Jenna Davis talked to us about her travels around the world.
JENNA DAVIS caught the travel bug after a trip to Peru in her third year of university and has since travelled around the world meeting all kinds of people and embracing hundreds of new and wild experiences.
In this thoughtful and inspiring interview she talks to us about how it all started as well as her passion for philanthropy. For more information about her work and to catch up on her latest blog visit www.giveforgranted.com or follow her on Twitter at @giveforgranted.
When did you first start travelling and what inspired your lifestyle change?
I hadn’t actually stepped on an airplane until I was 16 years old. I took my first real adventure outside of North America to Jamaica for a family reunion. Though it wasn’t until my third year of university when the travel bug really hit me.
I had the opportunity to travel to Lima, Peru for three weeks with a university class. We were teaching coaches, teachers and government officials the importance of social justice awareness through sport.
I returned home from that trip inspired and eager to learn more. The following year I spent a semester abroad in Thailand and another four months exploring South Africa and the Canadian arctic.
Where did you first travel to and what have been some of your highlights on your journey to date?
Though my first two trips took me to Jamaica and Peru, I’m going to talk about my first real adventure arriving in South Africa.
I was working a 9-5 job in a marketing firm located in Toronto, Canada. I had spent an entire day contemplating my life and where I really wanted to be. It was a constant battle between reality and my dreams. I figured if I could travel the world, I would… but with what time and with what money?
I spent a good week applying for travel contests in hopes of winning. I managed to receive a one-month backpacking trip across South Africa for a friend and myself. I was thrilled. From that moment on I knew travel could become a reality for me.
Other Highlights:
• My solo escapades in Nepal after having been denied a visa to India in time.
- • A two-month train trip through Eastern Europe visiting 15 countries in order to investigate the culture of travel consumerism.
- • A nature road trip across the south of England.
Where is next on your list?
I haven’t quite yet announced my future plans to my readers yet, so I’m going to hide a couple of exciting adventures from you for now.
However, my next two trips will be embarking on a weeklong September adventure glamping through Ireland, and then a few weeks in Canada exploring my home sweet home with friends and family. I will return back to my ‘base camp’ in Dusseldorf, Germany at the end of September and then October will hold a lot more exciting adventures to be announced…
What have been some of your wildest moments abroad and do you hold any scars (or tattoos!) from your travels?
Scars, yes… tattoos, absolutely!
- Tattoos: I’ve got this wild and secret plan to get a tattoo in places no one will notice whenever I reach a new continent. Though there should be four in total, I’m still waiting on four (I’ve been to five continents, but made this plan after the fact).
- Scars: There are really too many to count, but to keep it short I’ll tell you my most recent story about ending up in a hospital bed after a bus ride from hell in Coorg, India. It was late and I was headed back to Bangalore on an eight-hour overnight bus. I booked the cheapest bus ticket back, which landed me with a mouldy seat in the back of the bus and a window that wouldn’t close shut (it was pouring rain that night). The bus was two hours late to arrive and my seat was not welded down properly so I ended up waking up to a speed demon of a driver hitting a massive bump in the road and smacking my head into a rod on the top of the roof. A few stitches and a concussion later, I still have somewhat of a not-so-cool Harry Potter scar smack in between my eyes.
Could you tell us more about www.giveforgranted.com and what visitors can expect from your blog and website?
I write a blog about my daily escapades while exploring in a sustainable and philanthropic manner. It took me ages to find a niche until one day I realised that I already had one. I have a passion for giving back and found the perfect way to include that into all my stories.
Expect to find tips, tricks and all that jazz with a whole lot of honesty and personality.
You have a particular interest in philanthropy and combine this with your love for travel. Could you tell us more about what this involves and some of the work you have done to help those in poverty or suffering hardships in life?
My biggest concern in life is not doing something that makes me happy. I find no matter how selfish I could be I’ll never be happy unless I help make a difference. With the outreach blogs have now a days, it is possible to use this and to teach others how they can make a difference too.
If you come to my blog expecting to find all the best about eco-adventure and green resorts, you might as well turn back. I worked a 9-5 job and I know that though many people care about giving back and being sustainable, it’s not what you want to think about when you’ve got one week of vacation in the year. I write for the crowd who wants simple and easy tips on how to travel more sustainably.
By doing so, I’ve explored the simple ideas of chain hotels offering eco-saving options and giving back locally by staying in little bed and breakfasts and local homes. I’ve taught the importance of social justice education in Peru, I’ve developed a programme to help women in India, I’ve worked with an orphanage in Bangalore and I’ve done various other small projects around the globe. I also created a clothing line in order to help support northern Canadians living in poverty.
What would your message be to those motivated and inspired by what you do?
It is about pushing your boundaries and jumping out of your comfort zone. If you never take that terrifying leap, you won’t be able to live out your dreams. For me, that leap meant quitting my job and leaving my friends and family.
Whatever you do, make it sustainable. If you’re not going to live sustainably, there’s no reason to be doing it. It is important to change your life in order to meet the needs and wants of your current generation without compromising the generations of the future.
What exciting plans and challenges have you set yourself for the rest of the year and where do you see yourself in five years from now?
Though I’ll still be travelling like a mad woman, I intend to build my social media consultancy business and reach out to more clients in the sustainable and philanthropic tourism industry. I have a small client base at the moment but would love to have a team of knowledgeable travellers who can use their skills and education to help promote sustainable tourism organisations online.
