Life and Work with Marquita Jennings

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marquita Jennings.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started Kita the Explorer in July 2016 after encouragement from two of my friends. One friend was like you have such great adventures, you should share them with the world. While the other was like, hey you have great tips for travel, you should share those. So, I thought about it and I recorded my first vlog on my first international SOLO trip to Belize. But… I got back from the trip and started thinking of how I could tie all of my passions and concerns for the world into this. This brought me to what Kita the Explorer is today… a Travel Adventurist and Environmentalist. I travel to enjoy the world while trying to bring change to it whether it is at home in Atlanta or anywhere in the world. I have two videos about myself and my endeavors at the following two links: https://youtu.be/7tW-H8yGZjY and https://youtu.be/SUQSO3GmQAY.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Ha… I would think if it had been a smooth road, I would’ve been doing something wrong. So no, it hasn’t been smooth. Bringing the ideas of Kita the Explorer to light by myself has been challenging yet rewarding. Some of the struggles I have faced is consistency, marketing and support! My biggest advice I can give to young women is in relation to support. Yes, you may need to learn and make improvements to your craft, we all do! But, when you have frenemies or fake supporters out there who may say things to you such as you can’t do this, you won’t succeed or anything to discredit you, keep your heads up! These spiteful words all come from a place of hate and should empower you to move forward. You will see a lot of women competing to get the spotlight out there and will do anything to take another down. That isn’t how you should be! We all bring different crafts to the table and can learn from each other! Be prideful and respect the work of others out there!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kita the Explorer – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Kita the Explorer specializes in all things travel! There are three areas of focus which are adventure, counseling and the environment.

The area of adventure allows for me to share what I see around the world with others! This shows people what they can see or do in different parts of the world from Atlanta to Bangkok to Bogota in hopes of removing bias.

The area of counseling helps people unfamiliar with travel… well… travel! I provide services to help plan their trip itinerary as well as tips.

The last area is the area I’m most proud of and it is how it sets me apart from other travel influencers out there which is the environment. Climate change and the way human activity affects our home (Earth) is a grave concern to me. Therefore, wherever I travel I find a community service project to help the environment or donate to an environment cause. I have volunteered in Costa Rica at an animal conservation and donated to a cause in Iceland. I have an upcoming project in Australia to help the dying reef. Back home, my favorite cause to volunteer with is Trees Atlanta while I recycle at home and donate to Earth Justice. I’m hoping to bring light to others to take care of their planet whether at home or while on vacation to help future generations.

There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
It all depends on the space you are in but you have to get out there and do your research. Search for in person events in relation to your field whether it is a convention or a local meeting. Have your elevator speech together and ready to talk to anyone you may run into! For me, I ended up finding a coach which is actually a friend! I didn’t know until I started getting involved with Kita the Explorer. If you put yourself out there, you never know who may find that can mentor you until you do!

Pricing:

• Vacation Itinerary Services starts at $10 per trip
• Shirts in which part of the profits goes to environmental organizations starts at $15

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kitatheexplorer.com
• Email: wanderlust@kitatheexplorer.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kitatheexplorer
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kitatheexplorer
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/kitatheexplorer
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/mjennin8709/

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.