It has been interesting, and amusing, to read the internet chatter about the fathom Travel logo, the meaning, and Fathom vs fathom – why a lower case f. Which is correct? AND… Why.
Doing my own internet / Google research I found:
The dictionary definition of fathom: 1) a unit of length equal to six feet, chiefly used in reference to the depth of water. 2) to understand a difficult problem (or person) 3) to penetrate to the truth of; comprehend; understand 4) to discover the meaning of a mystery, problem, etc); The original / Old English use of the word was ‘something that embraces,’ (plural) ‘the outstretched arms’; hence, a unit of measurement based on the span of the outstretched arms, later standardized to six feet.
On our recent B2B cruise to Dominican Republic, followed by Cuba, we got a chance to learn a bit more from Jason Maltais, Senior Sales Leader about the fathom Travel logo.
According to fathom Travel: “Our logo represents a person with their arms stretched open because we are opening ourselves up to the wider world around us in hopes of having a deeper / more complete understanding of our surroundings and ourselves.”
ALSO, according to fathom Travel, “A fathom, when referencing the noun just so happens to be about six feet, AND, that is the average hand/wingspan for a human adult.” And, many see the bow of a ship in the logo – something I am sure the Graphic Designers were well aware of when designing the fathom Travel logo.
Slide courtesy of fathom Travel
The obvious – fathom = depth of water, problem solving, discovery, and outstretched arms.
What we learned: the lower case ‘f’ is used in the logo. It is lower case to represent humility. The idea of “Humility” is at the forefront of how fathom Travel’s impact travel program is structured. There is very specific meaning in how the program works. We didn’t arrive at the pier in a Rolls Royce. We didn’t arrive bearing gifts. We didn’t arrive at the job site with a construction crew, a concrete truck, tools and a hierarchy of command…. We didn’t say “This is how we do it” or “this is the RIGHT way to do it”. We did it their way – with many hands that make light work. With song and dance. We broke bread in a celebration upon completion. Everyone was equal. We worked with the homeowner, his children and his neighbors until the work was done 🙂 to volunteer with #fathom is a carefully thought out process where we EMPOWER the people to help themselves. We do the grunt work while they do more important stuff. We don’t build something and leave. We keep coming back week after week for a lasting impact…. We are not too good to help! Architect Rob and I even learned a new construction technique. We are not forcing our culture upon them. We are simply helping them do what they believe they need to do. I mean really – how would you feel if a ship full of people arrived at your house to help you with your floor?? or if they arrived at your business to boost productivity?? or if they arrived at your house with a water filtration system so that you didn’t have to buy bottled water any more?? or if they arrived at your school to help you learn English?? The travelers are people taking time while on their vacation to get to know you – to work beside you – to learn about you! In the process they learn about themselves…..
If that is not Humble, I don’t know what is!!
Now you can stop wondering about the lowercase “f” in “fathom” and start embracing the idea!
Many staff at Fathom Travel have started using an initial lower case letter in their signature to embrace this sense of humility. We LIKE this!!!! SO… you will find an uppercase ‘F’ frequently used. especially where it is grammatically correct – like the first letter of a sentence. But, in the spirit of humility we { lynn and rob } will continue to refer to them as fathom Travel – a humble, cruise based, organization helping others to Give.Play.Grow.
So if you have been wondering – Now you KNOW!
Please feel free to call us or ask a question in the comments.
We love to share our expertise and have not yet written it all here! We’ve already been on a fathom Cruise! We get it.
Rob and Lynn Belles are seasoned World Travelers
Gathering up the best experiences on Earth to share with you
for the purpose of inspiring you to go into the world with peace and kindness to learn about the rest of humanity………..
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