This is an interview done with Jordyn Verzera of The Mobile Homie, read her story below! If you, or anyone you know, would like to be highlighted in The Zillennial Zine, shoot us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram!

Tell us your story! Where did you begin and how did you reach the caliber you’re currently at?

Honestly, I have always been so fascinated with travel. As funny as it sounds, I think my love for travel stems from watching Scooby-Doo movies at a young age. Scooby-doo had movies that took place in Egypt, Rome, Hawaii, & more, but I vividly remember watching them and thinking “Wow, I would really like to see that.”

When I was in fourth grade, I was fortunate enough to be involved in an advanced program where if you raised enough money, you could go on a trip to Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. I remember so vividly the day I found out about the trip. I immediately went home and told my mom about this school trip. I was so excited. She told me that if I could raise the money myself, I could go. We sat down that night and brainstormed ways of raising money so that I could go (I was also very lucky that she supported my dreams of travel, specifically because she would have to go with me on the trip). We decided on making paper-bag scrapbooks and decided that I would make 150 of them and sell them for $10 each. Within the first week, I (with the help of my mom) made all 150 scrapbooks. I set off, walking down the street to go door-to-door, with a backpack full of scrapbooks. For the next two weeks, I walked to every single house in the neighborhood (and more) knocking on the door, explaining what I was raising money for, and asking them to buy a scrapbook. To my surprise, a lot of people bought scrapbooks (it probably helped that I was 10), and a lot of people donated some extra money to help me in my efforts. When I finally reached my goal of selling every single scrapbook – I was ecstatic. I was able to go on this “once in a lifetime” trip.

Fast forward a few months to April. We finally set off on our trip. Our first destination was Vienna, Austria. From the moment we stepped off that plane, I knew that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I spent that entire trip watching (and singing the entire soundtrack of) The Sound of Music, and being amazed around every corner. There were definitely some moments of culture shock and distaste, specifically when we stayed in a hostel where the whole room was the size of a twin bed or when the only food to eat was sauerkraut, but understanding the reality of other cultures definitely comes with age.

Fast forward to highschool, I never forgot about that trip I took in fourth grade. When 10th grade finally rolled around, I learned that there was a group of exchange students coming to the school. At this point, I was begging my parents to let us host an exchange student from Germany…to my surprise, they said yes. We ended up hosting Annika, from Berlin, Germany. Annika lived with us for a year (the fastest year of my life) and we bonded so deeply. By the end, I knew I wanted to visit her in Germany, but the more pressing matter – I wanted to study abroad.

I spent the next year applying to every study abroad program around (seriously, there were so many). After weeks of searching and interviewing, I had finally found a program in Australia that I was accepted to. I was so excited. The day came to make the first payment and the company decided to raise the price by about three times the original amount. I could no longer study abroad in Australia.

College comes around and I am studying English at Northern Arizona University. My sophomore year, I applied for a program to study abroad in Brussels, Belgium for the Spring/Fall of 2019. I was accepted to the program and everything was going well, until the department would not allow specific credits to be transferred. Again, I could no longer study abroad in Belgium.

I ended up pushing my application to study at the University of Luxembourg for Spring 2020. Credits were approved. It was final – I was going to live in Luxembourg for 8 months! I left at the end of December 2019 to go to Berlin, Germany to stay with my exchange student, Annika, for a month before heading to Luxembourg. From the minute I got off the plane, the feeling was back. This is where I was supposed to be. I spent the month seeing everything possible, experiencing so much culture shock, and even embarking on my first real solo-trip to Edinburgh, Scotland.

The moment came for me to go to Luxembourg. I was so excited and I knew things were just getting started. My first night in Lux, I stayed at a hostel in the town center and ended up meeting this girl, Emel, who was also going to be attending my university. We immediately became the best of friends, and spent every moment together. We attended ESN (Erasmus Student Network) events, trips to neighboring countries, and socializing events to make friends from other countries. Our group grew very quickly, and we all got close even quicker. Unfortunately, this all came to an abrupt end only a few months later when we got an email saying that all in person classes were canceled. At first, we didn’t expect it to last long (COVID had been in Germany since January), but we learned quickly that we were wrong. One-by-one, we started to be mandated by our universities to return home. I really thought I was safe until early one morning when I received an email that stated “ While you are free to make the decision you feel is best for your own health and safety, should you choose to remain outside of the United States after March 26th against the NAU requirement that you return to the United States, NAU will have no choice but to un-enroll you from your spring 2020 courses.” I had to clean out my entire apartment, say goodbye to all of my friends, and find a flight that left within the next 6 hours because the country was shutting down. I was legitimately on the last flight out of the country with my boyfriend who had come to visit from the US. I was crushed.

Now (December 2022), I look back at all of these experiences and realize how they have all shaped me into who I am today. My passion for travel would still be there if I did not have these struggles, but now I really know what it feels like to work for it. These experiences have given me the drive to go along with my passion. It has allowed me to turn passion into a business. Travel has provided me with the highest highs and the lowest lows, but I wouldn’t give it up for the world.

What makes you love what you do? How long have you been traveling? Would you call it your passion?

Absolutely everything. I especially enjoy trying different foods (I love food so much) and experiencing different cultures. I have met so many people (from all around the world) who have become life-long friends. I also enjoy asking everyone I meet about their culture/country and comparing it to the US. I have learned so many little fun facts about different places that I would’ve never known unless I asked.

I have been traveling since I was little. I’ve been to 19 countries (lived in three) and 35 states. I believe in quality over quantity haha.

Traveling is absolutely my passion. Seriously, when I was 4, I told my mom my favorite place and smell was the airport (lol), and when she’d ask me my favorite part of the trip? Yeah, also the airport…

What are some accomplishments or milestones you’ve reached lately?

After graduating college, my boyfriend and I converted a shuttle bus into an RV and traveled the Western United States. Recently, we ended up selling our RV so that we could move onto our next adventure. Even though we are not 100% set on what our next adventure is, we could not be more excited. Having that openness did lead us to do something very exciting this week – we bought our first ticket to Asia!

Tell us about themobilehomie!!

Back in May of 2022, I decided to start my own travel brand (The Mobile Homie) to help others learn how to travel on a budget! It started with sharing about how I do my travels within my budget, and began sharing details about how to create an itinerary on a budget, how to book flights on a budget, etc. I have absolutely loved doing it so far, and I think that it is truly amazing to be able to take something that you have a passion for, and turn it into a job that could help pay for that passion. I have learned so much in the past 6 months, but I am just getting started!

Do you have any advice for someone who is starting out with traveling?

Seriously, travel does not always have to be expensive! If you create a budget, it is very possible to stick to it! Most of the videos that I make show you how to do exactly that. There are also so many remote jobs available where you can work on the go! Whether you want to travel full-time or part time, there is a way to do it within your budget!

What do you want our readers to know about you and your content/your podcast/etc?

If you ever have any questions about travel – I am here! My goal of starting The Mobile Homie was to empower others to take that leap and learn how travel can fit in their lifestyle.

Anything else you would like to add?

If you are even thinking about taking a leap and going on your first trip…do it! Travel can be nerve wracking at first, but my best advice is to push away any preconceived notions and experience it for yourself.

Go Check Out The Mobile Homie!

Instagram: @themobilehomie

TikTok: @themobilehomie

YouTube: The Mobile Homie

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