The way we talk now
Going Somewhere?
How everything became a journey.
Never have so many traveled so much — metaphorically speaking — in pursuit of so many goals.
Do you want to lose a few pounds? Diets are passé; you’re on a weight-loss journey. Getting in shape? That’s a fitness journey. Expecting a baby? Welcome to your pregnancy journey. Need new clothes? Take a style journey. Undergoing cancer treatment? Yep, that’s a journey too.
A religious awakening is a faith journey. A career in cheerleading is a cheer journey. (There even are cheer journals to document the cheer journey.) Software developers talk about the user journey; salespeople refer to the customer journey from awareness to engagement to purchase.
In this trippy world even a construction zone can be a journey.
How pervasive is journey? Since its modest debut in the 1980s, it has been an increasingly popular choice as a baby name. (Check it out in the Namerology NameGrapher.) In 2022, according to U.S. Social Security Administration data, Journey ranked #315 among newborn girls’ names — and an alternate spelling, Journee, ranked #195…
