Hello Sojourners,

Here is our latest newsletter from The Sojourn Experience. Every 8 Good Things (8GT) features articles and videos on wellbeing, travel, and storytelling, the ideas that define our three brands; Picture Happiness, Sojourn Explorers, and Sojourn Media.

This edition features tips on effective communication, meaningful travel inspiration, and uplifting stories to watch.

To get you started, here are  25 moments that made travel history.

Enjoy! I hope you read something that inspires you!

P.S. Please share 8 Good Things with your family, friends, and colleagues. 

September 10, 2021

How the 10-Second Rule Can Dramatically Change Your Conversations and Make You a Better Leader

If you do not think that ten seconds can make a difference in communicating with another person, think again. The next time you find yourself heading toward a heated conversation, stop for ten seconds before you speak. Give yourself a moment to consider what you want to say. You may be surprised how that seemingly slight pause can open the space to collect your thoughts, take a deep breath, and defuse adverse emotional reactions.  Learn more in this article from INC.

These 5 Communication Habits of Influential People Are Key to Your Future Success

1) Media super-entrepreneur Oprah starts every meeting with three questions: What is the intention of our discussion? What is important? What matters?
2) Prolific NY Times bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell manages his inbox, calls,  and texts by only replying once every twenty-four hours.
3) High-powered Wall Street investor Sallie Krawcheck constantly asks, “How did I do?”
4) Actor Ryan Reynolds actually signs off at the end of his workday.
5) Tech visionary Steve Jobs used humble and straightforward language to negotiate.
Find out how these super-achievers made it in this article from THRIVE GLOBAL. 

The Best Places to Travel in September

We are not quite done with summer travel in the Northern Hemisphere. Summer officially ends on the 23rd. Here is an article with some inspiration for those ready to hop on a plane. I will add one more destination, the Camino de Santiago in Spain, known as The Way of the Apostle St. James. One of the three great Christian pilgrimages, Jerusalem and Rome being the other two. This year is the third time I will bring pilgrims to walk the last 100km during the Fall. It is a lovely time of year. Not too hot and far fewer crowds. Walking the Camino is always an uplifting experience, regardless of your spiritual beliefs. The people you meet along the way are so warm and welcoming. Find out more places in this CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER  article.

What THE WAY of the Camino de Santiago Can Teach About Happiness

After the first time that I walked the last 100km of the Camino de Santiago’s French Way, I wrote this article. As I am bringing pilgrims again this September, I thought I would share my previous journey. However, what makes this 2021 pilgrimage particularly notable is that it is a holy year when the feast of St. James falls on a Sunday. It happens every eleven years. In these years, a particular door to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is open for pilgrims to pass through, absolving them of all past misdeeds. I look forward to sharing my latest experience with you in a future edition of 8 Good Things. Read more from my article on MEDIUM. 

9 U.S. Travel Destinations to Visit When You Can’t Travel Abroad

Travel inspiration for those who are not ready for a long-haul flight to a far-flung destination. It is all perspective. Instead of New Zealand, visit Oregon. Instead of the Australian Outback, visit Southern Utah. Instead of Okinawa, Japan, visit Oahu, Hawaii. Find out the other six destinations in this FORBES article. 

The Places to Travel Now

As you can imagine, post-Covid-19 travel will be, and already is, looking different these days. There is a desire to be more intentional about one’s travel experience. Travelers are looking for meaningful experiences, like walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain or going on a conservation-oriented safari in Africa. They want to be immersed in cultural activities, learn about wildlife preservation, or see first-hand the impact of climate change. People waiting to travel when they retire are starting to toss aside their bucket list and getting out into the world now instead of later. Learn more from Preferred Hotels & Resorts CEO Lindsay Ueberroth on the TRAVEL THAT MATTERS podcast.

Ten TV Series That Can Help You Be Your Best Self

I am sure I am not alone in spending more time watching TV this past year and wanting uplifting, feel-good content. This article highlights shows from the past twenty months that inspire us to be more mindful, compassionate, forgiving, and courageous. Check out Greater Goodies chosen by the GREATER GOOD MAGAZINE.

Never, Ever Give Up

If you want to spend an inspired fifteen minutes, twenty-three seconds, watch this talk by the woman who swam from Cuba to Key West at the age of sixty-four, fulfilling a dream that began in her twenties. Her story’s message is “you find your way.”  Heck, yay, you do! When life knocks you down, you stand back up and try again. One of the great lessons from the pandemic is this one. Get motivated with this courageous story on TED. 

Sojourn Getaways

The old-world explorers inspired this camp. Here you feel as if you could be pulling up a chair to have a gin and tonic and a bit of a chat with Dr. David Livingstone as you watch the wildlife outside your tent. This camp feels so intimate and magical and a million miles away from civilization. Maybe that is because Duba Plains Explorers Camp sits on an island surrounded by the pristine Okavango Delta on an 81,540-acre private reserve in the heart of Botswana’s northern floodplains. If you want to get away from it all, this is the place.

This camp is intimate yet spacious, making use of indoor and outdoor living in its truest sense, from the voluminous vaulted ceilings in the main guest area to the guest tent verandas that seem like you are sitting in an outside living room. There are only three tents and one two-bedroom suite — all hugging the waterline of the Selinda Spillway as it enters the Linyanti River. It is the kind of place that invites you to hang out, maybe skip a game drive or two so that you can be still as if one with the environment.

Picture Perfect

Panthera Pardus: The Leopard

The leopard is one of the most sought-after safari sightings. Unfortunately, they are also the most elusive of the big cats. Solitary and stealthy leopards are best seen in Africa’s wildest areas, like Selinda’s extensive private reserve in the northern part of Botswana.

In all the years I have been going to Africa, I have never had a more exciting adventure following a leopard. We stayed with one for almost two hours as they were on the move.

What impressed me was how healthy and relaxed-looking the cats were in the areas I visited. One reason is there is less pressure from game-drive vehicles — a significant advantage to doing a safari in a private reserve instead of a national park. 

Some Fun Facts:

“Panthera pardus” are usually light-colored and have dark spots on their fur. These spots are shaped similar to that of a rose, rosettes. 

They can run up to 36mph and jump forward 20ft.

They spend most of their time alone. Leopards mark their territory by leaving tree scratches and urine/poop scents. Males and females cross territories only to mate.

They eat pretty much any available prey. Leopards are powerful and can carry heavy game up into the trees so that scavengers like hyenas do not steal their food.

They are nocturnal, and usually when they hunt. 

Females give birth any time of the year, usually birthing two or three cubs at a time. Moms stay with their cubs until they can hunt and take care of themselves, about two years.

When a male wants to warn another leopard of his presence, he will make a raspy cough. They growl when angry and purr when happy 😉

I hope you enjoy these photos from my African travels in July.

Thoughtful

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”

~ Saint Augustine

Stay safe. Stay well.

ABOUT

Every three weeks, we bring you eight big ideas to help you live better.

Each edition selects topics that reflect The Sojourn Experience’s desire to serve the greater good, both inwardly and outwardly. We are a conscious-centered company with three portfolio brands. The first is Picture Happiness, which focuses on the art and science of happiness and mindfulness. The second is Sojourn Explorers, which curates transformational travel experiences to extraordinary places around the globe. Part of the money for each trip goes to nonprofit organizations we support. Sojourn Media looks to create partnerships with writers, producers, and directors to sell their projects to production companies and various platforms.

Special thanks to Astrid Martin, article and video content research, and Michael Tobias, editorial review and formatting, for their ongoing contributions to
8 Good Things.

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