I’ve traveled all over the world, but my recent journey through Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana hit differently. It was breathtaking, humbling, hilarious in moments, terrifying in others (yes, I fell off a horse), and ultimately transformative in ways I’m still unpacking.

This trip awakened both sides of me:

Renée the traveler, rooted in Caribbean heritage and deeply connected to the African diaspora…
and Renée the founder of Red Hills Consulting, forever thinking about equity, opportunity, systems, and the people whose lives are shaped by them.

Southern Africa gave me beauty and adventure.
But it also handed me truths that global leaders, policymakers, and mission-driven organizations cannot afford to ignore.

But before we get to the lessons — let’s talk about the adventure.
Because this trip was epic.

🔥 Adventure Highlights (In No Particular Order Because My Trip Was Chaos Meets Magic)

Traveling through Southern Africa handed me every emotion on the spectrum — awe, humility, fear, joy, wonder, laughter, and plenty of “this would only happen to me” moments.

These are just a few of the many unforgettable highlights:

🏨 A Warm Zimbabwe Welcome at Insika Lodge

Our home base in Zimbabwe was Insika Lodge, a serene, intimate retreat that set the perfect tone for the journey. Cozy, beautiful, rooted in the landscape, and run by people whose hospitality made the experience feel deeply personal.

Small group.
Private guides.
A slow, intentional pace.
It felt like we were exactly where we were meant to be.

🐎 The Horseback Safari Plot Twist

Ah yes… the infamous fall.

My horse was already antsy. Hyenas were nearby. I politely suggested we not stop. Life said, “Girl, please.”

He bucked.
I flew.
Gravity did its job.

I walked away with bruises, gratitude, and a whole new respect for horses with attitude. Thankfully, my guide arranged a 90-minute full body massage back at the lodge — the kind of healing I didn’t know I needed until every muscle started talking. And for that, I was deeply grateful.

🌅 Peace on the Zambezi

A few hours later, I found healing on a peaceful dinner cruise along the Zambezi River.
The contrast was poetic.

Elephants wading.
Hippos bobbing in and out of the water.
A sunset so gorgeous the sky felt suspended in prayer.

It turned a chaotic morning into a restorative night.

🍽 Dinner at Chef Vee’s Home

One of the most intimate moments of the trip was being welcomed into Chef Vee’s home to cook and enjoy a traditional Zimbabwean meal.

It wasn’t a performance.
It was community.
It was culture.
It was connection.

We chopped, stirred, laughed, learned, and shared stories around the table — including me proudly preparing a delicious salad for the group… that we completely forgot to take out of the fridge. We remembered it way too late, but honestly? We were so focused on the meal, the conversation, and the moment that none of us missed it until the laughs came after.

A true highlight — salad or no salad. 😄

💦 Devil’s Pool — Living Life on the Very Edge

Imagine floating at the literal edge of Victoria Falls, holding onto rocks that separate you from one of the world’s largest waterfalls.

That’s Devil’s Pool.

Equal parts terror and adrenaline.
The kind of experience that makes you question your choices and then thank yourself for making them anyway.

🌍 Victoria Falls & Chobe National Park

Victoria Falls humbled me with its force and beauty.
Chobe stunned me with its abundance — elephants everywhere, lions, and giraffes casually strolling by, nature showing off effortlessly.

Every moment felt sacred.

🦛 The Hippo Encounter at Chobe

Chobe delivered more than breathtaking views — it delivered surprises.
During our water safari, a hippo suddenly charged toward our boat, and we sped away fast.

A wild, unforgettable moment — and yes, it’s all on video.

🛫 Traveling with Black & Abroad

We were among the very first small groups to experience this new tri-country itinerary with Black & Abroad — Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana.

And it was exactly my style:

intentional
intimate
culturally rooted
flexible
community-focused

I’ve traveled with Black & Abroad before — to Tanzania and Zanzibar a couple of years ago — and that journey was equally transformational. There’s something powerful about exploring the continent through a lens that honors history, culture, and the diaspora.

