Beyond the Itinerary: The Move That Changed Me

There are moments in travel and service that are carefully planned, and then there are moments that find you in a way you could not have orchestrated yourself. This story began through June, a partner I met in my FDE Leadership group. June has been overseeing the care and development of 600 children, all coming from areas often described as “slums,” a word that carries weight and should not be used carelessly.

Historically, the term refers to densely populated urban areas where housing, infrastructure, and access to resources are limited. But that definition alone is incomplete. These communities are also filled with resilience, creativity, family, faith, and people building life with what they have.

Last year, June implemented a chess initiative and started the Safari Knights Chess Club as a way to expand possibility for the children she serves. She partnered with trainers who agreed to volunteer their time and support the mission. At first, it may sound simple. Chess boards. Children. A competition. But the more updates I received, the more I understood this was about something much deeper than a game.

The children came from a mix of backgrounds, including orphanages and local high schools in surrounding communities. From here, I supported the initiative as June sent updates and kept me connected by phone. I was not physically there in Kenya, but I felt the pull of what was unfolding. There were children showing up to learn, think, compete, and imagine something beyond what life may have told them was possible.

What moved me most was not the idea of “helping.” This was not about me arriving with answers or inserting myself into someone else’s story. It was about recognizing a moment where support was needed, where encouragement mattered, and where a small act could help extend the work June had already begun.

The competition became a beautiful marker of what happens when someone chooses to plant a seed. Children who had been learning through Safari Knights Chess Club had the opportunity to compete, apply strategy, build confidence, and be seen for their brilliance. The results were not just measured by winners or trophies, but by the joy, discipline, pride, and possibility that showed up around those chess boards.

There are times when philanthropy is structured, planned, and scheduled. Then there are moments where it falls into your lap like a tiny mustard seed, small at first, but carrying the potential to grow into something much greater. This was one of those moments. I felt a responsibility to respond, not because I had all the answers, but because I could see that something meaningful was already taking root.

That experience stayed with me. It made me reflect on what it truly means to travel well, to partner well, and to build a business with purpose. Travel should not only move people from one beautiful place to another. It should create connection. It should support the people and communities that make a destination more than a backdrop.

This is why I design travel differently. I am intentional about who I partner with, where money flows, and how communities are considered in the planning process. It is not enough for a trip to be beautiful. It should be thoughtful. It should be rooted. It should leave room for dignity, exchange, and impact.

Safari Knights Chess Club is still growing, and this competition is only part of the story. There will be more updates to come, more children to celebrate, and more ways to witness what happens when possibility is placed within reach.

And for me, that is where meaning lives.

Not only in the itinerary.

But in the people, the partnerships, and the purpose behind every journey I choose to design.

Because true luxury is not just where you go. It is how deeply you are willing to see, and how responsibly you choose to move through the world.

If this is the kind of travel that resonates with you, where each journey is designed with intention, connection, and purpose at its core, I invite you to explore what it looks like to travel differently.