Dreaming of Escape

  Reading is an escape from the outside world. Everyone needs a little of that to keep their sanity. — Kim Holden

Escape and sanity - two words we seem to be saying a lot more these days. I remember exactly where I was the first day Covid-19 was announced in our city. I was meeting some friends for lunch. As we walked into the restaurant, we were discussing our concerns about Covid-19 and wondering if it was going to be as bad as experts were predicting. Halfway through our lunch we received text messages from our family members who work in health care that the first case in our county was officially diagnosed. Little did we know in less than a week we would not be able to see each other again for the next four months due to social distancing. To me, that lunch was a delineating line between my previous life and the many things I took for granted and the life we now live called the new normal. During the last four months I sought to use this unprecedented upheaval to refocus and redefine what creates happiness in my life. I chose to slow down, be thankful, to appreciate my family, and to help others in whatever way I could. 

But I would be lying if I didn’t think about escaping on many days. Books were a lifeline in both my mental development as well as my spiritual. I would read to get away, to travel somewhere, to feel different emotions, or to just not think at all. The quote by Kim Holden “Reading is an escape from the outside world. Everyone needs a little of that to keep their sanity” rang true time and time again. 

During this time, the Wordy Traveler team and I started to play the game of “where would I rather be quarantined?” Of course we understand that everyone, no matter where in the world they were located, was experiencing extreme difficulties. But for us it was a game that caused us to remember favorite places and to dream about the destinations we have yet to travel. 

There were so many different locations mentioned, but there was one place almost everyone had on their list . . . French Polynesia. With over 118 islands and atolls (67+ being inhabited), it’s no wonder we all had one or more of the islands located in this vast region on our list. Seemingly no matter what island someone listed they chose it for a similar reason: warm breezes, tropical plants, blue water, and the zen-like state that a beautiful beach can provide. The Wordy Team came to the mutual conclusion that we needed to change our plans for our summer journey and feature this paradise!

In addition to our newest journey, we are excited to announce a new product offering! Until now our Backpacker and Full Suitcase journeys have typically only included non-fiction books related to the regions we are exploring. Knowing how books can be a source of escape and entertainment, we are excited that starting in July we will be offering both a non-fiction and a fiction version of our Backpacker and Full Suitcase journeys! To help launch this exciting new offering, our Full Suitcase subscribers will be receiving a fiction book as one of their three books this quarter. In the future you will have an option to add on one, two, or all three fiction books to your current subscription. You will also have the option to switch to the fiction version of your journey on your next renewal! And if you choose to subscribe to the fiction version of your journey, you will then be able to add on the non-fiction counterpart books as well.

We are also excited that we now have a place where we can gather as a community and discuss the books we are reading, talk about the places we love, and encourage each other via a private Facebook group. Please search for “The Wordy Traveler Book Club” group on Facebook and request to join. 

Now more than ever we want you to know how much you are appreciated and the difference you are making to so many with your continued subscription. We are thankful for you and we are glad to be a part of this incredible community of readers. As always, thank you for making the world a better place one book at a time.

Thank you,

Cindy @ The Wordy Traveler