Wander & Wonder (Travel Journal)

Wander & Wonder

Welcome to my Travel Journal

A vibrant collection of personal reflections, captivating travel stories, and photo essays from around the world. This is my storytelling hub, where adventures come

to life through words and images.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been curious about the world—not just the landscapes and landmarks, but the people, the quirks, the small cultural details that often go unnoticed.

As a social scientist and qualitative researcher, travel has never been just about vacation for me. It’s about observing, learning, and reflecting on human behavior across borders.

That’s what this space—Joni’s Wanderlust—is about.

I’m beginning this journey with a 12-week blog series called Field Notes: Wanderlust in Practice.

This first season is about what I’ve learned about people—and about myself—through everyday travel encounters. Not the polished tourist brochure moments, but the lived, awkward, funny, or deeply human ones: greetings that go missing, solo dinners that draw curious stares, strangers in taxis with unexpected revelations.

Because wanderlust isn’t just about where we go—it’s about what we notice when we’re there.

Season 1

Wanderlust in Practice

Week 1

One of the great joys (or hazards) of being a social scientist is that I can’t just travel.

Nope—I’m constantly observing people like I’m on some low-budget version of Planet Earth: Human Edition. And let me tell you, when it comes to manners, the field notes are endless...

Do Manners Travel With You?

Week 2

Traveling in groups is already a social experiment. Throw in couples, and you’ve got yourself a full-blown behavioral study worthy of a PhD dissertation.

Take, for example, my favorite case study: Rebecca and Richard.

Partner Travel Dynamics – The Curious Case of Rebecca and Richard

Week 3

The funniest of all are the people rushing through security.

The logical assumption is that they’re late for their flight, but from what I’ve seen, that’s rarely true. I often spot them shopping in duty free soon after. Yet the way they rush through security, you’d think they were a human ambulance.

Security Line Hastiness

Welcome to Joni's Wanderlust

Hello and welcome! I’m Joni — a passionate traveler dedicated to exploration and adventure. With a passport that speaks volumes, I have...

Joni Roberts

Jun 173 min read

How I Visited Qatar for Free — Travel Hacks to See More for Less

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate If you love exploring new places but hate breaking the bank, this post is for you. As an avid traveler, I’m always on the hunt for creative ways to maximize my trips — and one of my favorite hacks is getting two destinations for the price of one. Believe it or not, you can explore an entirely new country for free, just like I did when I accidentally visited Qatar on my way to South Africa. How I Ended U

Joni Roberts

1 day ago4 min read

Security Line Hastiness

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate The funniest of all are the people rushing through security. Now of course the most logical response is that they are late for their flight or it is departing shortly, but because I watch people, that is rarely the case. I often find folks right outside security shopping in duty free. But the haste in which they moved through the line—you’d think they were a human ambulance. Related to that is the lack

Joni Roberts

3 days ago1 min read

A Day in Langa: History, Health, and Resilience in Cape Town

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate When I travel, I try to look beyond the tourist sites and learn about the places that hold a community’s real story — its struggles, its strength, and its spirit. During my time in Cape Town, I had the privilege of spending a day in Langa Township , the city’s first Black township and one of the oldest in South Africa. What I discovered there was a story of resilience — a community that, despite its pai

Joni Roberts

Nov 25 min read

Reflections from Robben Island: Lessons in Resilience and Humanity

Some journeys change you quietly but profoundly. They confront you with the weight of history — not as words on a page, but as echoes in the air. My visit to Robben Island in Cape Town, South Africa, was one of those journeys. I rarely research destinations before visiting. I prefer to arrive curious and unguarded, allowing a place to teach me what I need to know. On this trip — my second to South Africa — I was traveling for work, conducting site visits in Cape Town and Durb

Joni Roberts

Oct 315 min read

Partner Travel Dynamics – The Curious Case of Rebecca and Richard

Traveling in groups is already a social experiment. Throw in couples, and you’ve got yourself a full-blown behavioral study worthy of a PhD dissertation. Take, for example, my favorite case study: Rebecca and Richard. We’re on a walking tour in Athens—me, about 50 strangers, and our star couple. Rebecca is a brisk walker, clearly eager to conquer the Parthenon before the rest of us have even cleared the souvenir stalls. Richard, on the other hand, is somewhere behind us, prob

Joni Roberts

Oct 292 min read

Do Manners Travel With You?

One of the great joys (or hazards) of being a social scientist is that I can’t just travel. Nope—I’m constantly observing people like I’m on some low-budget version of Planet Earth: Human Edition. And let me tell you, when it comes to manners, the field notes are endless.

Joni Roberts

Oct 222 min read

My First Trip to Hell

Because sometimes wanderlust begins in the strangest places People often ask me: What’s your earliest travel memory? When did you first know you wanted to see the world? For me, the answer is unusual: my first trip to Hell. I must have been about five or six when we took a school trip to Grand Cayman. I was already familiar with the islands—my grandmother lived there for many years, working as a seamstress. But the memory that stayed with me wasn’t beaches or family gathering

Joni Roberts

Oct 172 min read