About me

I’m Janay, a solo female traveler that’s on a mission to get more Black women outside.

I’m originally from New York and was raised as an only child by a single mother. She made miracles happen with what we had and always encouraged me to be my creative and unique self. Which meant that growing up my hobbies and interests varied from team sports to creative writing. I spent many years daydreaming about the places in National Geographic magazines I had gathered from Scholastic Book Fairs. All I wanted was to go and explore. So as soon as I could, I did. And I haven’t stopped exploring since.

I spent six years in the Washington D.C. area after college, but have since relocated to Chicago. As a self-proclaimed polar bear, I enjoy Chicago’s colder winters that allow me to get cozy on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa. When I’m not off gallivanting around the world, you can find me at a local pub cheering on Arsenal F.C. or outside enjoying one of Cook County’s many forest preserves. I’m also a big fan of street art and can be spotted hunting for murals in most major U.S. cities.

My story

Janay in gold aviator sunglasses and a green floral top, smiling back over her shoulder on a narrow colonial street under a canopy of colorful flags and flowering vines in Cartagena, Colombia

So it began

My first solo trip was to Montreal, Canada in 2016. I drove 13 hours from Washington D.C. for an extended 4th of July weekend. I checked into an Airbnb and simply wandered around the city for a few days. It was a quaint trip, but it wasn’t until I visited Iceland in 2017 that I was truly hooked on international travel. I rented a car and drove around the Ring Road, exploring waterfalls, lagoons, and glaciers. I remember feeling free as a bird. As I drove by breathtaking landscapes with my music blasting, I felt invincible, like I could do anything. I felt so happy to be…me. That trip changed me fundamentally and I haven’t been the same since. It was a truly liberating experience that I want every Black woman to have at least once.

Janay in a pink tropical-print shirt and orange wide-leg pants, leaning on a carved white railing and smiling up at the red lanterns of Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Where I will, I roam

I have an intricate selection criteria for my trips but it boils down to three main themes: wanting to see natural phenomena like the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia and the Northern Lights in Norway, a sporting event like the Singapore Grand Prix and the Summer Olympics in Paris, or cultural and historical sites like Machu Picchu in Peru and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I want to see it all and come home with a newfound appreciation for the places I had been dreaming of.

Black women always ask me, “Do they like us over there?” The unfortunate reality is that anti-blackness is a global issue and there’s always the possibility that you’ll experience racism abroad. However, the chances are no higher than if you were at home in the U.S., and I’d argue even lower. While I have been the victim of racial abuse abroad, I can say with complete confidence that those negative experiences pale in comparison to the kindness and camaraderie that I’ve been shown by so many different people. Over the last decade I’ve made friends from dozens of countries, and they have made my travel experiences so much more gratifying.

More Black women enjoying themselves outside. That’s the whole mission.

“You do know you’re Black, right?” I’m often chided with this remark from other Black people when I tell them about travel plans that they would never make. But it’s been instilled in me by so many loved ones and mentors that I can do any and everything I desire. And so I act accordingly, and expand my horizons. The reality is that Black women are free to explore and travel as we see fit, regardless of what others may think of us. We are not a monolith, and as your advisor I will support you whether you want to stay in a luxury all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean, or a family-owned bed and breakfast in Estonia. Your trip is yours to craft and you don’t owe anyone an explanation for your choices if they make you happy.

Janay in a leopard-print top, green skirt, and sun hat, sitting on a rock by a lily pond at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, with the Supertrees and Marina Bay Sands behind her

Where I’ve been

  • Australia
  • Belgium
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Cambodia
  • Canada
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Denmark
  • Ecuador
  • England
  • France
  • Hong Kong
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Macau
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Portugal
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Thailand
  • United States (23/50)

Trip notes

Janay with her arms spread wide above Machu Picchu, with clouds wrapping the mountain behind her

Peru

May 2019

I spent an entire month in Peru and I ventured all over. Along the way I stopped in Trujillo, Arequipa, Lima, Huacachina, Cusco, and Ollantaytambo. Peru remains one of my all-time favorite countries because of its geographical diversity: I visited the city, jungle, mountains, and desert all in one trip! The food is some of the best in the world and the people were kind and welcoming everywhere I went. While Peru remains the only country I’ve ever been pickpocketed in, I always recommend it to travel lovers because it’s the perfect “choose your own adventure”. Do you want fine dining in the city? Sandboarding in the desert? A five-day trek through the mountains? In Peru, you can have it all!

Janay in an orange dress looking out over Park Güell and the city of Barcelona

Spain

May 2023

Spain will always be dear to me because of how carefree and joyful I felt there. Whether I was enjoying fresh paella in a cute ocean town or sipping a $3 glass of wine on a terrace in Madrid, I felt so at ease. The weather was beautiful, the cities were vibrant, and I met some incredible people. Spain was the perfect place to “let my hair down” and just go with the flow. I tend to recommend Spain to first time travelers because English is widely spoken there, it’s affordable relative to other European destinations, and the transit systems are very easy to navigate. Plus, if you’re interested in nightlife, I can say from first-hand experience that a night out in Barcelona will get you right. Take it from me, go out dancing and see where the night takes you. You won’t regret it!

Janay walking across the mirrored salt flats of Salar de Uyuni at sunset, beside a parked four-by-four

Bolivia

December 2025

A dream deferred. At the tail end of my great backpacking trip of 2018 to 2019, Bolivia was slated to be my final stop. Alas, with funds running dry and a need to get Stateside to find a job, Bolivia had to wait. Bolivia is one of those destinations where people confusedly ask, “Why there?”. Aside from the gorgeous views you’ll see because it’s nestled within the Andes Mountain range, it also happens to have the largest salt flat in the world. And during the rainy season (November to February) it floods, producing an incredible mirror effect. The world’s largest mirror in fact.

The whole way there I agonized about whether I got my timing right. There is no way to perfectly predict the conditions of the salt flats. Torturous for a Type A planner such as myself. If you arrive too early, it’ll be bone dry. If you wait too late into the wet season the flats flood completely and tours become inoperable. Other travelers I met in La Paz told me it was dry when they went, and my hopes were dashed. But friends, I’m so pleased to say that I spent my 35th birthday at the Uyuni Salt Flats and they were flooded with about 3 inches of water. Success! And as the sun set in that gorgeous mirror, I shed a few tears for the dream that I finally made come true.

Janay smiling and leaning against a moss-covered stone among temple ruins at Angkor, Cambodia

Be bold. Experience wonder.

I’m often asked, am I not scared? The truth is that I’m often anxious in the weeks leading up to and during a trip. I experience fear like anyone else. But I go anyway. I do it scared. And that’s the key: to push past the fear, and just go anyway.

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