By Penny Sadler
About fifteen years ago, I decided to write a travel blog. The goal was simply to do something creative that wasn’t connected to work or making money. Alongside that, I wanted to do something that felt meaningful to me.
At the time, I was making an annual pilgrimage to Italy. I lived for those trips. That first day exploring Rome, I must have walked 20,000 steps. But I wasn’t counting; I was breathing in Rome, trying to absorb the very essence of it.
Rome felt overwhelming; the monuments, the ruins, the people were larger than life. As soon as I left, I was planning the next trip.
In Rome, I learned how to relax and enjoy life. And I learned that traveling was living my joy.
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart
At home between trips, I connected with as many fellow Italophiles as I could.
But connecting with people in another country and language was where the real joy was for me. I wasn’t fluent in Italian, but Italians were friendly and helpful. I’m not an extrovert, but when I travel, I engage with the world in a more authentic way. Soon, I had the idea to share my Italian adventures via a blog.
Coincidentally, I met a woman on the social media platform twitter, now X, who published a website about travel and education. I messaged her and asked if I could write something about Italy for her website.
Not only did she help me compose my first online article for a website not my own, but she coached me in how to get my travel blog up and running. Those early days of writing content for the blog were happy days, even joyful at times.
Readers would message me that my article made them feel as if they were right there with me. Or that they had booked a trip after reading a story I wrote. Those comments made me happy, and it was apparent the joy I received from traveling was coming through my writing.
Ask a psychologist, a poet, a theologian, or a musician to define joy and you will get four different but similar replies. However, a common thread is that joy stems from purpose in life, nature, and honoring one’s values.
The poet Rilke ties joy to the necessity of creation; the deep desire to do the one thing that gives life meaning, which for him is poetry.
Joy for me is closely tied to curiosity and intuition, which leads me to travel. From a very young age, I was curious about other people, places, and cultures. I also enjoyed writing, but never dreamed of combining travel with writing, or even that it might be part of my life’s work. It happened because I followed my intuition.
I didn’t make a conscious decision to travel because I found it joyful, I was just doing what made me feel alive. Much later, I learned that intuition, purpose, and joy are aligned. When I followed my intuition, joy was the result…long-lasting and rewarding in ways I never imagined.
It wasn’t long before publishers asked if I would write about their destination and they would pay for my trip. Every trip I’ve taken since has been a learning experience, and the result was healthier relationships, self awareness, interesting writing assignments, travel, and more joy.
By doing what I loved, a new life unfolded, a life of travel and joy, better than any life I could have imagined.
Author Bio:
Bio: Penny Sadler is a Dallas-based writer covering travel, food and drink, and lifestyle, with bylines in CNBC Travel, Culture Magazine, InsideHook, and Cheese Professor. When she’s not traveling she offers intuitive readings and coaching for private clients and events. Learn more about Penny on her site Wandering Intuitive and on Instagram @adventuresofacarryon
