Travel Philosophy
traveller (noun): one that goes on a trip or journey
I’ve always believed that one can’t truly call themselves a traveller until they've collected a decent number of stamps in their passport.
BUT much to my surprise, I discovered that the dictionary defines a traveller quite simply as:
“one that goes on a trip or journey” (thanks, Merriam-Webster!).
I also discovered this for myself a few years ago, when my husband and I sold everything and ventured forth into the enormously exciting, yet scary unknown, with our little, mobile house (aka a caravan) trailing behind us, and the wondrously wide-open road before us.
(As I like to call it… our Great Adventure! I’ll get to our unique story in a minute, but first…)
This begs the question—what constitutes “a trip or journey” to make oneself an authentic traveller?
Well, I don’t think you have to collect a myriad of stamps in your passport to be a true traveller.
Rather, I think it’s quite simply about getting out there in a spirit of awe and amazement—seeing and experiencing things around you. This can be locally, right in your ‘backyard’, or exploring a place you’ve never seen before in your very own province, or region, or maybe taking a trip through the country you call home.
Whatever and wherever it may be, it’s about the journey and finding wonder and beauty wherever you go, even in the day-to-day, little, simple things of life.
And do we ever really stop being on a journey?
Another word I like to ponder on is EXPLORE, which means: "to travel over new territory, for adventure or discovery." (Another great one, Merriam-Webster Dict.!)
And so, all these ponderings lead us to our particular travel philosophy:
We’re all travellers, journeying through life.
But Why the Name Souls Free?
Great Question!
Well, Dale came up with the idea, one crisp, humid day in a seaside village called Pennington—along South Africa’s beautiful sunshine coast. We were sipping freshly brewed coffee in our caravan tent (crazy in the heat, but hey, we love our coffee!) and were at the very cusp of our brand-new journey.
While we were 'chewing' over several name ideas and core concepts for our blog, Dale suddenly said, “How about Souls Free?”
It struck a chord with me instantly! “Yes, I think I like it. Souls Free… Souls Free!?” It grew on me the more I said it. “I love it! It’s perfect.”
It fully encapsulated everything in our travel philosophy:
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External freedom: That the soles of our feet would never stop moving and exploring, taking us into new and exciting adventures.
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Internal freedom: That our souls would find freedom in the wonder and beauty of all that’s around us—the incredible people we meet, the places we see, the experiences we have, and the wonder of nature all around us.
Yes, to some, our way of life may seem very odd (tell you a little secret—I thought I was crazy, too, at the beginning), but it’s actually been the best decision we ever made!
We’re wanderers, and to some it may look aimless or very peculiar, but as J.R.R. Tolkien put it so perfectly:
“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.”
We’re certainly living way more found and rooted than we’ve ever lived before, despite living a mobile life.
Life is too short to waste on seeking trivial things that don't last, like wealth, climbing the corporate ladder, and material things. And so, we took another path, choosing to fill our lives and souls with a rich treasure of meaningful memories and unique adventures together along the way.
Do you have a trip you’ve always longed to do?
Is there a particular bucket-list adventure or travel dream knocking on your door?
Perhaps there’s that fascinating town or special place you've always wanted to visit, or those off-the-beaten-path trips with a golden view or experience eagerly awaiting you on the other side?
No matter how far you wander into and explore the world around you from your front door, Souls Free Travel is here to inspire you and awaken the explorer within you.
And so we invite you to join us on our journey... and a journey of your own.
If you’re living in or originally from South Africa, may you fall in love with this gorgeous country more and more.
And if you’re from an entirely different part of the world, may you be inspired to be the traveller or explorer you’ve always wanted to be.
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May the soles of your feet bring you into the most incredible adventures, and may your soul find rest and freedom in all the wonder and beauty that surrounds you.
May the travelling begin and never cease.
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