Cha Jones

I didn’t grow up with a passport. I didn’t grow up hearing people talk about Bali or Barcelona over dinner. But once I tasted the sweetness of life abroad, I was hooked. Travel didn’t just expand my geography—it expanded my sense of self. Here are ten reasons why the journey became my teacher.

1. Seeing the World Through My Own Eyes: There’s a saying: Perception is reality. But I’ve learned that reality shifts the moment you witness it firsthand. When you travel, you begin to question everything you thought you knew—everything you were taught or told—because now, you’re seeing it for yourself. It’s no longer filtered through someone else’s bias or media lens. For me, a place doesn’t truly exist—not fully—until I’ve walked its streets, breathed its air, and looked its people in the eye. That’s when the world stops being a story and becomes lived truth.

2.       Humanity Becomes Real: This flows directly from the first. When we talk about countries like Iran, Zimbabwe, or North Korea, many of us speak from what we’ve heard, not what we know. And that distance creates detachment. We start to think of people in headlines, not as humans. But the moment you sit across from someone, share a smile, break bread, or even stumble through a language barrier, they stop being a statistic. They become a soul. And suddenly, you care differently. You feel differently. You can’t unsee the truth of their lives, their struggles, or their joy. When I’ve seen hungry children in under-resourced villages, they’re no longer part of a sad commercial—they’re in my prayers, my advocacy, my stories. Travel doesn’t just show you the world—it makes it impossible to ignore the humanity within it.

3.       Beauty Is in the Eye—and the Experience—of the Beholder

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but there’s something sacred about being in the moment. When you’re standing on a beach, warm sand sliding between your toes, ocean breeze carrying the scent of salt and sun, how do you put that into a photo? You can’t. Pictures are beautiful, yes, but they can’t hold the weight of your memories, your senses, or the healing you may have felt just being there. The experience imprints on your soul in a way no postcard ever could.

4.       I Love to EAT—For Real 

Let’s be clear: I love food. Period. But when I say authentic—whew, I mean that deep! There’s a big difference between eating Tex-Mex in the U.S. and eating tacos from a street vendor in Oaxaca or mole from an abuela’s kitchen in Puebla. Now, don’t get me wrong—I’ll still pull up for some queso dip at a chain restaurant, but real, homemade, culturally-rooted food? That’s where the magic lives. Travel gives you the chance to eat what the locals eat, how they eat it, and with whom they share it. And listen—real will always taste better than the remix.

5. Travel Is the Best Teacher
Every time I travel, I return a little wiser. Books and documentaries are great, but they can’t replace what you learn through lived experience. Whether it's navigating a new city, learning cultural customs, or understanding historical context from those who lived it, you gain knowledge that stays with you. And when you come back home, you carry stories that teach others, too.

6. Expanding the Way You Think
The world is bigger than what we’ve been taught. Travel challenges assumptions and expands your thinking in the best way. Sometimes, you’ll learn that the “dangerous” place you feared is full of kindness. Or that the country you thought was behind is more advanced in ways you didn’t expect. Travel doesn’t just take you places—it opens your mind, softens your judgments, and plants seeds for new beginnings.

7.       Rest and relaxation. I love the city—the energy, the options, the nonstop motion. But even a woman on the move needs rest. Travel offers me a sacred pause. When I sit on a beach, phone on silent, toes in the sand, and no deadlines calling my name, I’m reminded that rest is not a reward—it’s a necessity. The hustle will still be there. But those moments of stillness? They bring me back to myself. Travel helps me slow down long enough to hear my own heartbeat again.

8.       Pampering. Now listen, you should always be pampering yourself, no matter your zip code. But let me tell you, there’s a certain kind of magic that happens when you get a massage in Bali, a facial in Morocco, or sip champagne on a rooftop in Paris. When I travel, I treat myself like royalty. I eat well, sleep better, and prioritize pleasure. That’s not indulgence—that’s alignment. Travel is a beautiful reminder that you are worth every soft, luxurious moment.

