We're Not Collecting Stamps Anymore. We're Collecting Versions of Ourselves.

There was a time when travel was measured by how many countries you had visited.

People proudly colored in maps, counted passport stamps, and raced through bucket lists as if there were some invisible finish line waiting at the end.

That doesn't seem to be what people want anymore.

A fascinating new report from BookRetreats surveyed more than 1,000 American travelers and found something that immediately caught my attention. Eighty-one percent said traveling with purpose matters to them. Even more surprising, nearly two-thirds already have a retreat planned within the next year.

Notice what that doesn't say.

It doesn't say people are searching for luxury.

It doesn't say they're chasing Instagram photos.

It doesn't even say they're trying to see more places.

They're looking for something to happen inside themselves.

That feels like a very Dorothy idea.

For years, the travel industry has sold destinations. Beaches. Mountains. Castles. Cruises. Five-star hotels.

But destinations have never been the real product.

Transformation is.

The report found that rest and relaxation remain the number one reason people choose retreats, but close behind are mental well-being, recovering from burnout, reconnecting with nature, and building meaningful relationships. Physical fitness ranked surprisingly low by comparison.

Think about that for a moment.

People aren't escaping because they're lazy.

They're escaping because life has become loud.

We're drowning in notifications, opinions, meetings, errands, obligations, and endless scrolling. Every day asks something from us. Every screen wants another minute of our attention.

Travel has quietly become one of the few places where people can remember who they are when nobody needs anything from them.

That's why I've never believed the best trips are about checking landmarks off a list.

I've watched it happen too many times.

The conversation over dinner with someone who was a stranger yesterday.

The unexpected walk through a neighborhood that wasn't on the itinerary.

The afternoon spent wandering a bookstore instead of following a schedule.

The realization that you laugh differently when you're relaxed.

Those are the moments people remember years later.

Interestingly, the report also found growing interest in experiences built around creativity, reading, writing, cooking, and simply spending time with like-minded people. Travelers aren't just asking, "Where should I go?" They're asking, "Who might I become while I'm there?"

That question changes everything.

At Dorothy, I don't want to build vacations.

I want to create environments where curiosity has room to breathe.

Where conversations aren't rushed.

Where you have permission to linger over another glass of wine because nobody has to wake up and commute tomorrow.

Where friendships form naturally because everyone arrived looking for the same thing—not perfection, but possibility.

Maybe that's why so many of us are drawn to travel later in life.

We've already collected enough souvenirs.

Now we're collecting stories.

We're collecting confidence.

We're collecting friendships that somehow feel decades old after only a week together.

We're collecting proof that there are still versions of ourselves we haven't met yet.

And perhaps that's the greatest destination of all.

Because the best travel isn't about going somewhere.

It's about coming back different.