A huge shout-out to our guide, Habeeb, and our driver, Anthony — the real MVPs of this journey. Their care, knowledge, humor, and attention to detail took this experience from memorable to unforgettable. They made us feel safe, supported, and fully immersed every step of the way. Absolute rockstars.

With this recent journey, I’ve now traveled to nine African countries — and every single time, the continent shifts something in me in ways I can’t fully put into words. And the count won’t stop here; there are several more on my list.

💛 The Emotional Undercurrent: A Journey Rooted in Healing & Heritage

Before boarding my flight, I wrote about how the last time I was on the continent — in Rwanda — I received news of my father’s passing. That moment forever tied Africa to grief, love, and transformation for me.

This time, I returned with peace, openness, and my father’s memory tucked beside me.
The sunsets felt spiritual.
The land felt welcoming.
The journey felt necessary.

With my extended family in Jamaica recovering from Hurricane Melissa, I carried them with me too — their resilience, their strength, their hope.

This trip reminded me how interconnected we all are across the diaspora.

💔 The Reality Beneath the Adventure: Zimbabwe’s Untold Truth

Beyond the beauty and hospitality, Zimbabwe revealed something deeper — not through formal interviews or chance encounters, but through the stories shared by our personal driver and local guides who spoke candidly about the realities their families, friends, and communities face every day.

Zimbabwe is full of brilliant, educated, capable people who cannot find work.

Teachers.
Engineers.
Business graduates.
Doctors.

People who earned degrees, built skills, and did everything society told them to do — yet still find themselves with no stable path to opportunity.

Many cross the border into Zambia or Botswana for temporary or informal work, and some even make the longer journey to South Africa in search of more stable opportunities.
Others, equally skilled, survive by selling fruit, crafts, or souvenirs to tourists — not because it’s their calling, but because survival demands it.

And while Zimbabwe’s situation is unique in many ways, this reality is not — many developing nations face similar patterns of underemployment, economic strain, and talent forced into survival-mode work.

It is heartbreaking.
It is systemic.
And it is not a reflection of their ambition — it is a reflection of the economic environment they’re navigating.

📉 Tourism Helps… But Currency Instability Hurts

Zimbabwe should be a tourism powerhouse.
And in many ways, it is — the attractions are world-class.

But here’s the economic reality:

1. Tourism dollars leak out of the system.

Because of currency instability:

USD is hoarded
inflation wipes out value
reinvestment is limited
wage gains evaporate quickly

It’s hard for communities to get ahead when the economic ground is constantly shifting.

2. Tourism becomes relief — not transformation.

Without broader policy and currency reforms, tourism can’t create the long-term, equitable growth it should.

Then I Returned Home… and Saw Familiar Patterns

Coming back to the U.S., I couldn’t ignore the parallels:

DEI rollbacks
layoffs hitting marginalized groups
shrinking economic mobility
talented people doing everything “right” yet struggling to advance

Different continent.
Different systems.
But the same underlying truth:

When opportunity collapses, inequity grows — everywhere.

Harare. Harlem. Lusaka. Los Angeles.
The patterns are interconnected.

🔴 What This Journey Reaffirmed for Red Hills Consulting Group

This trip reinforced why Red Hills exists.

1. Transformation must be human-centered.

Strategy without humanity is ineffective.

2. Equity is global. And fragile.

Without intention, systems exclude.

3. Economic mobility changes everything.

Where opportunity expands, communities thrive.

4. Our work matters — more than ever.

We partner with organizations committed to:

empowering marginalized communities
creating equitable pathways
centering people in strategy
building systems of opportunity

This trip sharpened that purpose.

💬 Final Reflection: The Motherland, My Mission & What Comes Next

Southern Africa gave me joy, healing, courage, perspective, and clarity.
It reminded me of the beauty of our diaspora and the urgency of our work.

Talent is universal.
Opportunity is not.
And until it is, Red Hills will keep pushing.

