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Photo Source: Christina Jane and Instagram
Traveling is life changing, and Christina Jane can attest to that. Our Travel Crush is a lifestyle and travel blogger who moved to Ghana from Florida after battling depression and anxiety. Now she's living her best life and working on her master's while blogging about her adventures and solo journeys. Keep reading to start crushing!
Tell us about yourself! Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do? What inspires you to travel?
I am Christina Jane, a Haitian American travel lifestyle blogger and freelance writer from Fort Myers, Florida, living in Accra, Ghana. I started my blog in 2018 as a lifestyle blog for topics like relationships and mental health in college. Now, I aim to tie some of those topics back to travel and share my travel experiences. While in college, I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and major depression. So, I decided to take my first solo trip to Thailand and Bali in 2020 for my 20th birthday. Since then, I've visited several countries solo, and I am currently living and getting my master's degree in Accra! This year, I began my journey as a travel writer. I wrote for Travel Time Africa, Lonely Planet, and Fodor's Travel!
As an aspiring international development professional, traveling to me is so much more than pretty pictures and memories. Killing my own ignorance is what inspires me to travel. It's a chance to firsthand experience another culture outside of what I learn in the classroom and through my own research. Traveling for me helps me understand other people better and do my part in being an informed global citizen.
Why is it important to you to showcase your life in Ghana?
I first visited Ghana in 2019 while studying abroad for the summer. I didn't go to share my experience. However, I ended up vlogging the entire thing on Youtube and being very interactive on my Instagram stories. I received great feedback from people who told me the craziest things about what they expected Ghana to look like because it was on the African continent. That encouraged me to keep showcasing both the good and the bad of living in Ghana because it paints a realistic picture for people who don't know yet are watching!
3. What is one misconception about your home that you wish to disprove?
Funny enough, there are two sides to this question. Of course, there are the common misconceptions about Ghana not having certain infrastructure or facilities like the US. Therefore, I like to showcase many upscale and modern establishments to disprove this without directly saying so. But over the years, there's also been an influx of people visiting Ghana and wanting to move here but not really understanding that not every day is like a vacation. There are power outages, long hours without water, the constant time wasted on simple tasks that you would like to get done like paying a bill, cultural miscommunication, and an overall slow pace of living. Coming from the western world, it can be challenging to live with at some points. I love it in Ghana, but I love showing the different aspects of Ghana that may not be so pretty as well.
4. What do you love most about solo traveling?
My favorite thing about solo traveling is getting up and going without having to plan with other people! I just love the freedom of knowing that I can choose whatever hotel I want, flight time, etc., without double-checking with someone else. It really makes traveling and just getting out there 100% more possible. It gives me time to just be with myself and learn more about my own personal needs as I navigate a different culture.
5. What is your advice to those interested in solo traveling?
Start locally if you are interested in solo traveling and don't know where to start! Start by going to the mall, going out to dinner or lunch, going painting, or visiting a museum alone to see how you feel in your own company. A lot of things you'll be doing when traveling are sightseeing, eating, etc., so do those same things in a familiar place and see how it makes you feel to get started.
Where else can folks find you?6. Where can folks find you other than Instagram?
Besides Instagram, I love vlogging my travel experiences on Youtube. You can also stay connected with me through my blog, Tiktok, Pinterest, and Twitter. Head over to my Instagram for the links!
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