Some travelers have discovered that having a purpose or goal associated with their adventures makes the experience all the sweeter. Combining a love of travel with another interest can not only be loads of fun, but it can help you learn more about yourself and develop deeper friendships. Be inspired by these travelers who have discovered that purposeful traveling is the way to go.
Purpose: National Parks
In 2018, Kathy Belcher, 71, and her husband were visiting Glacier National Park in Montana when they kept hearing about Greenough Glacier. But it’s strenuous, and we’re not hikers, Kathy thought at the prospect of doing such a formidable hike. Despite her reservations, they ended up hiking all the way to the top, although Kathy notes that they stopped frequently to take photos of the gorgeous scenery. “It was so exhilarating for us because we did a strenuous hike; it just flipped this switch for me,” she says.
Later that year, Kathy’s son won a lottery to camp at the bottom of Grand Canyon National Park in January 2020. That was the nudge Kathy needed to join a women’s hiking group so that she could prepare to join her son on the trip. She met women who had experience doing long hikes, including the Appalachian Trail and the Camino de Santiago, so she was gaining knowledge and camaraderie as well as improving her endurance.
The January 2020 Grand Canyon trip was extended so that Kathy and her son could travel to Utah and see six more national parks (Petrified Forest, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion, and Capitol Reef). The following year, she went to California and hiked in Yosemite, and she hasn’t stopped since. Now that she’s been ‘bitten by the hiking-in-national-parks bug,’ she’s hiked in Yellowstone, the Tetons, Acadia, New River Gorge in West Virginia, and more. Her US national park number right now is 14, but she has also visited national parks in other countries, including Banff in Canada and Plitvice in Croatia.
By Carrie Vittitoe
P.S. In case you missed it: Travel With A Purpose (Part 2 of 4): Sports Enthusiasm
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