Transformative Travel for Midlife Women: Confidence, Connection, and Mindfulness in Africa

Photos are from the personal archive of Janice Rombeck

In July, 13 midlife women embarked on a transformative adventure through Africa. This adventure pushed us beyond our comfort zones and deeply impacted our confidence and spirit. 

Witnessing majestic wildlife like elephants and penguins and reflecting on South Africa’s rich history opened everyone’s eyes to new perspectives. The awe-inspiring landscapes and meaningful connections with fellow travelers helped us discover a more profound sense of self-acceptance. This trip changed how many of us view the world and strengthened our commitment to engage more actively in shaping our future.

Travel during midlife, emphasizing transformation, connection, and mindfulness, profoundly shapes our perspectives. For each of us, the experiences become a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, offering a break from routine and a chance to step outside our comfort zones. Immersing ourselves in new cultures, experiences, and environments pushes us to confront our fears, grow, and embrace change, helping us to build confidence and resilience.

During our 16 days, we made meaningful connections with fellow travelers and locals. The conversations made us reflect on our own lives and broaden our understanding of this part of the world. These interactions foster empathy, open-mindedness, and a sense of shared humanity, helping us each reevaluate our roles and relationships.

Mindfulness—being present during each experience—enriches the travel experience by immersing ourselves fully in each moment. Whether it's the awe of natural wonders or navigating through challenges, being present helps us appreciate life’s fleeting beauty. This mindfulness carries over into our daily lives, encouraging us to savor each moment more fully and prioritize what truly matters. Staying present is an integral part of flourishing through midlife. 

Ultimately, traveling with other midlife women catalyzed our personal growth and offered new perspectives on how we see ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us. It empowered many of us to approach the future with renewed purpose, clarity, and strength. 

If you’ve ever found yourself seeking more meaning in your adventures or curious about the transformative power of travel, this post will speak directly to you. Get ready for two insightful and heartfelt stories from two of our fellow travelers.

We’re excited to have Janice Rombeck share her experience in our group.  As a reporter, editor, freelance writer, and communication manager, Janice brings a unique perspective on travel and offers insights that we think you'll find inspiring and actionable.

Here are thoughts from Janice: Travel brings with it many gifts -- adventure, exploration, companionship and the awakening of  our senses.  The memories from travel stay with you for a lifetime. And the lessons you learn during the journey shape who you are and who you are becoming.

But perhaps travel’s greatest gift is offering us the opportunity to stay in the moment, live in the here and now, be fully aware of what we are experiencing without being distracted by thoughts or feelings of the past or future.

During the Africa trip, we were transported to a new time and place, even a new season, where we could leave behind the troubles, pressures and worries of our daily lives and focus – really focus – on the moment.

Staying in the moment was sometimes a result of awe as in the first time we saw a family of rhinos from our safari jeep. Or staying in the moment was a necessity of survival as in navigating over rocks and through streams during the rugged hike to the waterfalls in Moremi Gorge.

Of course, we thought about and talked about our lives, our work, our families and our environments at home.  It was an important tool to learning about each other and, for some, a connection to loved ones left behind.  But during the activities of our jam-packed, adventure-filled days, we were there.  In the present.

We observed, photographed, expressed joy or fright, laughed at penguins and perhaps shed tears touring the Robben Island prisons. We supported each other, toasted our guides and helpers, danced when the music moved us, sang with the soundtrack on the bus. 

Looking at my photos and videos of the trip, and those posted on the Internet by others, can take me back to Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, at least for a while.  I can feel the wonderment of watching a young elephant cross the road in front of us, or a giraffe sustaining its huge and complex body by nibbling at leaves above its head, a hippo crawling its way out of a mudhole as we float along the water in a riverboat, a monkey skillfully stealing a muffin from our table, the magic of seeing the sun and the moon at the same time on the Mkadigadi Pan, the sound and fury of Victoria Falls spilling over massive cliffs, or the simple clinking of wine glasses as we celebrated the end of another awesome day on a continent 10,000 miles away from our homes.   

Those memories bring the realization of what a special experience Africa 2024 was and a reflection of the gifts we received during the journey. As I returned to my real life, I sometimes longed to be back where I can hear hippos at night in the nearby river, taste springbok meat fresh from a braai grill, take in a gorgeous sunset with brilliant colors painted against the sky, observe from a safe distance mammals and birds not found in North America and once again enjoy the enormous break from the world I left.

Not that every moment of our trip was pleasant.  We experienced hard hikes, daily fatigue, lifting heavy suitcases and backpacks, hours on bus rides in temperatures that seemed way too hot to be winter, unexpected illness, disappointments and frustrations.  But even in these moments we were living, experiencing and feeling what was before us, around us and within us and were grateful for the awareness and the lessons these moments gave us.

Undeniably, we have moments of sharp focus and intense attention in our daily lives. Some of us are skilled at daily meditation, mindfulness exercises and periods of quiet reflection.  But more often, we are likely to be planning, scheduling, organizing, always trying to be a step ahead of what may happen next. 

Africa 2024 provided a sustained period of staying in the present, not just for us individually, but for us as a group.  Living in the here and now with each other and experiencing the awe and wonder of Africa in those moments enriched the benefits of travel for all of us. Those gifts from travel will stay with us and I’m grateful beyond measure to have made the journey with this group of adventurers.

We’re also thrilled to introduce you to Jolene, who has an incredible story from our trip! Jolene offers a fresh and inspiring perspective on embracing a transformational and life-changing travel experience. She shares how these experiences have shaped her new outlook on life.

