Chantal

Hello family, friends, and fellow travelers!  I'm Chantal, the CB of the CB & J. I was born and raised in San Diego, went to college in LA (SC '08 FIGHT ON!), and flirted with San Francisco before making my way back south.  I'm a California girl, through and through, but have never been able to stay in one place for long.  I love a beautiful, empty beach or mountaintop as much as I love a crowded, chaotic, third world city.  I want to take in everything.  I want to be surprised.  I want to marvel.   

Travel is in my blood. My grandma is a Kiwi (New Zealand born) and my grandpa was in the Navy. I've been to 20 countries and counting, but have never been as excited as I am now that I found a travel partner in Jay.

When I'm not traveling, I teach high school English in one of the lowest income neighborhoods of San Diego; I am deeply empowered by my students: their strength, their resilience, and their curiosity.  My deepest belief in life is that education is the single, greatest equalizer globally.  It connects people across languages, religions, beliefs, and resource levels. The learning that comes from immersing myself in foreign backdrops drives my classroom instruction and who I am in my core.

I love people and conversations and quiet moments observing.  I love feeling uncomfortable and hyperaware of the colors and sounds and smells around me. I love that we can share our experiences with you via this website, and I hope we inspire you to be present in all that you do.

Jay

Hey everyone! My name is Justin but everyone close to me calls me Jay. I wanted you to know a little about myself to understand the purpose and vision of this website.

I grew up in the Baltimore County area of Maryland for 26 years and moved to San Diego In March of 2015. Sports, music and travel have been the 3 most consistent things throughout my life. Being the middle child of two brothers, you can imagine how competitive we were in everything we did. Soccer and lacrosse were the two main sports that I played since the age of 3.  Through the years, I became the go-to guy for music. If someone wanted a playlist, I would make it; a social event, I would be bluetoothed to the speaker; or even a house party, I would be djing. There hasn’t been a moment in time where I haven’t kept up with new music or even music that hasn’t hit the radios yet.

Travel was something that struck my interest in my early years. I remember watching YouTube channels at a young age on my favorite songs and playlists and seeing awesome videos that went with it. Tropical house music is one of my favorite genres, and I loved where every video took place; Maldives, Bora Bora, Fiji, Bali, you name it. Over the past couple of years, I have had this strong fire inside to travel and see what this world has to offer. Being in Bali with Chantal earlier this year, I have never felt so alive. In a sense, it changed how I look and feel about life itself. Simple, happy, and free are the first 3 words that come to mind.  This blog website is designed around making a dream become a reality. I want to live my life to the fullest and be an inspiration to everyone else out there that they can do whatever it takes to be the happiest they can be.

CB & J

If you haven’t figured out already, CB & J stands for Chantal Blakeney and Jay.  We met in May of 2016 when we were Sunday “brunching” with friends and happened to mingle amongst each other. Ever since that day, we bonded over similar passions and goals.

Together, we share a healthy relationship that involves traveling and exploration. In the first year of our relationship, we traveled as much as we could while working full time. Some of our adventures include: road tripping up the coast from San Diego to San Francisco, Baltimore, D.C., Annapolis, Bali, Taiwan, and Mexico. After every trip, we were planning the next one because it gave us so much joy.

We travel so well as a couple because we have different personalities and interests that complement each other. Chantal is drawn to the art and culture of new places while Jay is drawn to the natural adventures and thrill seeking experiences. We push each other, in that sense, to take in all aspects of new places and engage with the landscapes and customs we encounter. We enjoy meeting new people and spreading goodness one interaction at a time.

Our goal is to challenge our norms and experience life outside the American perspective.  With a deep faith and altruism, we're always seeking opportunities to give back and join projects that enrich the communities we pass through.  We want to learn more about new places, each other, and, in turn, ourselves, ever remembering that we're a small part of this big, awesome world and our time in it is precious.