I had the pleasure of connecting recently with Chandi Wyant, author of Return to Glow: A Pilgrimage of Transformation in Italy and licensed tour guide in Florence Italy. We talked about the effect writing about our travels has on us.
Chandi has been an avid traveler since the age of 19. “I always kept a journal and wrote letters home,” she said.
“That’s one level of writing – recording your experiences. Writing a travel memoir is a whole other level. I had to go beyond the details and drop into my heart,” Chandi said. “I also had to break away from my academic writing and learn the craft of memoir.”
A lot of my clients are writing a memoir, so this conversation resonated with me. I know how much it takes to be honest and vulnerable in our writing. It’s a different kind of courage than we use when traveling. It’s the inside journey and we have to expose ourselves in ways we aren’t accustomed to. And yet, there are rewards to the work of writing authentically.
“I learned so much about myself through writing this memoir. The process was deeper, more profound, and more helpful than therapy,” Chandi told me.
I get it! My writing and my travels have shaped me in so many ways. My best gift from travel has been courage. With the boldness I’ve gained from crossing the world by myself many times, I know I can brave the blank page to honestly write my stories.
“You have to be willing to dig deep and be vulnerable,” Chandi said. She mentioned this powerful quote by Brené Brown: “Courage is to tell your story with your whole heart.” I agree.
What about you? How has writing about your travels transformed you?
Take a bold trip with us in Write Your Travel Stories. This fun writing workshop will be the adventure you’ve craved. Get on board here.
Get Chandi’s memoir, Return to Glow here and find out more about her Italian adventures at Paradise of Exiles.
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