9.       Stories That Stay With You. The best souvenirs aren’t trinkets—they’re stories. Stories about the woman who invited me into her kitchen in Oaxaca. About the time I got lost in Tokyo and found clarity instead. Or the moment a child in Cuba called me prima and made me cry. These are the moments that shape you. Everyone doesn’t have the privilege or courage to travel, so when we do, we become storytellers. We carry not just our experiences, but the stories of the people we meet along the way

10.   Reinvention Through the Journey. Every time I travel, I shed something old and embrace something new. A belief. A fear. A part of myself I didn’t even know was still holding on. Travel is more than a getaway—it’s a rebirth. It gives me space to try new things, show up differently, and say yes to the version of me I’ve been too scared to become. If you’re tired of who you’ve been, pack your bags. Go somewhere you’ve never been and meet the you who’s been waiting on the other side of comfort. Reinvention doesn’t require a grand plan—just the courage to begin.

So, what are your top reasons for traveling? Where have you gone and what have you learned?

I am an Expat and Transition coach, and I specialize in helping people who are trying to make changes in their lives. So, if you are interested in traveling, but don't know where to begin,  I would suggest connecting with me and doing a 30-minute Free exploration coaching call. Click here for more information. 

More than a decade later, I’m still learning from the road. Travel has been my liberation, my mirror, and my medicine. It’s not about ticking off countries. It’s about discovering who I am—again and again—with every step I take.

Photo from Getty

Moving abroad is can be an exciting experience, giving you the opportunity to live in a different culture, and learn more about yourself as a person. Apart from the adventure of being in a new place, living in a foreign country gives you an opportunity to immerse yourself and gain in-depth knowledge about the people, culture, food, and lifestyle that you won’t get while traveling on vacation.

Having lived in South Korea for over three years, and taking the opportunity to explore the country during my time away from work was fabulous. The weekends were set aside for visiting temples, strategically getting lost and finding my way around the city, meeting other expatriates, and traveling to nearby countries. It also gave me an opportunity to expand and grow by learning more about myself. Everything was new and thrilling when first arriving in South Korea. The smells, scenery, people, and the way things were done, were all part of my new journey, which I will always cherish and remember. 

Although living in a foreign country gives you a front row seat to a new culture, which can be very exhilarating, it can also present challenges. The biggest challenge in living abroad is often communication. It is very frustrating if you do not speak the language and you aren’t able to connect on simple things. Simplicity can easily be loss in translation resulting in misunderstandings, potentially making life extremely difficult. This is something to really think about when moving to a foreign country. As a traveler, you most likely will be in a country for a short amount of time. Therefore, your challenges will be brief and adjustable. However, when you live in a country, the excitement and shininess can often fade quickly as you create routines and begin to call that place home.

I honestly enjoyed living abroad, but if there is any bit of advice to offer, before you move abroad you may want to think about your personal ability to adapt to new things and situations. Remember, you are not going on an extended vacation. You are moving to a foreign country and things are going to have its challenges, even if you speak the language and have done all the research in the world. You can almost assure there will be some challenges, but most things worth experiencing or having, come with its own set of challenges. That does not mean moving is not for you, it just means that you need to be clear that you are really ready to move instead of taking an extended vacation.

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Cha is the founder and director of Expat Women of Color, which is a 501C3 organization that helps connect who desire live, work, study and/or travel abroad with other women with similar interest. She is also a life and expat coach where she focuses on helping people create the life they want abroad. You can contact and learn more about Cha through her personal website www.chajones.com or through her blog www.thenomadicchick.com.

Global Bound Cnsulting ©2015

By Zipporah Slaughter

I need to make a change in my life and go in a new direction.  My present lifestyle of living for the weekends, long conference calls and meetings, traffic commutes, and never ending To Do lists is no longer acceptable.  At forty-something, I have this nagging desire to venture out of my comfort zone, explore new horizons, and live abroad outside of the U.S.

Source: Getty Images

Four years ago, I had the experience of living in Salvador, Brazil on a fellowship for a year.  I had some of the lifestyle change that I am yearning now – slower pace, outdoor living, and greater work-life balance.  Then, I took more daily risks by often saying yes to invitations for the sake of meeting new people, practicing the local language, and learning the culture.  Now, what excites me about going abroad again is experiencing places and perspectives that cause me to stretch in new ways of seeing and being in the world.  The nuances of a strange environment with foreign smells, sights, and tastes awakened me before when I went abroad.  I am craving more of it.  Divine discontent (the urge to experience something more), the inner longing for something greater keeps pulling at me.

