why travel changes us
people often ask me what i mean when i say transformational travel.
truthfully...
i don't think travel changes us.
i think it changes the environment around us.
and sometimes...
that's enough to change everything.
i've noticed something over the years.
when we take ourselves out of our normal environment...
something begins to shift.
not because we've suddenly become different people.
but because the noise we've been living inside gets a little quieter.
i think that's what many of us are really searching for.
not another country.
not another passport stamp.
not another holiday.
just enough space to notice what they couldn't see before.
when you aren't answering emails...
or racing between meetings...
or cooking dinner...
or folding washing...
or carrying the same responsibilities you've carried every day for years...
just enough space to notice what we'd stopped seeing.
you notice other people.
you notice yourself.
the old man sitting outside his house who waves you over for tea.
the woman who teaches you how to cook a meal her grandmother taught her.
the child who proudly hands you something they've made.
the conversation that quietly changes the way you see your life.
how often you rush your thoughts.
how quickly you fill silence.
how much of your life is lived on autopilot.
and how little space you've been giving yourself.
and then something quieter starts to happen.
you slow down without trying.
your mind becomes less noisy.
you stop rushing to the next thing.
you stop feeling like you have to be productive every minute.
you simply begin to notice.
not because someone has taught you how.
not because you've become someone new.
but because you've stepped outside the environment that has been shaping you every single day.
the truth is...
we're all influenced by the environments we spend our time in.
the people around us.
the pace we keep.
the conversations we have.
the expectations we carry.
change the environment...
and sometimes everything else begins to change too.
that's why i love this kind of travel.
not because i believe travel changes people.
because it creates the space for people to see themselves differently.
and once you see something differently...
it's very hard to unsee it.
that's why i spend so much time researching the places, the spaces and the faces long before we ever arrive.
i'm not looking for another beautiful hotel.
i'm looking for the conversations.
the traditions.
the families.
the moments that stay with you long after you've unpacked your suitcase.
because years from now...
you probably won't remember every hotel room.
or every meal.
but you'll remember how someone made you feel.
the story they shared.
the kindness they showed you.
and perhaps...
the version of yourself you met while you were there.
that's why i don't simply create holidays.
i create experiences that invite us to see ourselves, each other and the world a little differently.
jodi x