Travelling with Meaning
Travel with Meaning
There has been a lot of discussion about ‘mindful travel’ as we finally emerge from the social distancing of the pandemic and can once again safely partake in the pleasure and adventure of travelling.
To Deb Niven, co-founder of The Divine Destination Collection, mindful travel really means travel with meaning.
“It’s about embarking on a trip that includes experiences beyond the hotel. That includes supporting the local community by relaxing, shopping, and taking excursions through the area – but it goes beyond that for us. The travel we offer is carefully curated to pull back the veil of a destination and allow our travellers to experience what is sacred about the location – far beyond history or what makes a place famous.”
Has mindful travel changed the way people travel?
The post pandemic era released many people from their isolation out into the world, which at first they enjoyed with parties and get-togethers, followed very quickly with travel, says Deb.
Even during the pandemic people were drawn to cottages up north, glamping and wilderness adventures, as it provided a safe environment.
“But as the safety came back, people realized that time is precious and travel is to be savoured and not devoured,” says Deb.
“That’s why every single trip we curate includes meaningful encounters. For example, in Muskoka we honoured the First Nations people of the area and gently led our travellers back to nature with activities such as foraging the very mushrooms used in that night’s gourmet dinner – all while enjoying the finest of wines, of course, which is a special Divine Destination Collection tradition.”
Another example is the trip to Mexico which featured the opportunity to be blessed in a Mayan ceremony, swim in a sacred cenote, take a mild “temascal” sweat lodge experience, and share an Indigenous meal and dancing with residents of a local Mayan village.
Travelling with Meaning and Upcoming Trips
Travelling with meaning continues with The Divine Destination Collection’s first trip of the year – The Sacred South of France… The Mystery of Mary Magdalene on June 5 to 12.
Besides enjoying the culture, food, wine, and beauty of the French countryside, this trip includes a fascinating look at into the 2,000 year-old legend of Mary Magdalene, focusing on her legacy as an archetype of the divine feminine – an energy that combines creativity, justice, awareness, and other strong feminine traits. We will follow her path through several sacred and magical healing sites in the beautiful South of France, with stops at the ancient walled city of Carcassonne and the gorgeous countryside of Aix-en-Provence.
Then, from October 17 to 25, The Divine Destination Collection travels to South Africa and Uganda for A Journey to the Heart and Soul. This once-in-a-lifetime adventure includes the chance to see Cape Town’s famous Table Mountain right from the window of our hotel, private tastings at the area’s world-renowned vineyards, and a stay at the luxurious Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge and Private Game Reserve for twice-daily game drives to see the “Big Five” – elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos, and buffalos – in their natural habitat.
The adventure continues in Uganda’s Bwindi National Park, where we’ll trek through the rainforest with our private guides to meet some majestic and endangered mountain gorillas.
Home to the origins of ancient man, as well as some of the most magnificent wild animals on earth, both South and East Africa offer a truly life-changing experience. It’s a chance to look deeper into life and discover new meaning – to see more, live more, and to come away a richer human being.
Travel in the future
“As my co-founder Allison Frame often says, ‘travel always transforms the traveller.’ And as travel becomes more accessible, and our time becomes more precious, I believe more people will turn to meaningful travel,” says Deb.
“That’s why we search out ‘thin places’ where the veil between the physical and spiritual can be glimpsed, giving us a new appreciation of the world and our lives. As author and philosophical traveller Eric Weiner wrote in The New York Times, ‘We are jolted out of old ways of seeing the world, and therein lies the transformative magic of travel.’
“You can read more of Eric’s insightful thoughts here. If you share his vision of travel and love of thin places, the Divine Destination Collection is for you. We never stop in our quest to find inspiring, culturally rich locales that have the magical power to transform.”