Courtesy of Magnolia Journal

Travel is a more powerful experience than we often give it credit for.

It can help us unwind from stress and return renewed.

And thats exactly what happened to Joanna Gaines on her recent journey to South Korea.

Joanna Gaines and her son in Seoul, Korea for Magnolia Journal

Credit:Courtesy of Magnolia Journal

But being there did feel like being home.

My kids got to see their grandparents in a new light.

For us, the look back was worth the journey.

Cover of Joanna Gaines in Seoul, Korea for Magnolia Journal’s Spring Issue

Courtesy of Magnolia Journal

As for Nan, it was the chance to discover that not everything she left behind was lost.

And, after a warm hotel lobby embrace, the two were inseparable for the remainder of their stay.

Only for Joanna, the trip provided something better than any souvenir shed pick up in a shop.

Joanna Gaines’s mother in traditional dress in Seoul, Korea for Magnolia Journal

Courtesy of Magnolia Journal

Not if were willing to look beneath the ugly parts.

Because theres always beauty hiding there, just waiting to rise.

Read the entire story in the new edition of Magnolia Journal when it hits newsstands Friday, Feb. 23.

Joanna Gaines with family in Seoul, Korea for Magnolia Journal

Courtesy of Magnolia Journal

Joanna Gaines with her parents in Seoul, Korea for Magnolia Journal

Courtesy of Magnolia Journal