Why I Leave on This Trip Every Year (And What It Gives Me Back)
Every year, I pack my bags for a trip that doesn’t come with luxury hotels, itineraries, or room upgrades.
Instead, it comes with perspective.
This week, I leave for my annual water mission trip to the Dominican Republic. And every time I go, I’m reminded why this trip matters so deeply to me.
Why service travel hits differently in midlife
There’s something about midlife that sharpens your awareness.
You’ve lived enough to know what’s noise and what’s real. Enough to recognize that comfort, while lovely, can sometimes dull perspective. That’s why this trip lands differently now than it might have years ago.
This kind of intentional travel isn’t about escape. It’s about grounding.
When I arrive en el campo, surrounded by rolling hills, red dirt, and open skies, life slows to its most basic rhythms. Even exhaustion feels different here. It feels honest. It feels earned. It feels peaceful in a way that’s hard to explain until you’ve experienced it.
What simplicity teaches us
The people we work alongside have so little by most standards, yet they carry themselves with a richness that’s impossible to ignore.
Their smiles are wide. Their laughter is easy. Their hospitality is generous, even when resources are scarce.
Being here strips life down to what actually matters. Food. Water. Community. Connection.
And in that simplicity, clarity shows up.
This is one of those meaningful travel experiences that gently reminds you how much we complicate life without realizing it.
Conversations that change everything
One of the most meaningful moments each trip is Women and Children’s Day.
We sit together and talk openly about what access to clean water truly changes. Not just convenience, but futures.
When girls no longer need to hike for hours carrying water, they can go to school. When women aren’t spending their days hauling heavy containers, they have time for work, rest, and family. Health improves. Generational cycles shift.
These conversations are quiet, honest, and deeply moving. You can feel the weight of possibility in the air.
This is travel with purpose in its truest form.
A moment I will never forget
On one trip, as I was digging alongside my daughter, I noticed a woman from the village watching us.
Her role, culturally, was to bring coffee and snacks to the men working in the trenches. That was her place. That was what was expected.
During one of my breaks, she shyly approached and asked if she could take my shovel and dig. Almost immediately, comments were made. She hesitated. She stepped back.
But on the final day of digging, I saw her again.
I handed her my shovel and urged her forward.
The way she stood there, digging with strength and determination, her face lit with pride and purpose, is an image I will carry with me forever. Her smile said everything words never could.
What I leave with every time
I return home with sore muscles and a full heart.
With a renewed appreciation for clean water, for shared meals, for honest work, and for the quiet power of human connection.
Midlife perspective has taught me that the most transformative journeys aren’t always the most comfortable ones.
They’re the ones that remind you who you are, what you value, and how deeply connected we all are.
If you’ve been craving a trip that gives you more than photos, let’s talk.
I believe midlife isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing what matters.
And sometimes, the most powerful journeys don’t look like vacations at all.
Interested in planning a trip that aligns with this season of your life?
A Travel Vision Call is a simple, no-pressure way to talk it through.
[Start a Travel Vision Call HERE]
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