So, what am I afraid of? I have become quite comfortable with the way things are – my status quo – that change, even the change I desire is scary.  Perhaps, my biggest fear is leaving behind the familiar – the known for the unknown.  The familiar is family and close friends who know me and I know them.  In an interview with motivational speaker and self-help author Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, M.D. said, the known is a trap.  Go toward the unknown.  Deepak explained that we tend to seek out and want to stay in the known, our comfort zone where we feel most secure.  However, the known keeps us in bondage, tied to the past and potentially, stuck in a prison of our own making. 

I realize that any fears I have about leaving the familiar and moving abroad, I have to take them with me and do it anyway.  I have to be willing to trust that as I follow my heart’s desire, everything will be okay.  Ultimately, that I will be able to handle whatever comes up.  That is where the genuine fear lies.  Will I be able to manage the initial loneliness of immersion into a different culture?  Will I be able to endure starting over in a new environment if English is not the spoken language?  Will I be able to accept not being understood by others and possibly, not understanding them for however long it takes? 

Why put myself through all of this upheaval anyway?  What is it that I want that I believe traveling to new vistas will do for me?  In my soul searching, what I have uncovered is that what I truly desire is to feel alive, not merely to exist.  That is what this eagerness to move abroad is about – my yearning to really live; to leave the familiar and discover parts of myself I did not know and rediscover parts long forgotten.  I am seeking to let go of the small self I have become – trapped by my fears and my own confining beliefs.  It is a quest to uncover more of my authentic self.

Lencois, Brazil

Do I have to venture abroad to do it?  Probably not.  Most likely the answer is no.  Like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz,” the answer lies within.  I do not have to go anywhere.  Perhaps, I could simply volunteer for a worthy cause or take up an adventure sport, like sky diving or rock climbing.  Still, I seek to go out on an adventure.  To stretch into more of what I could become instead of settling for good enough.  I choose to go because the yearning for more to explore is louder than the lull of comfortable.

About the author: Zipporah is a contributing writing who lives in Atlanta, GA.

by Cha Jones 

      

Traveling gives us the opportunity to explore new things. It’s a time to kick back and relax, but it’s also a great occasion to indulge your senses, especially your taste buds. I love food and find that eating is a rather gratifying pastime that many people take for granted, but traveling can give you a passport into innovative dishes that can awaken your taste buds.

photos from Bing Images

However, traveling can be interesting for those with a picky palate.  I am not sure if I would adhere to having a picky palate, but I will admit to being particular, especially when to comes to different smells. I abhor foods that have a less than desirable smell. I do not enjoy food that smells like hot garbage, grass or any other earthy matter. Yet, sometimes good food can be a little funky. For those travelers who are not open to trying new things, you might be missing out on something very delicious.   

photos from Bing Images

If familiarity breeds content, then exotic aromas aren’t a picky traveler’s pleasure. Walking through street markets with fresh produce, meats, and a gazillion smells can either entice hunger or make you nauseous. If you are anything like me, then food diversity comes with limitations. However, having a pick palate can interfere with the adventure of traveling and make a pleasurable trip a nightmare. Last thing you want to do is go on vacation and be hungry due to lack of edible options.

Here are some tips for making picky palatable:

•  Be open and at least tasting. When I traveled to Hong Kong I ate pigeon.  I will admit, I never in a million years would have ever thought of eating a bird the cooed all day long outside my childhood home. Yet, when I say that pigeon was some of the best eating I have ever had, OMG! But if I wasn’t willing to step out my box and try something I would still be sleeping on how wonderful pigeon really is.
•  Don’t judge a plate by its presentation. Looks can be deceiving. In many foreign countries presentation is not all that important. However, some really good dishes don’t look like much of anything. Consider them hidden treasures that can only be opened by the tongue.
• Forget about table manners. Keep in mind that in some countries finger foods are anything that placed before you on a plate or dish. Don’t wait for a knife, fork, or spoon dig right in with your hands. Just make sure you wash your hands before you dig into your meal. This might seem a little barbaric, but once you throw your good ole etiquette out the window, you will find that eating without a utensil can be freeing. 
• Sharing is caring: In some countries communal eating is the norm. No, you are not in Kansas anymore. Family style eating gives you an opportunity to eat a little of everything and decide what you like without making a major commitment to one thing. So, if you are the person who isn’t committed to being married to one meal anyways, then communal eating will be your friend. The one thing I had to let go of was having other people dip into something I was eating. Just remember that food is better when enjoyed with friends. 

