Will You Join Us in October?
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Dear ,
Four years ago, I gave up everything I owned to travel. I wanted to live the life of my dreams. And – despite the pandemic – I am. I feel free – in fact, I’m whirling a globe right now to decide where to go this year. However, when I travel, I want to do so with a sense of purpose, with intention. I want to make a difference when I travel.
The world has changed, and so must the way we travel. Our journey starts with our own healing and renewal. Many of us have spent this time caring for others – our families, our children, our parents, our friends. We need to give ourselves space to reconnect, heal and move forward. During the pandemic, I lost both my parents. My brother and his family were landlocked in Australia, and many of my family and friends were deeply affected by COVID. If I'm honest, I
haven’t really had time to slow down and process all the change in our world, and in my life. To stop, breathe and just be. Now is that time.
I’m thrilled that JourneyWoman is hosting our first-ever wellness and travel retreat for women -- Women's Travel Wisdom -- in October 2022. I‘m honoured that we were invited to participate in this by Doni Belau of Girls’ Guide to Paris, who is truly one of the kindest and most generous women I’ve ever met. Doni has dedicated her life to empowering women through meaningful travel experiences that support local communities, female entrepreneurs and wildlife.
Together, we have designed Women’s Travel Wisdom, a first-of-its kind retreat that combines wellness and travel. By curating a small group of women from diverse backgrounds, including wellness experts, artists and travelers, we envision a powerful combination of talents and experiences designed to help women embrace post-pandemic travel with greater intention and purpose. The retreat, which takes place at the 200-acre Mandala Springs Wellness Retreat Center
in California's Mayacamas Mountains, is designed to connect like-minded women, foster healing, expand our perspective and ultimately help us step into the future with confidence and purpose.
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Over the five days in our beautiful outdoor venue, you'll connect with an incredible group of speakers who will act both as guides and curators for this small, intimate circle of women. You might
recognize some familiar names, including our own ‘Women over 80’ contributor Diana Eden, who will talk about travel into her 80s, and Traditional Knowledge Keeper Brenda Holder, who will help us reconnect to ourselves and Mother Earth. (Brenda led us in a beautiful Indigenous tea ceremony at our holiday social last December.) We'll learn how we can protect wildlife from Nora Livingstone, our passionate animal conservation expert, and
practical ways to bring wellness into our lives from the incomparable Shawna Robins, our best-selling sleep and wellness author - both members of the JourneyWoman Women’s Travel Advisory Council. Flying in from Sweden to talk about the Swedish form of wellness is Lola Akimade Akerstrom, an award-winning National Geographic photographer from Nigeria. You can learn about all the incredible women joining us here. I can't wait for you to meet each other.
At this very special gathering, you'll form life-long friendships with these women, and with only 80 places available, I suggest you sign up soon. We've also created some wonderful excursions to San Francisco and Sonoma before and after the retreat.
A Call to Action for Women: Meet Loung Ung, Cambodian Author of “First They Killed My Father” on April 11
Another inspirational speaker at our retreat is Loung Ung. Loung is a life-long activist, solo traveller, and author of “First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers”, which was made into a movie by Angelina Jolie. It’s not
every day you have an opportunity to sit down with one of the most remarkable women on the planet and learn about kindness and gratitude from someone who has witnessed both the best and worst of humanity. She's just returned from a visit to Cambodia and is eager to share her perspective on women, travel and life with you. I hope you can join us on April 11 at 7 pm EDT.
As women, we are the world’s most influential travellers. As JourneyWomen, we want to leave the world better than we found it. We are teachers, explorers, wisdom seekers and lifelong learners. We are also
role models - the ones that others follow. This is our time to lead the way, both for ourselves and others.
I believe that this retreat could be one of the most life-changing experiences in your (and my) life. Let’s join together, in a circle of trust, compassion and friendship. Again, please don't wait too long to sign up, as I truly believe these 80 places will go quickly.
Please reach out if you'd like to talk more about this, or get involved, at editor@journeywoman.com. I can't wait to meet you in California!
With gratitude,
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Carolyn Ray, Publisher + Editor-in-Chief, JourneyWoman
Member, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) + Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC)
carolyn@journeywoman.com tel: 437.688.8785
JourneyWoman™: Inspiring women to travel safely and well since 1994
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