Meet Jordan Carlyle & Christen Puckett of “Where To Next Y’all”

 

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jordan Carlyle & Christen Puckett. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Christen & Jordan, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

We thoroughly believe that meeting and surrounding yourself with like-minded people is the way to keep evolving your creativity, and gives us new inspiration, ideas, and skills that we didn’t have prior. Challenging ourselves with new editing, videography, travel destinations, meeting new people, etc, throughout our travels is something that we consistently try to do so that we can be better storytellers and be able to create engaging moments that others can feel a part of. Our main goal at the end of the day is to allow others to feel as if they are on this journey around the world with us, and be in each moment whether it is exciting, scary, emotional, etc…

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

We met as random roommates studying abroad in Rome, Italy in 2018 and promised ourselves that in 5 years we would have a celebration trip back to Europe to commemorate our time there. Jordan went to the University of Alabama, and Christen went to Auburn University. Yes, rival colleges. We didn’t know each other until we got placed as random roommates studying in May of 2018. Exactly 5 years later we decided to quit our jobs in America and live out a shared dream to travel the world. Both of us share the same passion for adventure and of course our love for travel and wanted to take our friends and family along for the journey with us and in the process started the social media account wheretonexyall. In 2023 we traveled to 20 countries in 6 months with a goal to see as much of the world as possible. In the process, not only did we get to explore areas of the world that only existed in our textbooks, but also learned how similar we are as humans and how two people from remote corners of the world can still find deep connections, and that at the end of the day there truly is more good than bad. One of the most exciting parts of traveling is not only exploring new destinations and checking off bucket list places, but it’s also the unknown. It’s the hiccups in the road that teach us new problem solving skills, the strangers who help us along the way when we are lost in a foreign country, and the friends we meet who end up feeling like family that keep what we do exciting and special.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three qualities or skills that were impactful on our journey were trust, adaptability, and being open-minded. One of the biggest qualities is trusting yourself. You won’t be able to go after something you really want if you don’t trust the fact that you CAN do it. The first step is trusting you can do something, and once you take that step and shift your mindset to believing you are capable, then the rest will follow. You fully have to trust that where you are in the moment is the place you’re meant to be. You won’t find success overnight. We firmly believe that God placed us both on this planet to do exactly what we are doing because so many doors have opened in ways that we never even knew would be possible.

Handling unexpected situations, navigating new environments, and adapting to cultural differences and scenarios were all things we encountered throughout our first 6 months of traveling. Being adaptable and resilient allowed us to handle these moments by finding quick, creative solutions that turned potential setbacks into memorable experiences, enabling us to keep going.

Lastly, you cannot be a true traveler or explorer without having an open-mind. If you travel close-minded you’re shutting yourself off to the rest of the world and the opportunity to learn about the different cultures, norms and values. This quality has helped us form deeper connections and relationships with locals and fellow travelers. Traveling with an open mind helped us appreciate the diversity of the world and gave us a sense of wonder and curiosity about different places and people. We continuously bring back bits and pieces of different cultures and values with us when we return home to the States from the experiences we gain abroad.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

100%!! The travel community is so large and finding ways to make deep connections in such a vast space can be challenging. We’re on the go for 4-6 months out of the year and are always looking for travelers, creators, and companies to meet up and collaborate or travel with. The best way to connect with us is via email at [email protected] or sending an Instagram message to @wheretonextyall. 🙂

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Tobias Popovici (on Instagram @tobyvici) for the sunset photo in the gold + black dress (labeled sunset.jpg)

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