Cha Jones, January 2015

There is nothing like having a little homemade hooch and speaking with a Caribbean legend. The fruitiness of what I would refer to back in the States as moonshine, was a gesture that I was at home and all was well. However, don't let the hooch fool you, she is about her business. Just as we begin she stops me, “Stop the recording.”  She puts her hand on my leg and proceeds to make sure she knows my intentions. I explain that I have a blog called the Nomadic Chick and I also have a nonprofit organization that works with women and girls to encourage international travel (www.exptwomenofcolor.com). "Ok, that is wonderful, how wonderful, that is nice, I love that," she says as she taps me to turn the recorder back on. Once she is clear on my intentions, I'm able to proceed.

This creative spirit was born Ruby Angelica Bute of Aruba. Out of respect, I didn't dare ask the year and day the world accepted her. However, I know that by her work alone, the world indeed has accepted her. She is like royalty, no really!

In her own words she says, I have always seen beauty in everything. When asking her about her writings, she says she did not write until she arrived on the island of St. Martin in 1983. Although, she was born in Aruba she had never written poetry until moving to this island.  She says, “I started writing because I saw the beauty all around me. There was so much beauty on this island. In Aruba, the island was very dry and flat, so in moving to St. Martin I noticed the hills, the sea, and how the sea had various colors, and that was different from Aruba.” So, it is safe to say that St. Martin inspired her to write. 

Ruby's Paiting" Marigot Market" 

Although, she found a latent talent as a writer, Lady Bute has been painting since she was six years old. She remembers her father coming home with colors and paints when she was a child and she began painting, and never stopped. Painting has kept her as she moved through the many stages of her life. She says that art saved her from the stresses that sometimes women encounter being a mother or a wife. Her art assisted her as she dealt with the pain of being left as a single mother. “My art was my refuge and often helped me survive," she says with pride. 

Ruby's Painting "Dancing Couple"

Both of her parents were from St. Martin, and as a child her father told her not to stay in Aruba. Her father had always had land in St. Martin, and he always told her that she should go and live on the land, but she was not interested. However, when she got older she went to St. Martin to visit, and she fell in love with the beauty of the island. “My father was right with what he told me,” she says with a little laughter.

The fourth child of five and she says she was always the adventurous one. “I always wanted to know more than what was on the surface or what you can see of all my siblings. I was the one who went looking for things," she says smiling. When asked about adventures and when she began telling stories she informs me that her mother and her grandmother were both storytellers, and she has been telling stories since she could remember. “When I was a child we didn't have a TV and my mother would tell us stories all the time, so I got my storytelling from my mother,” she recalls.

 Ruby's Painting "Tanny and the Boys"

If you go to the Caribbean someone will know of Lady Ruby, but when asking her, she will tell you she was shy as a girl. “When I was growing up I was very shy, the shiest girl you could ever meet.  I never wanted to be out there, but my art took me out there. My paintings and my writing opened me to the world, but I didn’t go looking for it, it came to me.”  Her art opened her up to radio interviews, then television interviews, and she began receiving attention from the locals. However, the attention did not stay local for long, it eventual grew to other islands and maneuvered into the government accepting her as “their” artist, and now people come from all over the world to do interviews.

The government began sending her out on cultural exchanges to Holland to be with other artist and writers.  She no longer is the once shy little girl, “I am comfortable in this role, and it is more than I would ever think, but now I am comfortable into the heights I have taken.  I once would not dare speak on the radio or TV, but now it is a piece of cake.”

