To me, nothing is more empowering than stepping out of your comfort zone, taking a risk; feeling truly and unforgivingly FREE. That is the power of travel. Whether you embark on an adventure solo, or share the experience with loved ones, travel can open your heart and mind to the way others live, and in turn; increase your personal happiness. Perhaps it will motivate you to do something great.
I left my hometown of Toronto at the age of 26 to go work and live in China. It was completely and utterly foreign to me… and while at times the so called adventure terrified me, I had never felt such a sense of wonder and excitement.
As I travelled through various regions in Southeast Asia, the wonder and excitement sometimes gave way to sadness, and sorrow. It suddenly hit me how different people’s lives were to my own, and when put into perspective, my problems were nothing compared to what some of these people faced. Yes, we read about it and see it on the news, but it’s when you hear it from another human who has lived though it- that’s when it really hits you.
I had a massage on a beach in Thailand from a woman whose husband tragically lost his life in the 2024 tsunami. Here she was, a few years later, trying to make a living to feed her two young children while coping with the loss of her beloved. In Cambodia, I spoke to a 14-year old child who lost both his parents to violence due to civil unrest. He lived with a distant relative and had to leave school to do odd jobs to help out. While driving through the countryside in Laos, I looked out the window and saw dozens of children running around in fields, no shoes, no shirts, living in the simplest of houses, yet the smiles on their faces were radiant. The one thing these people had in common was hope. They didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on their misfortunes, but living their lives and even trying their best to be happy and finding joy in simple, everyday moments.
Upon returning home, I felt so many emotions- sadness, guilt, anger…but also gratitude, and the desire to try and be better. I wanted to be kinder, more understanding and helpful. Material things didn’t seem nearly as important as they had before. That’s the power of travel. It connects us to people we would have never met if we had stayed home. It changes us and pushes us to be better.
A couple years ago, I went to Morocco on an Intrepid trip with some fellow travel agents. It’s important to me to work with ethical suppliers who are helping local communities. We spent a week in this fascinating country, visiting local families and taking in the magnificence of the Atlas Mountains.
Toward the end of the trip, on International Women’s Day, we had the opportunity to visit their office in Marrakesh. The Intrepid Foundation supports a local charity, Education for all. (EFA) In Morocco’s rural areas, it is estimated that 80% of women are illiterate. EFA provides a way for girls in remote areas of Morocco to access education and prepare for successful careers. The program works in the High Atlas region, where most students are Berber – the indigenous people of Morocco. This helps bring a generation of women out of the cycle of illiteracy, poverty and early marriage. They also help find/create employment for local women. We had the opportunity to speak to an employee who had personally benefited from the program herself. It was heart-warming hearing how the foundation helped change her life for the better.
By taking a trip with a responsible company, you are not only supporting foundations like these, but you also have an opportunity to meet the people being supported. You have the opportunity to have a conversation, see how they live, and learn how they are being empowered, which in turn, empowers you.
I could write pages and pages more on this topic but I’ll stop here for now. If you would like to speak to me more about my experiences, or plan a trip of your own, please do get in touch.
Email: Alicia.sharpe@mytc.com
Tel: 01225 941 081
I would love to hear how travel has empowered you! Please leave a comment or send me an email.
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