Sunrise in Marrakech.
I spent last week in Marrakech, Morocco, at a well-known travel industry conference focused on the concept of “experiential” travel. For four days, I was immersed in a sea of some of the travel world’s most influential people. Among them were individuals who use the revenue generated by travel to preserve the world’s great wild places, to establish connections between cultures, to educate children, and to expose those of us who live insulated, first-world lives to the true wonder, diversity, and complications of our world.
A world away from Vermont.
I have come home hopelessly inspired. I have always believed in the power of travel to elevate each of us above our perceived limitations. I experience it myself nearly every time I go away for more than a few days, whether to the beach in Cape Cod, or to a bush camp in Kenya or Botswana. Fundamentally, it is the simple separation from our daily grind that releases us from the binding forces of those perceived limitations, and allows room for inspiration. I left Morocco with renewed ambitions: I want to drive my career forward with the aim to enrich the lives of those I have the good fortune to work with. I want my good fortune to benefit others who are less fortunate. I want to be among the very best at doing what I do.
It can be jarring to come home from an event like this. Don’t misunderstand: I have so much that is incredibly positive to come home to. Healthy children, a loving husband, a cozy home that is warm and dry, and the beauty of my home state. As I have decompressed over the past three days, I have several times felt like a snow-globe that has been shaken. Filled with crystals, I am nearly blinded by the storm, driven to distraction by the frenetic, swirling energy. So I must wait for the crystals to settle. When they do, I will pay attention to those that remain suspended; they contain the elements of the way forward.