Here’s to honoring our roots.
Here’s to global connection.
Here’s to doing good work — wherever the journey takes us next.

About Renée
Renée Jones is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Red Hills Consulting Group, where she leads strategic, operational, and transformational initiatives for Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations. With more than 20 years of experience leading complex initiatives, Renée helps organizations turn bold ideas into lasting impact. Outside of work, she mentors emerging leaders and champions social-impact innovation. https://redhillsconsultinggroup.com

Surrounded by the spirit of youth and resilience—Water Lane Mural in downtown Kingston, celebrating the beauty and promise of Jamaica’s next generation.

Earlier this month, I traveled to Jamaica for my Grand Aunt Alva’s homegoing service. She lived to be 106 years old—a life filled with wisdom, love, and quiet strength. Her passing brought our family together in Mandeville, where we gathered to celebrate her remarkable life. While it was a solemn occasion, it was also a homecoming of sorts—an opportunity to walk the paths of my family’s past and reflect on the legacies that shaped who I am.

While in Jamaica, we spent a meaningful day in Oxford, Manchester—a rural farming community about 60 miles from the capital city of Kingston—where my father grew up. It was there that we retraced his roots, visited his childhood school, and honored the legacy he left behind.

Always a treat to visit Noisy River – Oxford, Manchester, JA – where the water sings and the vibes are unforgettable

One of the most meaningful stops was Comfort Hall All-Age School, where my father began his educational journey. As a boy, he would sit under the mango tree with his books, determined to make something of himself. One of the elders in the community, who knew him as a child, recalled, “He was different. Always studying. You could just tell he would go far.”

And he did.

My father would go on to complete his education in Kingston and graduate from the University of the West Indies, Mona, but he never forgot where it started. He often spoke of Comfort Hall with fondness and gratitude, and over the years, he supported the school through donations and supplies. After his passing in 2024, my brother established the Basil A. Jones Memorial Scholarship in his honor—because what better way to honor his memory than to invest in the future of the very place that shaped him.

While visiting the school, I was moved by their commitment to literacy. A large Reading Wall, proudly displayed on campus, showcases student work and learning activities that reflect their joy in reading and writing. Just above it, the school’s motto is painted across the upper balcony:

ENTER TO LEARN — LEAVE LITERATE

“Enter to Learn, Leave Literate” — a powerful reminder of what’s possible when education is rooted in purpose and community. Comfort Hall All-Age School, Oxford, Jamaica.

I stood in front of it, struck by how deeply it aligned with the work we do at Tanzania Development Support (TDS)—where literacy, particularly for girls in rural communities, is at the heart of our mission. In both Comfort Hall and Tanzania, literacy is not just an educational benchmark. It’s a pathway to equity, independence, and hope.

A wall that speaks volumes—showcasing student voices, creativity, and a love of reading at Comfort Hall All-Age School in rural Jamaica.

My brother and I with the current Principal of Comfort Hall Primary School – Ms. Nicholson, thanking her for her dedication and commitment to young people and education, and her support in administering our father’s scholarship to deserving students

The journey didn’t end in Manchester. I later traveled to Kingston, where I visited my childhood school, Stella Maris Preparatory. While I didn’t get a chance to explore the grounds in full, just standing outside the gates brought back memories of school uniforms, morning assemblies, and the early seeds of curiosity that would shape my future.

A glimpse of my early beginnings—Stella Maris Preparatory School in Kingston, where my love for learning first took root.

This trip reminded me that education is more than a formal experience—it’s a deeply personal, cultural, and community-driven force. It shows up in the aunties who model lifelong learning. In the children proudly pointing to their work on a reading wall. In the mango trees that shaded my father’s dreams, and in every initiative I support that centers literacy, empowerment, and opportunity.

These places—and the people who shaped them—remind me why I do what I do.

Tag: travel

🧳 From Manchester to Kingston: A Journey Through Legacy, Literacy, and Love