Why the Story Behind a Place Matters More Than the Place Itself

Finding meaning in travel- both near and far

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I used to think travel meant having to go somewhere far away. To a different country with a different language. Or someplace that gave me a completely new experience. While I have been lucky enough to have those adventures, what I've come to realize over time is that some of the most meaningful travel experiences don't require a plane ticket at all. In fact, they often occur much closer to home.

Before living overseas, I don't think I fully knew how to explore a place. It wasn't until I moved to the Middle East in 2016 and had to build a life somewhere so different from anything I had known that I really began to see the adventures around me.

Three years later I moved to Germany and it was then I realized something... at some point along the way I had stopped just "visiting" places and started paying attention. The way a place felt. The people. The history. The stories that existed long before I ever showed up- those became the things that mattered most.

When we moved back to the U.S. after six years abroad, I expected things to feel familiar and easy. Although my experience was quite different from that expectation, one truth remained: the need to get out and explore.

I found myself missing the feeling of adventure we had grown used to. Everything had felt more meaningful there, more alive in a way I couldn't quite explain. I knew I needed to shift my mindset and start seeing things differently. With time, places I might have once overlooked started to feel full of possibility. Instead of dreaming about far away destinations, I started paying attention to the places I had never truly noticed before.

One of the first places that captured my curiosity was Manitou Springs. Nestled into the Colorado mountains at the base of Pikes Peak, Manitou is no stranger to tourists. However, what makes that place so special are the stories. Stories that are shaped by history, by people, and by time. Stories that are still unfolding as we walk through them.

That's what this space is about.

It's not just where to go, but how to see it. I truly believe that when you start to understand the story behind the place, even the most familiar destinations can feel new again. My goal in this space isn't to show you the most extravagant trips or far-off destinations. It's to help you find meaning in the places you find yourselves in, and maybe inspire you to look at them a little differently. If my five years back in the U.S. has taught me anything, it's that travel doesn't have to be far to be meaningful. Sometimes, the most impactful adventures are the ones waiting right in front of you.