Her notoriety hasn't  stopped, it continues to grow. If you pick up any travel magazine in the Caribbean you will find something about Lady Ruby Bute. In her words, “I am in not in just one magazine, I am in many, just pick one up and they have something about me and my work.” She is in no way boasting, this humble Caribbean gem is really in several magazines, I can attest to reading at least four. That’s exactly how I stumbled upon this St. Martin diamond. I was glancing through a travel magazine on the airplane, and now, I can say I have met her, drank her homemade hooch, and had a conversation that will inspire me for the rest of my life. If  you ever want to meet this angelic creator you don't have to look too far, when you go to St. Martin just utter her name and the locals will point you in the right direction.

Silk Cotton Grove Art Gallery
La Batterie Rue Friar's Bay
F-97150 St. Martin, French West Indies, France
Email: rubybute@hotmail.com

Me and Lady Ruby Bute

Cha Jones, January 2014

Destiny has its way of directing me where I need to be. On my recent trip to St. Maarten I came across a Destination magazine and began flipping through pages where I was introduced to one Ruby Bute. Since I don’t believe in coincidences, I knew I had to find her, and find her, I did.

My friends and I arrived in Friar’s Bay, St. Martin on the French side of the island where street signs directed us to the world renowned artist, poet and storyteller Lady Ruby Bute. When saying her name to the taxi driver Mr. Ash, he immediately begins speaking of her with such delight. You get the sense that she is a gem to know and Caribbean royalty.

Lady Ruby is welcoming. The moment we walk into the gallery I felt like I was a home. The gallery is filled with beautiful paintings full of color that dance with imaginary. She is finishing a class with some students from Semester at Sea who found her while exploring the island on their cultural excursion.  While offering her closing remarks she steps outside on the porch and all the students and faculty surround the steps as if they are going to be listening to a dignitary. With the joy of a child she begins to spout wisdom and express her gratitude for them having class with her on this beautiful sunny day. I later find out that the class wasn't at all scheduled, but you get the sense that Lady Ruby is a free spirit and goes with the flow. As they prepare to depart, she gives them some final words and then teaching them a few words in her native Aruba dialect.

She is an Aruba born creative artist and humble as pie. At first glance she reminds me of what we African American’s call our grandmothers, Big Momma, which in many cases, are larger than life wise women who pillow you with love and guide you with ancient wisdom.  Her Caribbean accent is thick but sings with a soulfulness that makes me feel like I too should be from an island.  You can tell that age and wisdom sit with her, but when speaking with this wise elder I know that she still has the youthfulness of a child that wakes her with excitement. She is in love with life and I feel it as her words greet me.

This is an impromptu visit prompted by a magazine find that I couldn't be denied, and within a few moments I’m asking permission to interview her for my blog. Without hesitation she agrees and it is like sitting with an old friend catching up on old times.

Interview Next Post

A little melancholy, I arrived at the subway station in suspense of the evening’s festivities. I had worked all day, and now it was time to walk, talk, and experience Christmas in South Korea. It would be my first Christmas in Korea away from all things familiar. As I exited the subway station I was greeted with the sound of Christmas music dancing in the air and huge Christmas trees with dangling lights that glimmered festively throughout the area.

To my amazement things in Seoul were beginning to look a lot like Christmas and put me in the mindset of New York City, but not so much. Swirling around from the subway station steps, I felt like I was in a movie, I heard the universal sound of laughter as bells were ringing and families were ice skating in a rink smack dab in the middle of the city. It wasn't far from the nostalgic Christmas I had grown to know as American.

As I stood awaiting my friend Nicole, I tried to take it all in, but I was a little taken aback. Even the horse drawn carriages were decorated in lights and Christmas ornaments. There was an excitement that was dancing in me, as home wasn't so distant anymore. Of course there is never anything the same as home, but in that moment, it was surely the next best thing.

Nicole finally arrived and together we allowed the sounds of Christmas to carry us away in delight. After catching up on life in Korea we continue to walk and talk our way to the skating rink were families were putting their small children in tiny little ice skating boots. Little ones were flopping all over as they awkwardly slide across the ice like a rocking chair. It was very amusing as we laughed, took pictures, and then began walking again. It was Nicole’s second Christmas in Korea, but for me, I was taking it all in like a child in a candy store with way too many options to preference only one.

My eyes were dancing in awe. This was Korea, right? The sometimes awkward and splendor scent of kimchi that lingered in the air had been replaced with the happiness of all things Christmas. As we admired some of the draping’s in the department store windows, I almost had forgotten that I was in Korea until I was bumped by a bunch of space intruding Korean teens. Back in reality, we decided to flee from the cold and get a bite to eat.

