Seeking Powerful Travel Destinations for Emotional Healing, She Followed Her Mother’s Footsteps Across 15 Countries

Originally published on March 9, 2026 | Last updated on April 15, 2026

Why she followed her mother’s travels across 15 countries seeking travel destinations for emotional healing, uncovering stories, memories, and unexpected ways to process grief along the journey.

Meaningful travel experiences around the world are not tour itineraries. When we say that we take people on meaningful travel experiences around the world, we usually mean only a small portion of what’s available over there. In fact, a meaningful experience can only be defined by the very person who took part in it.

The reason is simple. People travel with different motivations. They are all valid from each person’s perspective.

There are also psychological reasons people choose specific travel destinations over others. Some heard stories about them, and they want to associate with those who’ve been there.  And this brings back the powerful need for authentic storytelling. We travel before we hear about the beauty of seeing and exploring places. For instance, someone who wants to travel to personal growth and emotional healing destinations tends to look for relatable stories.

The same nature of relatability is often observed when people choose travel destinations inspired by loved ones.  

Common Reasons to Travel The world

Why do travelers choose certain destinations over others?

Most travelers choose travel destinations inspired by nature, mountains, beaches, and history. The beauty of traveling the world is that all reasons are valid depending on each person’s needs.

Traveling to places connected to family memories or roots can be meaningful to people who left a certain country for another. A family whose roots are in Scotland will have a special reason to fly from New York and stay for a longer period than a German whose family roots have always been connected to Germany, as far as they are aware:)

One destination can have two travelers from the same country with two or more travel reasons.

What does this mean for travel professionals?

If you know that there are people who choose certain travel destinations for emotional reasons, it makes sense to specialize in a particular niche that you feel passionate about and skillful in.

The one traveling to identify their family roots will more likely be interested in a local expert who knows the ins and outs of the destination’s history. This is the type of travel that is influenced by personal identity and emotions. For them, meaningful travel experiences around the world probably mean places connected to family stories.

When Grief Guides Your Travel Destination Choices: Seeking Travel Destinations for Emotional Healing, She Followed Her Mother’s Footsteps Across 15 Countries

We all travel for different reasons. Some embark on a solo travel after losing a loved one, and this kind of travel is considered travel as therapy for grief and loss.

Below is a story about a woman, Saumya Varma, a public policy professional who has been in 15 countries so far. She embarked on emotional travel destinations for healing, following her deceased mother’s travel footsteps abroad.

When I lost my mother a few years ago after a long and painful illness, I found myself constantly searching for ways to connect with her, to somehow keep her close. Wearing her clothes, reading her favourite books — these small, sometimes mundane acts helped make the overwhelming grief more manageable.

Before she fell ill, my mother was a force to be reckoned with and my idol in so many ways. I was in awe of her outgoing and adventurous personality, in perpetual contrast to my rather shy and reserved outlook towards life. I looked inward when she was always looking outward.

I realized that to truly understand my mother and her adventures — to feel closer to her — I needed to see the world as she had seen it, to follow in her footsteps and trace her travels. She had traveled to numerous exciting places around the globe and would regale me with stories of her adventures in China, Russia, Romania, Mexico, Moldova, Vienna, England, and many other fascinating destinations. She truly immersed herself wherever she went — making friends with locals, learning to cook regional cuisine, even picking up the steps to their dances.

Every year, I choose a destination she has traveled to and set out to experience it for myself. So far, I have covered Vienna, Prague, London, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in what I call my “Pilgri-mom-age.” I travel solo in one sense, but my constant companion on these journeys is my mother — her stories, her recollections, her favourite moments. Very different from my natural instinct (shy, reticent, reserved), I try to travel as she would: open to new people and experiences, nurturing childlike excitement, participating rather than observing from afar.

Grief is a daily struggle. But finding a way to connect with my mother by creating new memories inspired by her life through travel has been deeply cathartic, allowing me to discover new sides of both her and myself.

FAQs: Why Are Meaningful Travel Experiences Around the World Not Tour Itineraries?

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