Letter from the Director

Travel feeds the soul.

I’ll never forget what it was like to leave college, even if it was just for a weekend. While Lubbock, Texas, is only about 5.5 hours away from Austin, a brief absence away from my day-to-day routine felt therapeutic.

When the plane took off, I saw the red dirt and downtown buildings of my college town grow smaller beneath me. The pastures turned from vast to compact and geometric, and cars turned into teeny ants as we ventured higher. Everything seemed so small — so tiny that it was as if my own stressors and problems at the time grew smaller, too, with each few thousand feet we climbed. Soon enough, the plane ascended into the clouds, and Hub City disappeared from my view completely.

It was perspective — that’s what I was feeling. At the time, like any other student, thoughts swirled around my mind about projects and essays and deadlines and meetings and group assignments. On top of that, I was stressed about finding ways to get daily activity in and make time for myself, while also making sure to spend quality time with friends. But being up in the clouds and journeying home for a brief, three-day weekend was exactly what I needed. I no longer felt the symptoms and pains of university life; I felt strong and capable, as if I was coming up for air.

Perspective.

And we all need that. Whether it is simply getting out of dodge for a day or two or even a month-long backpacking trip in Europe, travel is good for the soul. It has this remarkable ability to force us to reexamine our lives with new and refreshed lenses.

In this month’s cover story, you’ll get to meet one group of friends who make it a priority to get out of dodge for five days a year. The Meridian, a just-for-fun golfing weekend extravaganza, was coined by a group of friends who, for the most part, all live in the same Austin neighborhood: the Meridian. Every year, this group of 16+ friends will venture across the United States for beer, fun and, of course, the trip staple: golf.

Additionally, you’ll get to meet a couple that takes runners on adventures all over the world, read about how one foundation paddled for a cause in Iceland, catch up on fascinating road trip listens, experience what it’s like to run Big Bend and even learn about some of the coolest, off-the-beaten-path pit stops in Texas.

And while many of our pages this month are of people and places, we’ve also included some other (important) aspects of travel: how to deal with constipation, make healthy choices while traveling, stretch away the stiffness of prolonged sitting, as well as the benefits of taking a break and more.

With travel restrictions slowly being lifted, I implore you to experience what the world has to offer, even if it is for just a quick, much-needed getaway — it’s good for the soul.

Keep Austin Fit,

Emily Effren

Director of Content