Librya Jones shares her experience traveling to Ghana with her daughter in 2019 for “The Year of Return” and discusses her (and her daughter’s) reflections on Ghanaian culture, learning the history of the West African slave trade, and the feeling of being in a Black-majority country. Libryia then opens up about her upbringing in Tallahassee, Florida, dreaming of world travel as a kid, and saving up for her first international trip at age 25. She then talks about traveling to 40 countries, co-founding Wandering Moms, and organizing a 12-month trip around the world with her daughter and other families. Libryia talks about the value of world travel for kids, the unparalleled educational opportunities that travel provides, and the adaptability of kids to an itinerant travel lifestyle. She emphasizes that kids can be a catalyst to travel, not an excuse to avoid travel, and that you should never let other people dictate the terms of your life. She discusses travel as a parenting strategy, and the opportunities for alternative education through travel. She then talks about the moms-only trips that she organizes, and discusses the importance of female-only travel spaces. Libryia then talks about the importance of cultivating Black travel spaces, and share her perspective as a Black traveler on ‘safety’, ‘comfort’, and ‘belonging’ abroad vs. in the U.S. Libryia then shares her top 3 favorite travel destinations and names her Top 5 hip hop artists of all time. FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: www.TheMaverickShow.com
Episode #93: Long-Term World Travel with Kids and Building the “Wandering Moms” Community with Libryia Jones
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Libryia Jones
Libryia Jones is a location independent entrepreneur, author of the travel blog WanderWomanInc, and co-founder of Wandering Moms, a community of over 20,000 women who are literally giving their children the world. Founded in 2015, Wandering Moms provides information, support and encouragement for mothers to travel the world with their children. Wandering Moms also organizes group trips each year for families as well as trips for moms- only that encourage women to use travel as an opportunity to take time out for themselves. As a single mother herself, Libryia has visited over 40 countries and, in 2016, she left her 6-figure job to travel the world with her daughter for a full year, together with a group of Black Americans she organized. Currently based in Atlanta, Libryia and her daughter take an international trip together 3 to 6 times each year. Libryia also teaches others how to land remote jobs and incorporate world travel into their lifestyle. She is a sought after speaker and has presented at Women’s Travel Festival, the 7in7 Digital Nomad conference, South by Southwest, and been featured in Black Enterprise and the Huffington Post.
What You'll Learn
- How to financial and mindset barriers to traveling the world with your kids
- The unparalleled educational value for children in world travel
- The importance of curating women’s travel spaces and Black travels spaces
Links From the Episode
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JOIN THE “WANDERING MOMS” COMMUNITY
- Check out Wandering Moms Website
- Join Wandering Moms Community on Facebook
- Follow Wandering Moms on Instagram
#1 BOOK THAT LIBRYIA RECOMMEND
1 PERSON THAT LIBYIA WATS TO HAVE DINNER WITH
2 FAVORITE PODCAST OR VLOG THAT LIBRYIA RECOMMEND
TOP 3 FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
TOP 3 BUCKET LIST DESTINATION LIBRYIA WANTS TO GO
PLACE WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Amsterdam
- Aruba
- The Bahamas
- Cape town
- Chicago
- Costa Rica
- Czech Republic
- Tallahassee, Florida
- Atlanta, GA
- Harlem
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Miami
- New York
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Ohio
- Paris
- Dakar, Senegal
- South Africa
- Spain
- Tanzania
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Kampala, Uganda
UNIVERSITY LIBRYIA ATTENDED:
PUBLICATION MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
CONFERENCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
LIBRYIA’S TOP 7 FAVORITE HIP-HOP MC’s
CONTACT LIBRYIA
Time Stamped Show Notes
[2:54] Matt and Libryia Talk about Traveling in Africa
- Matt’s experience on the trip to Kenya that Libryia organized
- Matt’s experience in Uganda and Tanzania in 2018
- Matt’s experience in Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Senegal in 2019
- Libryia and her daughter’s experience in Ghana during “The Year of Return”
- The importance of visiting West Africa and learning the history of the slave trade
- Libryia’s daughter’s reflections on visiting Ghana
[14:52] Growing up in North Florida and Developing Her Interest in Travel
- Perceiving travel as being for rich people only
- Reading books and dreaming of travel
- Attending FAMU for college and being exposed to world travelers
- Saving up for her first international trip to Jamaica
- The impact of being mom-shamed by a male-co-worker upon her return
- The importance of mom’s taking time for themselves
[25:09] The Wandering Mom’s Community
- No need to choose between having kids and traveling
- Community sharing of resources, education and tips
- Organizing international Mother’s Day trips for mom’s only
- Organizing international trips for families with kids
[33:24] International Travel with Kids as a Parenting Strategy
- Why having kids shouldn’t cause you to put your dreams on hold
- Viewing kids as a catalyst to travel
- Creating a year-long world-travel program for people with children
[37:12] Traveling the World for a Year with Her 12-Year Old Daughter
- Her Travel Itinerary
- Her daughter’s biggest challenges
- Her daughter’s highlights from the trip
- Learning foreign language through immersion
- Learning history in person where it happened
- Her daughter’s reflections on the trip
- Developing independence and believing that anything is possible
- Developing communication skills, maturity and desire to travel more
[46:10 ] Libryia’s Tips for Parents Wanting to Travel with kids
- Designing your dream lifestyle
- Having control over your kids education
- The adaptability of kids
- Not letting other people dictate how you live or parent your kids
- Remembering you only have one life and you are in control
[49:23] Cultivating Travel Spaces for Women and Black Americans
- The importance and value of women’s travel spaces
- The importance and value of Black travel spaces
[52:58] Perspectives on “Safety”, “Comfort” and “Belonging” for Black Travelers
- Feeling more safe and comfortable in foreign countries than in the U.S.
- Why many Americans have a different sense of security at home vs. abroad
[57:24] The Lightning Round
- #1 favorite book
- Top 2 favorite podcasts
- #1 Travel hack
- Person with whom Libryia would most like to have dinner
- Top 3 travel destinations
- Top 3 bucket list destinations
- Top 5 hip hop MCs of all time
[1:12:09] Contract and Follow Libryia
- Learn how to land a remote job
- Check out Libryia’s website
- Upcoming Wandering Moms trips
- Join the Wandering Moms Community
- Follow Wandering Moms on Instagram
- Follow Libryia on Instagram
