Hi, I’m Jenny
Hi, welcome to Orchids to Olives, an holistic travel environment, shaped around health, wellbeing and healing. I’m delighted you’re here…
I’ve long been a lover of travel and recognised its ability to empower and inspire personal growth, in ways that are often hidden to us before embarking on a journey.
However, on the cusp of 50 and following a relationship breakup and the sudden emergence of neurological symptoms, travel took on a whole new meaning for me – it was no longer simply to experience but also an to attempt to heal and live a life that fully supported both my physical healing, and my mental and emotional wellbeing.
As I move into the end of my 50th year, I’ve learnt that life is in chapters. Some feel exciting, some feel comfortable and sometimes one comes along that completely breaks us. At the time of writing this, I’ve just been through the latter and I’ve been slowly emerging like a bewildered butterfly gently smoothing out her delicate wings, fluttering into a whole new chapter with a fresh sense of openness as to what that will bring.
But let’s go back a little first….
My 20s/30s – a travel bug stifled
Throughout my 20s and 30s, I had a strong desire to see the world, but circumstances curtailed my passion. This resulted in frequently feeling stifled by my surroundings and moored in.
Hitting 40 and a new beginning
blossoming
At 40, my twenty year marriage ended and I made a promise to myself, that I would piece together a new life story with travel playing centre stage.
In the first year of my newfound freedom, I took three wonderful trips with my 16-year-old son, but I knew that ‘holidays’ were not enough. I craved a work life balance that was flexible so that I could spend longer chunks of time travelling. I set about building a freelance career that would enable me to be location independent. A step that was fundamental in breathing life into my blossoming journey.
I then met the man, who became my partner. Life seemed complete…
Reaching 50 – a broken heart, a chronic health condition and healing
Healing
On the cusp of 50 it felt like my world fell apart and I descended into a period of darkness. My relationship shattered and overnight I started to experience numbness and tingly in my legs, which resulted in a two year search to gain a diagnosis. A diagnosis that came full circle with the overriding conclusion that my condition was likely to be due to stress.
Travel took on a new meaning – it became my way to heal. I began seeking out places that would support my physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
I’ve attended a rose healing ceremony in Penang, had an abundance of massages in different locations, experienced what felt like contortion at the hands of a Chinese medicine practitioner, attended Ayurvedic retreats, been scrubbed clean in Moroccan hammams, stayed in UK Buddhist residencies, enjoyed the therapeutic nature of a Chinese tea ceremony, meditated in deeply serene locations…
Discovering places that nourish my mind, body and soul feels right to me. A way to deepen the connection with myself and creating a balance that flows into everyday life.
I’ve learnt that wherever you go, there are people willing to help. I’ve been overwhelmed at times by a complete stranger’s generosity, and it seems like one of those travel clichés to say this, but having been in a position where I’ve needed support I now realise this to be true. I have many stories of people who have been there when I’ve needed them. It warms my heart and brings tears to my eyes when I think of them. It has taught me to keep my mind and heart open, and say yes when people offer to help.
And so, at 50 I begin a new chapter with a promise to myself, to live in flow – to take each day as it comes and to listen intuitively to what my body and soul needs to flourish, with a hope to be stronger, healthier and living a life completely aligned to the core of who I am.
My travel ethos
SLOW AND IMMERSIVE
I love every part of travelling. I love airports, I love long bumpy bus journeys cramped up against a window watching the world go by, I love the unknown, I love the heat, the smells and sounds of the tropics. I love bustling markets and crowded train stations.
In contrast to my younger self, I take great pleasure in settling into a location for a period of time and finding myself within that place. I like to feel the rhythm, it’s daily pace and how I fit into that.
I passionately believe that travelling is for everyone and all ages. It takes you out of the closed mindset of ‘this is how it is to live and think’. It strips away the blinkers, it pulls back the curtains. When you travel, you see there are many ways to be and many ways to think. It’s a sharp blast of fresh air to the senses, to wake you and shake you up. Combined with seeking out experiences and places that nourish the mind, body and spirit, I’ve learnt that travel can be deeply transformative.
About my writing
AN OPEN heart in flow
You’ll sometimes find sprinkled into my posts, my heartfelt feelings and emotions. These can often be deeply reflective and personal, and I don’t apologise for this. I write to explore and to write without also placing my heart on the page, feels pointless.
Most of us live in a world where a free reign of full emotions is held back. We have to put on a full body mask to simply interact on a daily basis. This leads to stress, body pain, loneliness, depression, anxiety and so on.
My writing is not only for you, but also for me – a way of unravelling my emotions and journeying inward and forward. If you’re simply after travel facts, then I may not be your cup of tea and that’s okay.
I can’t pretend to you, that my life is full of magic and awe every step of the way because this is not my reality, and I don’t think it’s anyone else’s reality. Life is a tumultuous journey of joy, excitement, sorrow and every other emotion under the sun. These emotions are the seeds of Orchids to Olives.
I believe that life is a journey of constant evolving – of learning, adapting and growing until the day we leave this planet. Our experiences (both those that we perceive as good and bad) are like hidden jewels that we can use to explore our inner most selves and if we approach all of these jewels with curiosity, then they can provide an opening into a deeper, more enriching life.
You don’t have to travel to live an inspiring life, but certainly for me, travel provides a fascinating opening to explore every facet of my heart, body and mind. Also, by purposefully combining travel with experiences that nurture holistic wellbeing, you get to explore deeper.
So, dear reader, I’ll not apologise for my navel gazing written reflections. I can only say, that if you to want to use the gift of travel to unleash your dancing heart and journey within, I’d love to hear from you.
Love Jenny
