International Women's Day

It’s International Women’s Day Today, and I felt like it would be an awesome time to honor and highlight some of the beautiful women I met in the Dominican Republic a few weeks ago.

Some of the very best memories of my time in the Dominican Republic was the opportunity to spend time with these ladies. This is the group from RePapel that we spent the day making paper with. They are so full of life and love, and it shined through like you wouldn’t believe.

At the beginning of our time together, they each shared their story. Every one of them started with “I have this many kids, and this many grandkids." It was not lost on me how dedicated these women were to their families, and how each and every decision and sacrifice they made was for them.

One woman in particular broke down in tears as she was explaining the importance of her being able to work consistently in her community and have this opportunity to help provide for her family. And so of course then I got teary-eyed, because when was the last time I was that grateful for something?

This was a completely different Caribbean experience for me. Fathom is calling it Impact Travel and there are so many reasons why I think it’s a phenomenal concept, but here is the short reason.   

If you are able to travel, you are blessed. It’s a luxury that we should never take for granted.

So why not take some of that blessing and pour it into the places where we travel? When you think about it, the ability to see and experience different cultures and communities is an opportunity to learn and to grow. It’s the part of travel that will change you, and always for the better. It’s the best thing that travel can give you, and a gift that will always keep on giving.

We can look at a destination and realize that as tourists, and also as global citizens, we have the opportunity to go somewhere where our main focus is not on what we can get, but what we can give. 

Because when we give, we always get anyway. It’s just how it works.

We learned so much more than making paper that day, it’s hard to even put into words. We also learned some pretty amazing dance moves. That was a bonus. 

I encourage you to learn more about a travel experience like this and consider a trip with a bigger purpose and a lasting impact. If you’d like to know more, or want to sail soon on one of these amazing trips to the Dominican Republic or Cuba, contact me and I will get you all set up!