JOURNEY OF INTENTION

We caught up with Lake Forest native and Vanderbilt University junior Redding Worth, who in addition to her podcast about young adulthood, recently took on a role as Chief Storyteller at Fairytrail—a travel-based app reimagining how people explore the world. Here are a few words about how she finds meaningful connections to people and places.

Travel completely reshaped how I see the world, and experiencing it at a young age made that impact even deeper. It taught me how small we are in the context of something so vast, but also how connected we all are at our core. I became aware of the beauty in different cultures, but also the shared humanity that exists across them.

Those early experiences shaped my storytelling instincts. I don’t just look for the highlights; I pay attention to the in-between. When I travel as a young adult, I find myself asking bigger questions about culture, identity, and belonging, and thinking more deeply about what it means to form genuine connections with others.

That shift is what drew me to Fairytrail. I find this especially important for our generation because I think it’s essential to unplug and explore the world in a more meaningful way. We’re constantly surrounded by filtered, optimized versions of reality, which can make it difficult to distinguish what’s real. Spending so much time online can create a sense of distance from the world and from others.

Travel, when approached with intention, interrupts that. It brings you back into the moment. That is where I believe growth happens and ultimately, where the most meaningful stories come from.