Explore Joni Wanderlust's Travel Journal - Personal Travel Reflections

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.

New on the Blog

New stories, insights, ideas, and updates—just published.

Airports are the perfect stage for confusion, speculation, and the occasional eye-roll. And nowhere is this more evident than at the check-in counters.

Airport Chronicles (Check-In Confusion)

My name, Joni (Joe knee), is often mispronounced as Johnny in cultures where English is not the first language, and the long O does not exist in their language.

What’s in a Name?

My ultimate favorite are the Americans who are beyond impressed that I solo travel.

These are usually partnered couples later in life and early into traveling as a couple. “You are so brave, you are adventurous, that is amazing.” are all accolades I hear from partners, especially the women who cannot fathom doing what I do.

Solo Travel Reactions

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 visited 40+ countries and called five of them home. From the vibrant streets of Europe to the rich cultures of Africa, the rhythmic energy of the Caribbean, and the diverse histories of South and Central America, each destination has shaped who I am today. The Journey Begins Travel is more than just moving from one place to another; it's a li

Joni Roberts

Jun 17, 20253 min read

Lake Malawi and the Things We Learn About Ourselves in Stillness

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate There are moments in travel that don’t announce themselves loudly. They arrive quietly, often when the world slows down just enough for you to notice what’s been happening inside you all along. This was one of those mornings. I woke up early to watch the sunrise over Lake Malawi. The lake was quiet in a way that felt almost intentional, as if the world hadn’t quite decided to begin yet. The water barely

Joni Roberts

Jan 82 min read

A Season of Stillness, Travel, and Learning to Move Differently

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate There are seasons of travel where you collect destinations, and then there are seasons where the places you’re in quietly collect you. This has been one of those seasons. Being in Malawi — and moving through other parts of the world before arriving here — has slowed me down in ways I didn’t expect. Not dramatically, not all at once, but gently. Enough to notice how much of my everyday life back home is

Joni Roberts

Jan 81 min read

Sabbatical Rest – Learning to Rest While Wandering

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate When I travel, I rarely rest. At least not in the way most people describe when they say they’re “on vacation.” Maybe because my trips aren’t vacations—they’re expeditions. When my sabbatical came around, I decided to try something different: intentional rest. It started in Indonesia, where I went to celebrate my 40th birthday. I picked a random island in the Gilis before heading into the chaos of Bali.

Joni Roberts

Dec 11, 20252 min read

Oysters – When Your Dinner Order Becomes a Debate

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate Every so often I crave oysters. So whenever I’m on an island—or anywhere with good seafood—I go hunting for an oyster bar. On this trip, I struck gold: a place right on the beach. After navigating the maze that is Google Maps, I finally arrived. I scanned the menu, but really, I wasn’t interested in anything other than oysters. So I asked the host: “Where are the oysters?” He pointed to the empty tank a

Joni Roberts

Dec 11, 20252 min read

Budget Airline Seats

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate Travel has become very costly, with airlines even charging for seats. It’s not so bad when traveling domestically, but when you’re on an international flight of 13 hours nonstop, it’s not uncommon to want to get the best seat possible. While at the gate, I watched a group of American men go up to the counter to sort out their seating. One by one, they requested upgrades, and the attendant told them of t

Joni Roberts

Dec 11, 20252 min read

Airport Chronicles (Check-In Confusion)

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate Airports are the perfect stage for confusion, speculation, and the occasional eye-roll. And nowhere is this more evident than at the check-in counters. My international flight was scheduled for 4 p.m., which meant the check-in counter should open at noon—four hours before departure. I arrived, found my airline’s counter, and joined the line. It was short (victory!) and I was already dreaming of dropping

Joni Roberts

Dec 11, 20252 min read

Solo Traveling – Mykonos Dinner

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate When my nephew once asked my preferred way to travel, I didn’t hesitate: solo. On a trip to Guatemala a few years ago my nephew asked me my preferred way to travel. Solo, I responded without hesitation. My sister was confused. But for me, solo travel means I can do what I want, when I want. It also means I’m more likely to get invited to things I wouldn’t if I were in a group. Fast forward to Greece, I

Joni Roberts

Dec 11, 20252 min read

Solo Travel Reactions

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate My ultimate favorite are the Americans who are beyond impressed that I solo travel. These are usually partnered couples later in life and early into traveling as a couple. “You are so brave, you are adventurous, that is amazing.” are all accolades I hear from partners, especially the women who cannot fathom doing what I do. But the biggest question of all is: are they impressed because I travel solo—or

Joni Roberts

Dec 1, 20252 min read

What’s in a Name?

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate My name, Joni (Joe knee), is often mispronounced as Johnny in cultures where English is not the first language, and the long O does not exist in their language. A simple enough mistake: short o for long o , and the cultural difference of knowing only men with the name Johnny so anything close must be a male name. I am constantly misgendered from country to country. But Greece takes the cake. When peopl

Joni Roberts

Dec 1, 20252 min read

Unexpected Conversations (Taxi + Hip Hop)

Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate One of the perks of travel is the random conversations you stumble into. Sometimes it’s small talk about the weather. Sometimes it’s directions to a good restaurant. And sometimes—well, sometimes you end up discussing global Black identity through the lens of hip hop with your Greek taxi driver. While traveling in Greece I engaged in dialogue with my taxi driver who was very happy to hear of my Jamaican

Joni Roberts

Nov 25, 20252 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 End

Joni Roberts

Nov 12, 20254 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

Nov 10, 20251 min read

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

# Discovering Resilience in Langa Township: A Journey Through History and Culture Written by Joni Roberts Traveler, storyteller, and public health advocate When I travel, I always strive to look beyond the tourist sites. I want to 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 i

Joni Roberts

Nov 2, 20256 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 31, 20255 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 29, 20252 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 22, 20252 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 17, 20252 min read