388: From Jamaica to Jordan: Finding Belonging and Challenging Western Narratives Through Travel with Janine Jervis

About this episode

Janine Jervis discusses her transformative experiences in Jordan and the impact of travel on her understanding of identity and media narratives.

Hear how 20 years of travel to Jordan reshaped Janine’s view on the Middle East, media narratives, and human connection. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Born and raised in Jamaica, Janine Jervis spent nearly two decades helping lead tourism marketing for Jordan while returning to the country dozens of times and building deep relationships there. In this episode, Janine shares stories from Jordanian Bedouin communities and reflects on how travel transformed her understanding of the Middle East, Palestine, identity, belonging, and cross-cultural connection. She also talks about growing up between Jamaica, Trinidad, and Washington D.C., witnessing the rise of anti-Arab sentiment in the United States after 9/11, speaking out about Palestine within the travel industry, and ultimately returning to live in Jamaica after 25 years abroad. Along the way, Janine reflects on Black travel, media perception, community, and the power of authentic storytelling to bridge cultures across borders. → Full show notes with…

People in this episode

Host: Matt Bowles

Guest: Janine Jervis

Topics covered

• travel
• cultural identity
• media narratives
• cross-cultural connection
• Black travel
• storytelling

Keywords

• travel
• Jordan
• Jamaica
• media perception
• cultural connection
• Black travel
• storytelling

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Jamaica, Jordan, Palestine, United States, Washington D.C., Trinidad

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