Welcome to Travel with Lady Chin! My name is Chineye (pronounced Chi-ne-yay), an Igbo name from Nigeria that means God gives. My friends call me Chin.
I am honored and delighted you found my blog on this vast network that connects people all over the world!
Traveling is a privilege that we should all get to experience. Seeing the world, learning about new cultures, trying new foods, and creating new experiences lead to continued self-discovery. I don’t take my travel privileges lightly; traveling saved my life in many ways, but we will get into that later!
Who Am I?
I’m a Boston native living in New York City, working in the corporate world of Human Resources. Traveling is my undeniable passion; if you’ve stumbled upon my blog, you’ve probably already caught on to that!
I am incredibly fortunate to have found a career that enables me to keep exploring this beautiful world while holding down a 9-5 job.
But let me be clear: I’ve never been one to buy into the American notion of living solely to work. My allegiance firmly lies with the concept of working to live. That’s why I am committed to getting out of the 9-5 rat race, but I digress.
When I am not boarding a plane and getting excited about a new passport stamp, you can find me spending time with family and friends, wandering around the city, and perfecting my roller skating skills.
The Beginning
I was born and raised in Boston, MA. My biological parents moved to the United States from a small village in southeastern Nigeria to pursue their education. Unfortunately, my father was met with an untimely death when I was four years old.
My mother carried out her wifely duties of burying my father in our homeland. According to my Igbo culture, you must be buried in Igboland.
My mother was in the United States on my father’s green card. Sadly, we never saw her again. Little did my mother know that going back to Nigeria meant she could not return to the United States for my sister and me.
My baby sister and I came into the custody of the Department of Social Services (DSS), where we spent time in foster care.
Fortunately, we had an aunt and uncle living outside Washington, DC, and my sister and I went to live with them and cousins around the same age as us.
We lived together for five years, but one day, without warning, we were sent back to Boston, where we returned to foster care until a family adopted us.
We grew up in a predominantly Jewish town of about 65,000 people outside of Boston.
Growing up, I never felt like I belonged, even though making friends came naturally to me. I always felt like something was missing.
Needless to say, I spent many years wondering what happened to my mother, why I’d never see her again, and why we were suddenly taken away from the only family we ever knew.
It was a confusing and frustrating period of my life because no one seemed to have the answers I so desperately wanted.
Studying Abroad
Fast forward to my junior year in college, when I reluctantly decided to study abroad in Oviedo, Spain.
Initially, the first few months were a nightmare because it was my first time away from home; I was incredibly homesick and even more annoyed because I couldn’t speak Spanish to save my life.
My host family didn’t speak English, leaving me with few communication options. It was frustrating. Thankfully, after a few months, everything clicked! I started thinking, dreaming, and even speaking in Spanish.
Little did I know my adventures in Spain would change my life forever in the most positive way I could imagine.
Finally, I felt like I belonged! I belonged to the world and the life of travel. I surprised myself by traveling to different parts of Europe solo or meeting up with friends who were also studying abroad.
I got lost in the mountains of Spain and needed to rely on the little Spanish I knew to get me out of what was a scary situation now that I look back on it.
But at the time, panicking was the farthest thing from my mind. Ah, to be young and clueless.
I returned home rambling in Spanish to everyone and anyone who would listen and speak to me. I went back to college that fall and worked at the study abroad office. I felt like I had been let into a secret society that is travel.
I wanted to tell other students, particularly Black students, how great traveling was and how much fun I had abroad.
One day, I was putting away brochures for study abroad programs in Argentina and impulsively decided to move to Buenos Aires to complete my senior year.
I knew the idea was nuts because spending your final year in college was meant to be with friends, but I caught the travel bug, and no one could tell me anything different to try and stop me! It was one of the best decisions I ever made, and I don’t regret it to this day!
Life Is A Beautiful Ride
Nonetheless, navigating life was a challenge, not to mention not knowing a lot about myself and where I came from came with additional obstacles. I desperately wanted to learn more about my biological family but didn’t know where to start.
Eventually, I accepted that I might never know where I came from and decided to make peace with my reality.
Five years ago, my prayers were answered! Thanks to Mark Zuckerburg’s creation of Meta (Facebook), my birth family found us through that platform. My sister and I were reunited with our family in Washington, D.C.; we even traveled to Nigeria to meet the rest of our biological family!
Life as I knew it started to make sense; I finally got the answers I was looking for, and I had the long-lost pieces to the puzzle that is my life.
Since my adventures of living abroad in Spain and Argentina, I’ve visited over 39 countries on four continents, lived on three continents, and am bi-lingual.
Life’s for living in every way! I’m forever planning my next adventure!
What is Travel with Lady Chin?
Now, here’s the beautiful paradox: While my dream is to break free from the 9-5 rat race eventually, I’m very much living the reality of it.
But guess what? I’m not letting that reality hinder my exploration of different corners of the world, and neither should you!
My purpose here is to inspire and guide you on how to make the most of your precious time off while maintaining your full-time job.
Whether it’s blending work and vacation (yes, it’s possible!), or working remotely from stunning locations, you can continue to travel without choosing between your career and your wanderlust. The best part? You can do both!
Expect to find a wealth of content on this blog, all geared towards helping you travel more harmoniously with your 9-5 job.
From insightful travel guides and meticulously planned itineraries to expert packing tips and epic adventure stories, I’ve got you covered. S
o, let’s embark on this exciting journey together and prove that wanderlust knows no boundaries. Your next adventure is just a click away, and I can’t wait to share it with you!
Some fun facts about me:
- I speak Spanish and am passionate about learning new languages.
- I love the scent of lavender and lemongrass.
- I was a lifeguard and swim instructor in college. I taught 5-year-olds how to swim.
- Instead of buying souvenirs, I collect canvas paintings from my travels and frame them myself.
- Twins run in my family!
- Despite being from Boston, I am not a big Boston sports fan, even though it’s fun to partake in occasional trash-talking to N.Y. fans.
- I have an unhealthy obsession with collecting elephant figurines. Elephants are my spirit animal! Although, I’ve never met one in real life… I have faith that it will happen real soon!
- I’m not a big fan of road trips.
- I am deathly afraid of cats.
- I’ve never met a beach that I didn’t like. In fact, I have a personal goal of visiting as many beaches as possible in my lifetime.
- I love spicy foods.
- Martha’s Vineyard is my happy place.
- I’m team Harry Potter #HouseGryffindor all the way!
- Soca music makes me happy!
Contact
Do you want advice, interested in getting in touch or working with me? Here’s how:
You can reach me at Ladychin@travelwithladychin.com or fill out my contact form.
You can follow me on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. I had to throw in that shameless plug!
Now The Fun Stuff
Interested to see where I’ve been? Check out my Destinations page.
Want to read about my latest travel guides and bucket list experiences? Check out my Blog page.
Are you looking for travel inspiration that will make you want to book that flight? Check out my travel photography page.
Are you curious to find out how I search for flights, accommodations, and more? My Travel Resource page has everything you need to know and my travel must-haves!
Before you go, if you’re interested in working with me, contact me here.
Happy and safe travels!
