Globelle Travels

HQ had the pleasure of catching up with Globelle gal Molly Brown, aka founder of Monarch & Swift.

Here Molly discusses what travelling means to her, the inspiration behind her travel planning business and her thoughts on how the travel industry will have to adapt with the changes and climate challenges the world faces post pandemic.

HQ had the pleasure of catching up with Globelle gal Florence Swift, aka founder of Garner & Graze

Here Florence discusses what travelling means to her, the inspiration behind her business as well as her experiences of pivoting that business to account for a Co-Vid world, and where she’ll be heading on her first trip when the time comes for the post pandemic world.

This probably sounds cliche but if someone asked me one thing I will regret on my deathbed, my answer would be not having seen the world.

I caught the travel bug early on in my life. Blessed with parents who wanted to show their children the world from a very young age, I took my first international trip with them when I was 6.

My first solo adventure was when I was 17, to an offbeat place in the Himalayas. I gained my confidence to travel alone then and I haven't stopped ever since.

“Life isn’t made up of atoms, it’s made up of stories.” These were the words my summer camp counselor told us at sleep-away camp (during a get-lost hike).

To this day, this quote has resonated and forever imprinted on me.

Why does one travel? To escape, sheer curiosity, for adventure? In truth my passion for traveling is fueled by so many interests. The reasons are so expansive, I find it challenging to pinpoint just one.

Travel is in my blood. My Dad travelled the world and growing up listening to his stories of his adventures most definitely fuelled my passion to explore. When I was at rock bottom, gripped by grief and heart break, I decided to solo travel for the first time. It would ignite a spark of hope within me.

My first trips were with my family, around Europe. As a kid I was always too skinny, didn’t eat a lot and would get sick often, but never during those trips. While traveling I turned into a different kid, just wanting to be healthy and enjoy every minute!

I’ve been travelling for over 50 years. I love travelling and capturing the places I visit through my images. From a young age, my inquisitive nature was encouraged.

Growing up in Australia, holidays were simple carefree adventures. Camping and fishing on the New South Wales south coast or skiing in the Snowy Mountains, staying at the ski lodge my parents built with their friends during the 1960s!

I have always loved travelling and discovering new cultures. I love meeting people with different perspectives and especially trying out different types of food. I love getting lost in a new city, learning about the history of the country I am in and being surrounded by nature. All of these things are things I look for when travelling.

I travel because it makes me feel whole. I feel more myself in a town that doesn’t speak my language than somewhere I’ve lived most of my life. There’s no better feeling than that sigh of relief after boarding the flight to your destination.

I was born in Indonesia, and by the time I was two years old, I had traveled to three countries: Singapore, Japan, and the U.S. I caught the travel bug early, and it has never left me.

But my genuine love for travel wasn’t realized until I left for Panama when I was 23 years old, following a devastating end to a 3-year relationship I had thought would last a lifetime. I look back now, and though the emotions were real, it was shrouded in naiveté.

I traveled to get lost in the new. I put myself out there, even if I’m afraid at first, because traveling to me is to find a bit of myself, anew, each trip. Through the journeys, the stories, the sights, the smells, the people of new places, I discover we are all struggling. Yet, I have discovered we all have something to offer also. We all feel strong, happy, and awkward, all the same, and yet differently. We all stumble, yet discover and grow simultaneously.

I’ve always kinda felt lost, but not in the right way. I didn’t know what to do with my life. I felt stuck in society and didn’t enjoy the idea of following the ‘regular’ path; school, study, work til your retirement.

When I was 14 I got a major depression disorder, followed by a generalized anxiety disorder. My disorder caused me to not be excited about the future anymore. But when I hit lowest, I saw a light: I didn’t want to play it safe anymore.

Growing up, there was always a sense of belonging missing from my life.

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I knew I wanted to travel and see the world, but I knew that I would.

On my first big trip - volunteering for a month in Australia - 20 year old me felt like she finally fully belonged: in exploring uncharted territory and thriving in the unfamiliarity that somehow felt familiar.

My first overseas holiday was a girl’s trip to Thailand when I was 19.

I was fascinated by the language, food, sights and smells. The natural beauty of the turquoise water and white sandy beaches captivated me in a way I will never forget. Fast forward a few years and I’ve now ventured to over 50 countries.

I keep going because, quite frankly, I just can’t stop. As an actress, I live for storytelling and what better way to exchange narratives than by inviting meaningful conversations with people and cultures different to your own?

Why do I travel? It feels like the easiest and most difficult question in the world.

I travel to breathe; I travel to live. Travel is what keeps me going during a difficult work week; it's the reassuring bright light at the end of this currently oppressive tunnel.

I travel to learn; I travel to understand. It's the greatest education I've ever known. With each trip, I learn a bit more about myself and others. Travel dispels myths; it confronts prejudice and turns it on its head.

For me, to travel is to breathe; to feel alive; to smell, hear, taste and see things that my senses have never experienced.

I have travelled to 85 cities and lived across 4 countries and 5 cities - but I never get enough.

It all started with my first “solo trip” in the Himalayas, where I was stuck at a base camp.

I travel because I’m seeking stories. I want to understand what people fight for, and why. I feel a responsibility to study the violation and celebration of human rights across the world. To investigate the good and ugly of tourism and gentrification, and what it means to be a mindful traveler.

There are a few things you should know about me.

I’m a collector of ‘right’ places. I’m an investigator of humanity. I’m an explorer of the earth. I’m a seeker of deep connections. And, I’m addicted to the new.

At the age of 20, I skipped college graduation and embarked on my first international adventure. I stayed with my great grandma in a tiny Slovenian village of 300 people and something within me changed. I fell in love with the slower pace of life and the culture that surrounded me.

Fast forward to 2007. I became what is considered a workaholic. I worked in the fast paced advertising industry in Toronto from the age of 23 and never took full vacations in fear of falling behind in emails. It became my life day in and day out. It wasn't until I decided to take off solo to Norway when I was 30 that my love of travel truly blossomed.

Travel is a way to gain perspective; to escape; and to recharge. As an always on, always moving, hungry for what’s next type gal, a new place forces me to slow down and allows me the space to confirm the path I’m charging down resonates with my values.