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Flynn Coleman’s Insight into Empowering #WomenInTravel

Flynn Coleman, an international human rights attorney and the founder of Malena, has shared with us a wonderful introduction to our March theme #WomenInTravel. A native of Los Angeles, Flynn has lived in France, Switzerland, England, Ireland, Italy, Hong Kong, Fiji, Cambodia, Senegal, and Chile. She speaks five languages, and her wanderlust has taken her from rebuilding homes in New Orleans, to distributing gifts to children in Haiti and school supplies in Guatemala and Ethiopia, to huffing up Mount Kilimanjaro with her dad, to zodiac boating in Alaska with her mom.

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Why is travel important?

As Hans Christian Andersen knew, “to travel is to live.” There are so many reasons that travel is so important, and for me, travel is a way of life, a metaphor for our journeys as human beings, a road to connecting with ourselves and others, a way to learn about our common humanity, how to help others, how to widen our perspectives, and a path to seeing that the world is both so huge and beautifully diverse, and yet also so small, in that we are all the same underneath it all.

How does travel empower women?

There are a myriad of ways that travel can empower women, from teaching us resourcefulness and creative-problem solving, to self-compassion and confidence, to acceptance and independence. Travel can be a conduit to connecting with others and learning to love ourselves along the way, reminding us that we already have all the tools we need to make our way in the world, and to reach for the stars.

What is one way you can sneak social impact into your travels?

If we can always travel with a sense of wonder and curiosity, and remember what MLK said, that “life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” that will help to lead the way. Every time we make a decision we are making a difference, and so we should always be aware of what difference that is. No one can do everything, but that never has to stop us from doing something. Whether it’s supporting a local organization or community in some way, sharing the stories of people you meet along the way, you can always be an ambassador and an advocate for the stories and people all around you.

If someone were afraid of traveling for the first time, what would you tell them?

I would tell them that I understand, and that to this day I’m afraid every time I set out on a new adventure. The point isn’t to not be afraid, it’s to do it anyway, to follow your passion and your dreams, and to help others along the way, because that is where the magic happens, outside of our comfort zones, in the uncertainty, in the leap, in the adventure that awaits us, in living the questions. That’s what travel is, and why it’s so powerful, beautiful, and such a gift. If we let it, if we are willing to say YES to our adventure, it can remind us of what truly matters in this world.


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Flynn Coleman is an international human rights attorney, a mindfulness and creativity teacher, an author, a TEDx speaker, a Huffington Post writer, a lifelong wanderluster, an adventure traveler, a trekker, a former competitive athlete, a social entrepreneur and innovator, and the founder and CEO of Malena. Learn more: flynncoleman.communityTwitter: @flynncolemanInstagram: @flynncoleman
and Linkedin.


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