In honor of the fact that this year I finally crossed the ocean after a very LOOOONGGGG few years of staying close to home (eeeeeeek!), and the fun recent occurrence of being in The Washington Post’s Sunday Travel Section …. I made a list of must-see spots in a region of the world I absolutely love.

And if there are any Enneagram 9s out there—or if you’re friends with one—this list is an especially Enneagram 9-friendly one (aka: lots of cozy spots and opportunities for chilling out or randomly wandering around to enjoy beauty, tranquility and meaningful conversations with those along the way)!

Dawn Pick Benson shares her story of grief through divorce. Even though we choose divorce, it doesn't mean there is not a sense of grief & loss. Dawn shares her story of divorce, healing through travel and how she helps women fulfill their dreams through travel.

Dawn is a soulful travel coach who helps women experience personal and spiritual awakening through solo travel. She specializes in working with women who are 40+ and feel stuck or are at a crossroads in their life, career or relationship. Through her small group coaching program Brave Journey, Dawn helps women re-discover themselves, plan their dream trip and have a squad of like-minded women cheering them on in the process.

Dawn is Founder & Owner of GlobeStory and has lived in or traveled to more than 48 countries. She’s a Global Ambassador for the Travel Coach Network, a Certified Cultural Intelligence facilitator and has appeared in publications such as The Washington Post, TripAdvisor and Woman’s World magazine.

I often feel guilty about feeling happy, about being away in Europe to write for three months when I know not everyone has this luxury. I know so many others are not enjoying a beautiful life. Do I dare to delight in my own?

This morning, I wake up to a voice. Not a loud God-is-speaking-to-me-with-lightning-bolts kind of voice, but more of an internal knowing kind of voice. It’s a voice that I’ve learned to listen to over the last few years because it usually comes with what I believe is Divine wisdom.

“Go to St. Sophia today,” says the voice.

Being willing to give things up creates space for new beginnings to take root.

“Creating a life that’s rich with learning, unlearning and evolution (aka aliveness) also requires you to lay down your need to have it all figured out or fit into a prescribed box… you are in uncharted territory without a map, making it up as you go, one brave step at a time. This is where the good stuff happens….you’re a badass for even being in the room.” - The Art of Aliveness by Flora Bowley, chapter 4

There is so much in Flora’s words that I hate. I want to be able to say it’s all untrue. I want to give her ideas the middle finger and an incredibly massive F-You.

But I also know that I’m literally living this out in real time. And unfortunately for the perfectionist-planner-who wants-to-always-have-it-all-figured-out, I’m realizing (insert sigh) it’s all actually true.

Dammit.

As a travel coach, I spend a lot of time helping my clients think deeply about how they want to feel on their journey.

When you have a desire. to travel or get away, it’s often because you want to feel something.

• Free?

• Vibrant?

• Confident?

• Creative?

• Strong?

So in my signature group program, Brave Journey, I help each woman craft a transformational journey that helps them evoke those feelings while traveling.

The experience not only helps each woman envision and plan her personal journey, but she also gets one-on-one check-ins during her travel as well as debriefing and celebration afterward.

My favorite story EVER about my Brave Journey community!

I love travel. It has always been healing and clarifying for me.

Hands down, it has been my greatest teacher.

But sometimes learning to just “be” in your home environment can be the hardest lesson of all — especially when you’re not sure you want to actually be there.

It never fails. Every winter, Lake Michigan transforms itself in a way that puts me in awe.

It goes from a sea of gorgeous, rolling waves in the summer to the kind of frozen formations that only Mother Nature could conjure in the peak of winter. And it looks different every. single. year.

There is not one of my approximately 18 West Michigan winters in which the shore has looked the same.

As I recently explored this winter's version, it occurred to me that this is how transformation looks for all of us.

It’s why I shy away from anyone peddling a personal or spiritual or career development process that says there are “6 sure-fire keys” or "4 simple steps” that work for ALL of us.

Recently, I was interviewed by The Washington Post about my upcoming plans to travel to Europe.

Here’s the article and a link to its full text:

The Russia-Ukraine conflict threatens travel far beyond Eastern Europe. Gas prices are rising, and there’s a growing sense of unease about the upcoming travel season. So how do you protect your vacation from a distant war?

That’s what travelers such as Dawn Pick Benson are trying to figure out. She’s planning to visit Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and maybe Montenegro this summer. And she’s keeping a watchful eye on events in Eastern Europe.

I hosted a small wine tasting gathering recently over the weekend, and in the process of it all, I learned French. 

Well, one French word, anyway 😉 — Terroir (pronounced /tɛˈrwɑːr/).

Terroir simply means “a sense of place.” It refers to the coming together of climate, soil and landscape in a way that all 3 factors react together uniquely in each particular vineyard. 

Terroir determines the character of a wine. In contrast to globalized products designed to taste the same, terroir evokes notions of authenticity, genuineness and particularity. 

We all have our own rhythm, our own sense of place—a terroir—that’s uniquely our own.