What is a Sojourn?
Photo by Keith Tanner
What is a Sojourn?
When I decided to launch my travel company I knew I wanted to choose a name that meant something to me and use words I felt would tell my travelers about the type of experience they could expect from me. As I made lists of all of the ways people talk about travel I quickly realized I wanted to offer something more than travel, I wanted a space for connection and community. I wanted to create a space where women can show up for each other and themselves. I envisioned conversations about how we can move about the world in a more intentional way. I wanted to offer experiences that are healing for travelers and for the world.
With this new vision, I remembered a world I had heard years ago…sojourn. I loved how it sounded and how it felt. I began to dig into what it meant. I think of a sojourn as a temporary stay reached by a journey; a brief but intentional immersion in another culture. For me this word captures curiosity and paints a more purposeful, healing, or interconnected picture of travel...it says “this experience is open to all possibilities.” It brings the magic of travel to life!
In Hebrew, a sojourn conveys the idea that a person or group is temporarily or permanently in a community and place that is not their own, and being there is dependent on the goodwill of that community. I really loved uncovering this way of thinking about a sojourn, because I have always believed that as travelers we should consider ourselves guests of the lands where we travel and we need to be aware of the social, financial, and environmental impacts we may have.
“It is a good and safe rule to sojourn in every place as if you meant to spend your life there, never omitting an opportunity of doing a kindness, or speaking a true word, or making a friend.”
My focus on impact stems from my education in sociology and my Master’s in Sustainable Destination Management from George Washington University. I have always been drawn to understanding social issues facing women and finding ways to create change. As I began designing my trips I knew I wanted to work with local organizations and support women-owned businesses whenever possible. I design each global sojourn in partnership with or support of a local Social Impact Partner.
My first sojourn in Guatemala was created in collaboration with Wakami Global. Wakami and Lotus Sojourns believe empowering women transforms the world one community at a time. At Wakami 96% of their 500+ producers are women. By providing women artisans with skill training and income opportunities, they are able to help transform cycles of poverty into cycles of prosperity. While in Guatemala sojourners spend time with women who are a part of the Wakami program, sharing our hopes and dreams and a moment of our lives. We discover shared experiences and celebrate similarities and differences. Each traveler enjoying this experience also receives a credit to shop in the Wakami storefront in Antigua and directly support these women. As I have gone on to design experiences in other destinations I have always started with these partnerships.
Christine, founder of Lotus Sojourns, sharing dreams with Wakami artisans during her first journey to Guatemala.
In 2020 I launched my Soul of Travel podcast to connect with others who are focused on using travel as a force for good. I give listeners a way to really feel what I knew they could experience, and I share about this way of traveling and celebrate others who have been thought leaders and change-makers in this industry.
I really believe that when we sojourn and travel with heart we can move through the world in a way that allows for the belonging and healing we all crave deep within our souls.
Enjoy your journey,
Christine