we can all adopt.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.