Raising our kids to live life to the fullest is such an incredible honor and opportunity, one that is hard to live up to day to day. My teens are all over the place, often with friends, and with university on the horizon, it all feels like time is slipping away. :(
Travel, near and far, has always been an opportunity for us to check in, reconnect, and reignite our relationships. Over the last few years, I've taken my daughter Olive on some vanlife adventures in Hawaii. Last month, my son and I organized a father-son quest to Tanzania, and we just returned ... WOW!
Through one of my companies, Explorer X, Quinn and I designed and facilitated an adventure rooted in the principles and practices of transformative travel for a group of 4 dads and 4 sons.
We weaved in intention-setting, mindset, ways of being, awe, wonder, challenge, flow, reciprocity, sensorial exploration, conscious wildlife/nature observation, stretching comfort zones, meaningful conversations, and other exercises to help us all connect, enliven, and enrich the experience before, during, and post.
For example, everyone shared their intentions, each night someone different would give a toast, we shared our highlights of the day in circle, and on the last night in the bush around a campfire, we read aloud father/son letters written earlier in the day about the upcoming transition from high school to college. The words were deeply moving, from depths we might not always access when we're home, including words of wisdom and gratitude, to whispers of fears and insecurities, and just so much love. To close, we wrote down one of the fears and burned it in the fire. Without this container, the prompt, and opportunity, maybe a few of us would have never been able to express what flowed through us that evening in the Serengeti.
When I think about it, this trip, this opportunity to connect with my son and facilitate others in doing the same, that's what it is all about for me. In my humble opinion, too much of our day-to-day lives, from the chaos to our egos, has diminished travel's sacredness.
For context, here are the experiences captured in the photos ...
- Some water activities, reef restoration, removing 100s of plastic water bottles, on the coast near Tanga with Fish Eagle Point
- The boys went on a 24-hour rite of passage with Maasai men near Lake Natron Halisi Camp
- Moonlit climb of Ol Doinyo Lengui, the Maasai call it the "Mountain of God" ... An active volcano, 6000' feet up in 3 miles, and 6000' back down, all in 10 hours.
- Meaningful conversation with ex-poachers, now Rangers, bringing an end to poaching through education, wildlife rescue, and desnaring program
- Guided conversations for deepening our bonds, as father and sons, as dads, and as teenage boys about to embark on their next chapter together
To honor our hosts in Tanzania, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Serengeti Desnaring Program and/or the Transformational Travel Institute, a member of 1% for the Planet.
Journey on,
Jake
Founder & CEO
The Transformational Travel Council
Jake, I really appreciate this reflection. The way you speak about transitions as sacred passages is so grounding. You’re right—travel isn’t just about new places, it’s about crossing those inner thresholds too. Grateful to walk alongside you in this work.
This is important and needed more than ever!