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

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

Author: Matt Bowles: Full-Time World Traveler Since 2013 May 11, 2026 Duration: 1:14:32
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 direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

There’s a certain texture to life lived in motion, a collection of stories that emerge not from postcards but from the messy, beautiful reality of planting roots in foreign soil. The Maverick Show: Global Travel Stories & Life Beyond Borders captures that essence through long-form conversations hosted by Matt Bowles, who has been navigating the world full-time since 2013. This isn't a guidebook podcast; it’s a series of intimate dialogues, often unfolding casually over a shared bottle of wine, where the destination is understanding. You’ll hear from a diverse range of voices-expats, digital nomads, women forging paths abroad, and diaspora storytellers-each sharing the raw, unfiltered nuances of what happens when you cross borders for good. The focus is on the human narrative beneath the itinerary: the cultural misunderstandings that become breakthroughs, the loneliness and liberation, and the profound ways a global life reshapes identity. Listening feels like pulling up a chair at a cafe somewhere in the world, eavesdropping on a conversation that’s equally about internal discovery as it is about geographic change. Matt’s own experience as a long-term traveler informs these discussions, steering them toward the substantive lessons learned far from home. If you’ve ever wondered about the true weight and wonder of building a life between cultures, this podcast offers a genuine, thoughtful window into that journey.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Maverick Show: Global Travel Stories & Life Beyond Borders
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