302: Organizing 500 Trips to Africa, Becoming a Citizen of Sierra Leone, and Building Jelani Travel with Ashley Company

Learn about traveling to Togo, Benin, The Gambia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and building a successful travel company.   ____________________________________ Subscribe to The Maverick Show’s Monday Minute Newsletter where I email you 3 short items of value to start each week that you can consume in 60 seconds (all personal recommendations like the latest travel gear I'm using, my favorite destinations, discounts for special events, etc.). Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram ____________________________________ Ashley Company starts off talking about founding Jelani Gives and how that led to founding her company Jelani Travel. Ashley reflects on running her company for over a decade, including the healing impact she has seen when taking people from the African Diaspora to spend time on the Continent. She then talks about how she traced her ancestry to Sierra Leone, was able to get citizenship in Sierra Leone, and had her passport handed to her by the President of the country.  Ashely also shares some highlights from the Jelani Travel trips to Benin, Togo, Ghana, Senegal, and The Gambia. She then takes us behind the scenes of her entrepreneurial journey and explains how she built a successful travel company that she has now run for over a decade. Ashley shares tips and insights on how she optimizes her time, manages stress, and chooses what to outsource. She also reflects on how to avoid the pitfalls of voluntourism in Africa, and how all of her travels to 100+ countries have impacted her as a person. Finally, Matt and Ashley talk about the upcoming Black Travel Summit and how to meet them there in person. FULL SHOW NOTES WITH DIRECT LINKS TO EVERYTHING DISCUSSED ARE AVAILABLE HERE.  ____________________________________ 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? 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! :)

Om Podcasten

Meet diverse travelers and digital nomads from every continent who share their personal journey to location-independence as well as their reflections on identity, the power dynamics that shape our world, and how we can be more thoughtful, conscious travelers as we move through it.  Hosted by Matt Bowles—your typical Irish-American hip hop DJ turned human rights activist turned location-independent entrepreneur turned minimalist world-traveler and podcaster—these in-depth conversations take place all over the world (often over a bottle of wine, or 2).  Listen in as Matt draws out stories of their most epic adventures, and unpacks the skills, tactics, and strategies they use to build their remote businesses and design their lifestyles. Ranked the #1 Digital Nomad Podcast by Web Work Travel and the Top 1% of all podcasts by Listen Notes, each episode pulls out actionable tips and advice you can implement in your own life each week.  In 2024 The Maverick Show hit the Top 100 on Apple Podcasts and ranked the #1 “Places and Travel” podcast on Apple.