Daily Inspiration: Meet Maggie Downs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Downs.

Hi Maggie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m an award-winning journalist and author based in Palm Springs. As a freelancer, I tend to follow my obsessions: Sustainability, outdoor adventure, and meaningful travel. I’m passionate about telling stories that might not otherwise be heard.

I grew up in the Midwest, always dreaming about the world beyond my small town. I remember sitting at the kitchen table with my mom, poring over National Geographic magazine every month. We’d flip through the incredible stories and talk about the places we’d visit someday.

Then, when I was a young adult, my mom was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, so we never had an opportunity to take those trips together. Like a lot of people, my mom assumed there would be plenty of time in the future to live out her dreams, but there wasn’t.

The only positive thing about her terrible diagnosis was that it inspired me to live more in the present, to fully engage with the world, and to make memories while I still could. So I committed myself to doing just that. I got my solo skydiving license. I moved to California. I became a writer.

In 2010, my mom was reaching the end of her life, and I didn’t know where to put all my grief. I decided my mom wouldn’t want me to sit at her bedside and wait for her to die. Instead, I made a huge leap. I quit my job at a newspaper, I sold all my things, and set off on a solo backpacking trip around the world to make the journey my mom couldn’t make herself. It was difficult — I only had $10,000, and I hadn’t traveled much before — but it turned out to be the most incredible, life-affirming experience.

I did all the things my mom and I talked about when I was a kid: Hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, whitewater rafted down the Nile, trekked into the mountains to see endangered gorillas in Rwanda, volunteered at an elephant sanctuary, lived in a yoga camp at the edge of the Red Sea, and so much more.

Along the way, I met extraordinary people and found a sense of home in almost every place I traveled. And when my mom died six months into my trip, some of those strangers became my family, pulling me through my darkest days.

At the end of the year, when I returned to California, I wanted to share these stories about fascinating places and generous people. That became my first book, Braver Than You Think: Around the World on the Trip of My (Mother’s) Lifetime, which was published in 2020 by Counterpoint.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In order to travel, I sold everything I owned, and my budget was still meager. I had to get creative, put my trust in strangers, and be incredibly vulnerable. Most of the time, I felt like I was a turtle walking around without a shell. But the trip was driven by a desire to honor my mom, so I pushed on, even when the road was hard and lonely.

Ultimately, I think that helped me connect with others in a way I wouldn’t have otherwise. I shopped at the same markets, stayed in modest hostels, hitched rides, traveled slowly, and got to know communities in a very intimate way.

Of course, losing my mom was the most challenging part of all. I doubted myself often, wondering if I should have stayed with her for those final months, and the guilt was searing. But my mom hadn’t recognized me in years — she no longer knew she had a daughter — and that shattered me too. Anyone who has a loved one with dementia understands the deep sorrow of watching someone slip away in slow motion.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Now I’m a mom, which has broadened my perspective. It’s so fun to share the world with my son, Everest, and to experience different experiences through his eyes. He’s my favorite travel companion.

When my son was very little, many parents asked me for advice on traveling and suggestions for family-friendly destinations. (FYI: I believe all destinations are family-friendly because families exist everywhere.)

Those questions are what led me to write my next book, 50 Things to Do Before You’re Five, which is forthcoming in 2024 from Chronicle Books. It’s a guide to gentle family adventures designed to encourage those with young children to get out of the house and make meaningful memories together.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I walk into every situation with a sense of how little I know about the world. That perspective allows me to learn from others.

I also believe the pandemic changed my writing, as it forced us to rethink how we travel. It was a rare time when all of us stepped out of the world for a while and determined how we wanted to re-enter it in a more deliberate, mindful way. Now travel is less about the sights and more about insights.

So I want my writing to support that shift. I encourage people to consider less popular destinations, tread lightly and respectfully, and look for ways to have rich experiences. I also hope my work makes travel feel accessible and possible; everyone deserves to have the exhilarating, expansive feeling of seeing the world through new eyes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maggieink.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggieink/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themaggiedowns/
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/downsanddirty

Image Credits
Credit for personal photo (main image) is Lance Gerber