In grand Korean style we found a coffee house/restaurant that served Italian food and gelatos. Even there, it had begun to look and sound like Christmas as festive music played in the background and all the pastries marveled in red and green icing. Snuggled in our seats we were two African America women who had sailed away from the shores of American life in search of all things new and exciting. However, that evening for the first time in a long time, I missed being at home in America. 

We laughed and talked about our likes and dislikes just as we had done on any other occasion, but this time it was a little different. It was almost Christmas and as we enjoyed a little Italian food, a glass of wine, and Christmas in Korea, I remembered that home is the place where your heart knows content. I was at home in Korea with a friend who I now call family.

It was Christmas in Korea and even though I was a way from most things familiar, I was getting to know content. 

Cha Jones lived in South Korea for little over three years, but is back in the United States where she is an international speaker, storyteller and the founder and CEO of Expat Women of  Color. Cha is also the author of Every Girl Needs her Pearls and The New Urban International Migration. For more informaiton on Cha you can visit her at www.chajones.com or www.expatwomenofcolor.com

©Cha Jones, The Nomadic Chick 

 Although my family did not really celebrate commercial holidays, Thanksgiving has always been a time where we gathered, reminisced, and appreciated one another just because. As an expat the most challenging times can be the nostalgic moments that are normally spent with the people you love. Expat life often encompasses a myriad of highs and lows. However, the holiday season can either offer new and exciting experiences, or very depressing and dark withdraws.

When I was living in South Korea, my first Thanksgiving was very similar to Thanksgiving at home in America. A group of us met at someone’s home where all the tradition Thanksgiving fixings where laid out just as I had been accustom to at home. We had a huge turkey, sweet potatoes, greens, potato salad, broccoli, and all types of cakes. Gluttony at its finest. However, we also had the pressure of being connected to people with access to the U.S. military where those items were accessible. But what if you are living abroad and you don’t have the pleasure of connecting with a group of people or you can’t get American food?

Doing it differently…

Who said that Thanksgiving had to be the same way you remembered it year after year. You are on a new journey and it might be a fine time to create a new tradition where Thanksgiving doesn’t look anything like it used to. I am sure if you ate turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, and greens (the good Southern fixings), then nothing will ever compare to your mother or grandmothers traditional spread. However, there is no need to stick to tradition when you are globetrotting across the world in places that do not even celebrate the likes of Thanksgiving.

The commercialism in the holiday itself can quickly start a debate that could circle the globe a thousand times, but in looking at a day of Thanks, then the celebration of Thanksgiving is in no way reserved for America or tradition. In all honestly, we should find something to be thankful for everyday no matter where we are. Therefore, as an expat the time and day set aside in observation of Thanksgiving is not limited to any tradition. This is a great opportunity to gather new friends and people who have become extended family to create new a custom that reflects where you are currently in your life and where you are living.

Where is the turkey?

Let’s just say you are living in Japan, maybe your new tradition encompasses seafood served tempura style with many different types of sushi, Kobe steak, and sticky rice. Your new thanksgiving doesn’t need turkey and dressing invited to the party. As a matter of fact, I recall having friends who totally disregarded the traditional gathering all together. They used their time actually globetrotting and seeing what the world had to offer while visiting a smorgasbord of new exciting adventures hoping from one destination to the next. 

So, if you currently living abroad and becoming a little home sick, it is normal to remember Thanksgiving as it has been, associated with family gathers and home cooked meals. But, it doesn’t have to remain that way at all. Don’t let Thanksgiving or any of the holiday swallow you up with depression. You are on a new adventure. You can recreate what Thanksgiving looks like and what it means to you.

Happy Thanksgiving wherever you are!

Cha Jones lived in South Korea for little over three years, but is back in the United States where she is an international speaker, storyteller and the founder and CEO of Expat Women of  Color. Cha is also the author of Every Girl Needs her Pearls and The New Urban International Migration. For more informaiton on Cha you can visit her at www.chajones.com or www.expatwomenofcolor.com

©Cha Jones, The Nomadic Chick