Hello!

Well, it’s now September. I wanted to put out an August newsletter but I was too busy with work, moving into a new place, and preparing for my upcoming trip, I just didn’t have to time. Though I did start this newsletter, I never finished it in time for August.

Since I’m leaving for my trip real soon, this will be the last newsletter until I return in October. This is going to be an epic adventure and I’m super excited for it! Even more so, I’m super excited to return and share everything with you all!!!

But that’s going to have to wait for a hot minute until I return. Because when I return, I’ll be returning to our new place! Meaning, I’ll not only have to unpack from my trip but also unpack and organize things in our new location. So just bear with me for a while.

Let’s get into the last few things I’ve done to prepare for this trip, my status on becoming a travel advisor, and current job status!

So…I quit my Job 🤭

I’ve been saying this for a long time now. If you follow me on social media (@jojos_cup_of_mocha), then you would’ve seen that I’ve been wanting to quit my job for a long time. I was a 3rd shift supervisor at a children’s group home. Before I became a supervisor, I was a regular 3rd shift worker.

I won’t go into too much detail but it’s been very draining to say the least. Between not getting enough sleep (averaging 12 hours between 3-4 days), picking up so much OT on my days to make extra money where I’d work 20+ days straight, the toxic work environment, trying to problem solve never-ending issues with little to no support, it’s been a lot.

I’ve been at that job for 3 years. I started back in 2023 when I was still a social worker. Once I quit my day job, I kept this night job as it was easier. But I knew I wasn’t going to stay here. It was just a temporary thing so I can earn money for my travels, pay my bills, and allow my nervous system to rest from being a social worker.

I’m happy to say that I officially quit that job last week! So, I’m no longer doing 3rd shift at my old job. When I return from my travels, I won’t have a job. It a tiny way it’s a bit scary but I’ll find a new job eventually. Ideally, I’d love to find a remote job so I can work from home. This would allow me to not only have more flexibility in my home life but get to travel a bit more without being restricted to a location. Fingers crossed I find something good 🤞🏾.

The Final Step…Traveling to Tanzania and Nigeria

The last month has been about finalizing everything for my trip to Tanzania and Nigeria. I got my Tanzanian e-visa, I’ve been buying items needed for the trek (sleeping bag, pad, duffle, etc.), vaccinations were taken, meds for altitude and malaria were ordered, and watching as many TikToks, reels, and YouTube videos I can to prepare myself.

I’ve also been trying to up my exercise time and intensity at the gym as well. All in preparation for this trip! I have all the paperwork done, e-visas acquired, gear purchased, now the last step is to pack everything!

It’s a bit nerve-wracking but exciting at the same time. This will be the most adventurous yet hard activity I would ever have done in my life thus far. I know the safari afterwards is going to be amazing, and Nigeria will be splendid, but that trek to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro is going to be quite a trek. The terrain isn’t difficult but the altitude is what’ll get you. And summit night is going to be hard.

But I can do hard things! And, I’ll be with my fellow solo traveler friend. So we’re in this together and we’ll both succeed! I’ve hiked 7-8 hours up Acatenango in Guatemala and that was freaking hard. I’ve done it once and I’ll do it again. I can’t wait though!

My Progress to Becoming a Travel Agent?

I started this process back in June or July. However, because I’m night shift and given my sleep schedule while trying to go to the gym and get tasks and travel content done during the day, it’s taken me a lot longer than anticipated to get the initial training done.

The program I’m going through is comprised of 10 modules. Though each one is credited for an hour total, in reality each module takes about 17-40 minutes. On average it’s about 17-20 minutes. Yet, trying to do this during the day wasn’t working out, as I was trying to upload travel content, go to the gym, sleep, or do other errands. So, I tried doing this at night while at work. And it was a bit slow.

I’d try to do one module a night because mentally I was too tired to concentrate. In reality, I’d end up doing one module a night, then something would happen the other nights of my shift which required me to do my actual job. Then a few days later I’d finally get back into training. Or, there were some weeks were I didn’t do it at all because of how busy and tired I was.

Nonetheless, they give you about 5-6 months to complete the training so I have time. I only have 2 more modules to go before I’m done with the training! I’m planning on finishing them before my trip to Tanzania. Then when I return, I can continue with my travel advisor journey.

That’s where I am at the moment with becoming a travel advisor. But that’s alright; slow and steady wins the race!

Travel Content Goals

As for travel content, my goal this year is to create consistency and weekly goals that are realistic and attainable.

That means, creating tasks that I can achieve in a week and creating a system to create content that I can consistently stick to. I know I've slacked a bit the past couple of years with creating content. However, I'm truly dedicated to creating consistent content across my social media platforms, YouTube channel, and blog!

I'm still trying to find that balance of consistency with content creation. Each week looks different for me. Depending on what I've got going on, how I'm feeling, how tired I am, if I pick up extra shifts, it all affects my ability to be consistent with creating content. I'm still trying! However, I think that trying to balance this while working 3rd shift isn't working. I was more consistent when I had a day job and could work on my travel content in between work sessions, before, and after work! Nowadays, I can't keep my eyes open long enough to create something because I'm coming off 3rd shift hours.

Regardless, I'm still committed to creating content no matter if it's only a few times a week. Something is better than nothing, and consistency is something I'll always be working on.

Which, if you're not following me, any support would be appreciated. My handles are @jojoscupofmocha. I also started a new photography page on Instagram! My handle is @jcmtravellens. I wanted to dedicate separate platforms and pages to showcasing my travel and landscape photography, and the stories behind each location.

Check out the digital store for packing lists and Google digital maps. Perfect for trip planning! JoJo's Cup of Mocha​

As always, I'll be making blog posts, future social media posts and YouTube videos on my time there! Check out all my social media platforms and YouTube channel @jojoscupofmocha.

Check out my latest YouTube video! I took an 8 hour bus ride from Lanquin to The Island of Flores. This is where I’d stay in order to do the Tikal ruins tour the following day. But I wish I had more time to explore Flores because it’s a beautiful little island! 👇🏾

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August ​AND September Freebies

Since I completely missed August but still created an August freebie, I’m going to give an August and September freebie!

​​​​​August 2026 Travel Vision Board.png​

​September travel vision board 2026.png​

Happy travels! I’ll see you when I return!

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JoJo Hall

JoJo's Cup of Mocha

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