#IndagareRoomTravel: Where We Went

By Avery Carmichael

"There is absolutely nothing we can do about where we are now, except to be good citizens, stay at home and be safe," says Indagare member and interior designer Charlotte Moss. One way she’s kept occupied while maintaining social distancing? Room traveling.As we navigate social distancing and our new style of working remotely, Indagare organized a room traveling session of our own, hosting a virtual travel show-and-tell of meaningful objects in our homes. We traveled to the far north of Namibia, to the 20th arrondissement, and to the verdant rice terraces of a small Vietnamese village.

Read on for personal examples transformational travel, all tied up in special objects.

We’re asking Indagare’s followers to share their own #IndagareRoomTravel experiences, for the chance to win an Indagare Tier 3 membership, a complimentary Indagare Global Classroom session, and an exclusive object from Indagare CEO and founder Melissa Biggs Bradley’s personal collection. To enter, share an image of a special, travel-related object that you hold dear on Instagram, explaining why it’s meaningful to you. Tag three friends to share their #IndagareRoomTravel and tag @IndagareTravel.

Indagare Room Travel

Photograph of Happenstance Vietnamese Meal

“This a photograph of rice terraces in Vietnam that we took when we went on a motorbike trip through North Vietnam for three weeks. I've been fortunate enough to do a lot of really cool things in my life, but this was the definition of intrepid. Going through mountain passes without cars, trucks or bikes. One story that this particular image reminds me of is driving along one of these mountain passes, and all of a sudden, hearing the words, 'Hello!' 'Hello!' And I see this little head pop out of the trees and this guy ended up inviting us over for lunch. He lived in two stilted houses with his wife, his brother, his wife and his parents, and we had this meal with rice wine. Truly, the best memories from travel are these random occurrences.” - Samuel DoranPeruvian Gourd

“I'm the kind of person who obsessively plans every shop, every restaurant that I visit. Everything in my home is from my travels. Some of my favorite things are the things I didn't plan. This is a little gourd from Peru. It has carvings all over it and shows all the seasons and their meanings in Peruvian culture. One of the reasons I love it so much is because the artist made it for me. She made this one to combine all the elements that I liked, after perusing all the other gourds for 45 minutes. It’s just something I could never have planned for.” - Madeline CaseNamibian Dolls

“When I went to Namibia two years ago, I spent the final leg of my trip in the Northern part of the country at Serra Cafema. It's right on the Kunene River. Here, I bought these two dolls when I met with members from the Himba tribe. (There's Himba all throughout the country, but Himba are one of the last semi-nomadic tribes in the world—meaning they're not always nomads but that some of their culture has nomadic tendencies. They're really unique in that way.) These dolls, designed to look like the Himba, are made out of cloth that has been wound tightly. Hairstyles designate their ages: For example, one hairstyle shows that a girl hasn’t yet reached puberty. Once they reach puberty, they get a different hairstyle. Their hair is covered in animal fat and clay, just like with these dolls. Typically, at Serra Cafema, you spend an hour with the Himba, and are told to ‘make yourself at home!’ Of course, it's easier to bond with the kids first, and eventually you have eight kids sitting on you and hanging onto you. As the kids warm up to you, you find that the women start opening up to you. We ended up spending two hours with them, laughing and sharing in the moment, despite the language barrier.” - Rose AllenJaipuri Painting

“I went to India in 2017, and the trip was incredibly transformative. I felt a rich spirit of welcomeness with everybody I met there, including the artist of this painting. He was one of many within the City Palace, and they’re all commissioned by the Jaipur royal family. His family had painted for royalty for 250 years. For me, the painting symbolizes India in general: how much thought and detail and care is put into work and artisanship. You just feel so grateful to take even a piece from them. This is their life's work and they've learned about this over many generations. It inspires me to learn what my family has done.” - Elizabeth MyersVintage French Skirt

“When I lived in France, I rented an apartment in the 20th arrondissement from an amazing 76-year-old woman named Gabrielle, who had the most youthful, vibrant personality. Gabrielle was like the French grandmother I never had, and she took the time to fully immerse me into local culture and help refine my language skills. We went on trips to the French countryside together and spent many late nights chatting about life over a bottle of Bordeaux. During our time together, she gave me pieces of her French clothing from the 1950s and 1960s, and this is a little vintage skirt that she used to wear. Even though Gabrielle has since passed away, every time I wear this skirt, I am reminded of her.” - Kelly WilskyBhutanese Painting of the God of Power

“Bhutan isn’t really a place that’s known for shopping, but I found a way! My mother and I popped into this studio in Punakha, where the artist had created a lot of these paintings, all done by hand with gold leaf, representing different Buddhist gods. Mine represents the God of Power. When I meditate, I face this. It helps me stay at ease and calm. It transports me back to Bhutan, where I wish I were right now.” - Caroline HansenCarved Indian Elephant“While volunteering with an educational organization in India, I found these carved, wooden elephants. I was roaming around shops in New Delhi, after having spent three weeks serving slum communities in Mumbai, and I was feeling a restored sense of purpose and intention, but I was also missing my family terribly. I purchased one of these elephants for each member of my family as both a keepsake and a reminder of all the goodness and love in the world. The elephants have stayed with all of us throughout many stages of life, over the span of more than 10 years. They have become, to all of us, a symbol of family, travel, hope and joy.” - Avery Carmichael Rocks from around the world

“Between my junior and senior year of high school, I spent the summers trekking around Tanzania. I was camping—fully living in tents, not showering. It was quite a sight...And it was a great, exciting time for me to learn about travel. Our intention had been to hike Kilimanjaro, but there was a huge political uprising right when we were supposed to be doing that. We ended up climbing the second tallest peak in Tanzania and I picked up a rock from there. Now, one of the things I do on all of my travels is pick up a rock that connects me to the outdoor experience that I have had. I have a small collection of rocks from the various places I've travelled, and it all started with my time in Tanzania.” -Phoebe LaughlinWe’re asking Indagare’s followers to share their own #IndagareRoomTravel experiences, for the chance to win an Indagare Tier 3 membership, a complimentary Indagare Global Classroom session, and an exclusive object from Indagare CEO and founder Melissa Biggs Bradley’s personal collection. To enter, share an image of a special, travel-related object that you hold dear on Instagram, explaining why it’s meaningful to you. Tag three friends to share their #IndagareRoomTravel and tag @IndagareTravel.

Published onApril 11, 2020

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