Here are thoughts from Jolene: Our July 2024 Africa adventure was incredible! Not only did I demonstrate to myself that I can survive with zeal outside of my comfort zone, the trip impacted my self-confidence and spiritually. My self-confidence and self-worth have always been easily shaken. Whether it was rolling with our 50 degree swing in daily temperatures, listening and sharing stories with our group and guides or being in such a different place than I’ve ever visited I discovered a lot of self-acceptance in 16 days. It has carried into my life after returning home.

The impact spiritually and in my soul is all encompassed with the experience. Seeing elephants, giraffes, rhinos, lions and especially the penguins being free to live in their own habitat and humans of all races fitting into their lives shows that we really are one world. Walking and flying over magnificent Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, provided such a visual of Earth’s creation. All the animals crossing or walking along side of the highways as we drove was so cool! Watching the penguins outside of Cape Town absolutely was the best highlight because they made everyone happy and laugh and were in general fascinating.

 The people experience, everything from conversations with our group and locals, the history of the South African vineyards and learning about Nelson Mandela and apartheid kept confirming that each person in this world has a different lens that shapes their everyday decisions and life. The trip provided me with a new lens to view and accept others as well as being more aware of how others might view me. History really does repeat itself. And, in the United States we are so fortunate to live in a democratic nation. Whether it was the wisdom that I gained in Africa or the events that happened while we were in Africa I have come home with the purpose of educating and encouraging people to vote and hope that one day in the near future our nation will be less divided.

Travel in Midlife is Transformational

Whether you're looking to step out of your comfort zone, seeking more mindful travel experiences, or simply want to travel with other midlife women, we hope Jolene and Janice's wisdom and personal experiences resonate with you. And we hope you’ll join us for a Rumblings travel adventure in the future! Stay tuned for more travel adventures in 2025 (hint: it may include Greece!). Don't forget to share your thoughts and where you’d like to travel in the comments below—let’s start a conversation!

The Profound Dual Purpose of Travel: Lost and Found

Rumblings trip to Vietnam: Phot is Dong Xuan market in Hanoi

Traveling goes far beyond exploring new landscapes and experiencing different cultures; it’s a journey of self-discovery and transformation. In the words of George Santayana, travel is both a means to lose and find ourselves. Beyond the familiar narrative presented in newspapers and media, travel offers a unique perspective that sharpens our awareness, challenges our assumptions, and enriches our understanding of the world. 

Travel offers the opportunity, joy, and deep, heartfelt interactions that create a connection between people that isn’t bound by politics, culture, or language barriers. It deepens our understanding of the world around us by creating an awareness that our most profound humanity is linked to the humanity of others. It allows us to see the friendliness, hospitality, generosity, gentleness, caring, and compassion in others and ourselves. Travel creates a powerful understanding of our interconnectedness with one another. It enables us to see past differences intended to separate and alienate us and develops an understanding of belonging. We can acknowledge that we differ precisely because of our need for one another. 

The profound impact of travel can open our hearts and minds and help us understand its role in fostering empathy and cultural exchange. As travelers, we bridge the gap between our identity and the world’s diverse cultures, offering a fresh perspective in an increasingly interconnected world society. 

These are the reasons why we look forward to traveling with other women, to share these experiences, and deepen our connection to other women across the globe as well as create lasting friendships with each other. Especially during midlife, it’s an integral part of the journey of self-discovery that leaves an indelible mark on our lives when many women are searching for their vision, purpose, and identity for the re-igniting of this next critical phase of their lives. 

Travel serves a dual purpose: it allows us to lose and find ourselves. It opens our hearts and minds to the world beyond what our newspapers convey. We travel to discover and share the riches of different cultures, to become young fools again, and to embrace the moral holiday of taking risks. Travel compels us to work desperately for a moment, to confront hardships, and to sharpen the edge of life, as George Santayana suggested in "The Philosophy of Travel."

Travel not only shows us different realities but also reveals our complexities. It encourages us to reexamine our beliefs and certainties, to see the world with new eyes, and to challenge our assumptions. Even familiar things, like a fast-food restaurant or a movie theater in a foreign land, can be a source of novelty and revelation.

Travelers understand that the world is full of wonder and hardship, and they embrace both. They bear witness to the moral and political urgencies of the places they visit, ensuring that these locations are not reduced to abstract ideas or ideologies. Travel becomes a way to rescue the humanity of places from abstraction and to save them from being mere curiosities.

Moreover, travelers are like human bridges, transporting values, beliefs, and news to the places they visit. In some parts of the world, they serve as the only contact with the outside world, offering a glimpse into other cultures and societies. Travel is about fostering understanding and empathy, importing and exporting dreams with tenderness.

As the world becomes more interconnected, people are increasingly transnational and multicultural. Travelers find themselves at the intersection of different cultures, languages, and customs, and they adapt quickly to new environments. This adaptability allows them to see the world with a fresh perspective.

Travel is also a journey into one's imagination, a quest to uncover the unknown, and a way to be carried out of one's comfort zone. It challenges our notions of home and identity and gives us a unique opportunity to bring new eyes to the places we visit and learn about ourselves.

Ultimately, travel is a heightened state of awareness, a wakefulness that keeps our minds nimble prejudices at bay and fosters humor. Like love, the best trips are never truly over because they leave a lasting impact on our minds and hearts, forever transforming our perception of the world. 

You can read more about some of our travel experiences in our blogs about our trip to Vietnam and how to navigate multigenerational travel. To learn more about traveling with a group of women, join our list to get notified of upcoming trips.  We also keep a journal documenting our travel experiences, and you can find one we created here.