Travelanthropy: People Who Travel Good (Part 3)

"Travelanthropy: People Who Travel Good"

is an ongoing series about travelers who give...

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Meet Jennifer.

 Jennifer James (far left) in Ethiopia visiting health workers at a rural health post.

Name: Jennifer James

Age: 38

State: North Carolina

Occupation: Entrepreneur

Age When You Got Your First Passport: 35

Languages: English and just enough French and Chinese to get by.

Blog:  Jennifer James and Mom Bloggers for Social Good

Bio:  Jennifer James is the founder and CEO of Mom Bloggers Club, one of the largest social networks for moms who blog at over 19,000 registered users and Social Good Moms, the leading site for moms who use social media and blogging for good. Jennifer has been featured in Philanthropy, Forbes, Brandweek, CNN.com, the New York Times, AOL and on NPR’s All Things Considered. She was recently named a Fast Company Most Generous Social Media Maven, a Top Blogger Changing the World by Babble.com as well as a Blogger Out to Change the World by Water for People. She currently serves on the ONE Moms Advisory Council. 

Tell us about your last volunteer experience:  I just returned from Delhi, India where I visited Social Good Moms' partners Save the Children, WaterAid, and Pratham’s work in the field. It was a fantastic trip. I was able to observe each of the NGO’s work helping Delhi's poorest firsthand. I saw the triumphs and learned about their acute challenges. It's a never-ending journey of working in partnership with others and scaling up to help those in abject poverty.

Tell us about your first volunteer experience (travel or otherwise):  My very first volunteer experience was with the Red Cross during junior high and high school. I loved every minute of helping people give blood to help others in need, even those who were giving blood for their own operations. 

Jennifer James visiting Protsahan, a NGO school for at-risk girls in a Delhi slum.

Tell us about your next travel volunteer experience: While it's not a volunteer trip per se I will be traveling to Zambia in a few days with John Hopkins' International ReportingProject. I will join nine other new media journalists to learn more about HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB in the country. I am really looking forward to visiting another African country, but also seeing how differently the country deals with global development and communicable disease. 

Best and worst thing about volunteer travel: I haven't had any bad experiences with volunteer travel. Knock on wood. The best thing about volunteer travel is learning along the way and meeting wonderful people. The relationships you forge are worth every bit of volunteer travel. 

Advice for those that want to travel + give: If you want to travel and give back, just do it! Determine to go off the beaten path of traditional tourist circles and have an open mind. Most importantly: make sure to coordinate everything well in advance of arriving in the country and get recommendations from people about their volunteer experiences there. That may mean a lot of Net scouring. Do your homework before you leave home!

Why you travel + give: I travel and give back because it's a really great way to get to know a country. Plus, it's a part of the work I do as the Founder and CEO of Social Good Moms. I love getting to know those who help and those are being helped. 

Your favorite travel quote: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

Meet Nadia.

Nadia Jones in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti during her second #Bloggers4Haiti press trip.

Name: Nadia Jones           

Age: 30s

City/State: Jacksonville, Florida         

Occupation: Niche Parent Conference Founder/Social Media Strategist

Age When You Got Your First Passport: 3

Languages: Proficient in Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole

Blog:  Justice Jonesie and The Niche Mommy

Bio: Nadia, known affectionately as Justice Jonesie by her blogging friends, is a savvy mom to three that loves to share her passion for motherhood, fitness, traveling, and food. A veteran blogger and social media enthusiast, Jonesie started blogging over six years ago at her first Mamalaw.com, an award winning about “three mothers that happen to be lawyers too.” Of both Haitian and Latina descent, she was named a top Latina blogger by LATISM and invited to Washington D.C. for a special, White House Retreat.

Tell us about your last volunteer experience: I went on the #Bloggers4Haiti trip to help raise awareness about sustainable economic programs for Haitian artisans.

Tell us about your first volunteer experience (travel or otherwise): I volunteered at a high risk elementary school after school program. I helped middle school children complete homework assignments and school projects. It was eye opening to see the impact that a lack of decent education had on these children, right here in America.

Nadia with Danica Kombol visiting the women of OFEDA in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Tell us about your next travel volunteer experience: I will return to Haiti with #Bloggers4Haiti.

Best and worst thing about volunteer travel: Worst thing is that due to travel expenses you can only go a few times a year which never seems enough. Best thing is that you are making a difference.

Advice for those that want to travel + give: You can apply for a grant to help offset expenses. Friends are a great resource for helping to raise money or provide donations.

Why you travel + give: I feel it’s my duty to give back and give in some way. When you see how the rest of the world lives, you realize you are fortunate and have really won the lottery of life.   When you do volunteer travel, you realize things such as there are millions of people with no access to clean water. When you travel to make change, you become aware of alarming stats such as millions of people live with no access to clean water.

Your favorite travel quote: “He who does not travel does not know the value of men.” – Moorish proverb

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“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” 

― Charles Dickens

Click here to read Travelanthropy: People Who Travel Good (Part 1)

Click here to read Travelanthropy: People Who Travel Good (Part 2)