Travel + Leisure talks to FOND about Voluntourism

THE LUXURY OF HELPING OTHERS

When I quit my job last year to found FOND Group , I wasn’t prepared for the outpouring of support I received from friends, colleagues and total strangers. While I knew that working with the intent to truly help others felt SO much better than just doing work for the sake of work and earning a paycheck,  I wasn’t so sure others would agree–especially not NY, the epicenter of the manic rat-race.  Within days of launching, any doubts I had were quickly quelled as I was immediately welcomed in to what felt like a secret society of inspiring people who had similar experiences and goals as I did and were amped to offer their guidance. Many of these people (ex-cubies, as I call them) were much further along on their paths but quick to share similar tales of career re-evaluation after reaching some level of traditional ‘success’ in the big apple and then mindfully deciding to pull the plug and reroute.

Hillary Kaylor was one such amazing person.

Today, Hillary shared her experiences and mine in an article she wrote for Travel and Leisure titled Voluntourism 2.0. I’m thrilled T+L, a publication I have respected for years (even when I worked for its competitor Conde Nast shhh), had the foresight to cover this rapidly expanding market. Perhaps they too realize that luxury travel isn’t always about extreme self-indulgence but sometimes its about the luxury of feeling awesome having helped someone else reach their goal or the luxury of gaining a broader perspective of the world. It’s a luxury to be in a position to help other people and its important we remember that.

I’m not sure if was the hurricane last fall or a cosmic shift of the stars of maybe just a lot of first-world early midlife crises going on but I’m finding that others — MANY others– seem to also be shifting their points of view as to what it means to be successful, what it means to get ‘paid’ and what it means to have purpose in their work. Eight months in to FOND, it is apparent to me that there is a tuning of sorts happening and a lot of ‘successful’ people I knew who could easily have followed the traditional corporate climb are bucking it entirely to find work that matters.

Please take the time to read Hillary’s article in T+L and think about your skills and where they might have the most positive net benefit. It’s not about having the time – it’s about designing a life where your time is best spent. If you are stuck, reach out to us and maybe we can help.

A note on Hillary…

I’ve said before what a gifted writer she is but she is also just an amazing force of a person who believes she can (and is) able to make a difference in the world. It’s inspiring.  The fact that she exercises her gift of writing to artfully and passionately articulate her point of view and her experiences to inspire others is, in itself, a huge act of paying it forward. A former colleague of mine at RCRD LBL, Hillary and I linked up earlier this year and she agreed to put her skills to use to help FOND accomplish its mission. What an important part of the team she has become. Thanks Hillary!

Mahalo From Kauai-

Nicole